To put it bluntly, the Cavaliers came into yesterday's men's basketball game against Clemson reeling from four consecutive losses. To say that something had to change is an understatement. Virginia had to shake things up and get back to doing what they do best: Press.
Against the Tigers, they did just that.
"We needed a change," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "After four straight losses, we couldn't keep it status quo."
Gillen pulled a rabbit out of his hat with his new starting lineup. He started energetic freshman Jason Clark at power forward, and speedy Jermaine Harper at the two, sliding Roger Mason Jr. back to the point. Chris Williams and Travis Watson stayed at the three and five, respectively.
This lineup proved extremely fruitful as Virginia jumped out to an early 13-3 advantage. The Cavaliers seemed to "click," stifling the Tigers on defense while knocking down shots on offense. This type of out-of-the-gate energy has eluded Virginia in their conference season thus far, as they have been forced to play catch-up far too often. This early domination of the Tigers made spectators believe that the Cavaliers would cruise to the victory. But, true to this season, nothing comes that easy for the Cavaliers.
Once Gillen went to the bench, Clemson took advantage of the barely existent Virginia defense. The Tigers came back to tie the game at 50, and it looked as if the Cavaliers would find themselves spending March at U-Hall for the NIT instead of competing for the national championship in the NCAA tournament.
At that moment, the Cavaliers finally did something they haven't done successfully all season. Press.
It has forever been the first chapter of the Gillen Guide to Basketball, but this season, Virginia has looked lethargic running the press - as if they were doing it out of force of habit instead of doing it to wreak havoc.
Thankfully, all of that changed yesterday as the Cavaliers, playing with a sense of urgency, pressed quickly and aggressively. This fueled Virginia's 15-0 run and propelled them to the much-needed conference win.
"We wanted to make a statement on the defensive end," Williams said. "Our run was sparked by our defense."
Gillen agreed with his senior forward.
"Our defense was the difference," he said. "Our press gave us some energy, we got back to who we are."
Turning defense to offense is what Virginia basketball has been about ever since Gillen set foot in Charlottesville. It is unfortunate that it took being tied with the lowly Tigers at home for Virginia finally to execute their style of play with an urgency that only being on the bubble will give a team.
Beyond free pizza and donuts, Gillen has a responsibility to Virginia fans. That responsibility simply is making sure that the scoreboard shows a higher number under "VIRGINIA" than under "VISITOR" (unless the Cavs are on the road, of course).
Throughout the Cavaliers' four straight loses, Gillen had not done what was needed to pull out victories. Granted, Virginia faced off against top-notch opponents, but the Cavaliers could have won at least two of those contests.
To his credit, Gillen has done a masterful job responding to Virginia's tough stretch by getting back to what Virginia basketball is all about.
If Gillen can get his squad to build upon this type of effort, no one should be able to burst the Virginia bubble.
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