Forget for a moment that the Virginia men's basketball team (16-9, 6-8 ACC) is in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Also, forget that the Cavaliers have lost seven of their last nine games and currently sit on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. Despite recent woes, the Cavaliers have a chance to do something extremely special tonight, as they attempt to defeat the Duke Blue Devils at University Hall for the second year in a row.
"The kids are down right now and it has been a tough stretch for us," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "We need to come out ready to play from the get-go and execute in key situations."
Duke (25-2, 12-2) comes to Charlottesville less than two weeks removed from a loss to Maryland in College Park. With that defeat, the Blue Devils find themselves in danger of not winning a piece of the ACC regular-season title for the first time since 1996. However, anyone who thinks that Duke is in the midst of a slump is glaringly mistaken.
Jason Williams serves as the floor leader for this year's Blue Devil squad. The junior guard combines a deadly three-point jump shot with lightning quickness and undying defensive intensity. He leads the team with 28.3 points a game, and is uncontested as the best point guard in the nation. Yet, Williams has shot a modest 65 percent from the free-throw line, exposing what might be his only weakness as a basketball player. He went 0-for-6 from the line in the closing minutes of Duke's loss to Florida State, and has remained inconsistent all season.
Behind Williams is a strong supporting cast, most notably junior forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. Dunleavy has shown tremendous versatility throughout the season, while consistently showing a knack for transforming games within a span of a few minutes. His 19-point second-half performance against Maryland in January was reminiscent of his national championship performance from last season, when he hit three three-pointers in one minute to help secure the title. Last season, Dunleavy struggled in Charlottesville, as he was plagued by foul trouble. For Virginia to have a chance of pulling the upset, they must contain Dunleavy and keep him from hitting game-breaking shots.
Virginia shocked Duke 91-89 in U-Hall last year in front of a rabid group of fans that survived a week-long campout. Virginia senior Adam Hall was the hero of the evening, scoring 17 points, including the game-winning layup with .9 seconds left. Hall electrified the crowd throughout the game with a spectacular aerial display that included an alley-oop dunk that left Shane Battier with a Reebok logo implanted on his forehead.
Hall has been hampered by injuries all season, but played inspired basketball in Virginia's loss to Gerogia Tech last Saturday. For Hall and fellow seniors Chris Williams and Jason Dowling, tonight's contest represents their final game at U-Hall. For the seniors to go out on top, they must provide some desperately needed leadership for this struggling Virginia team.
"We are better than we are playing and I know we can play better," Williams said.
Virginia still has an outside shot to make the NCAA tournament. However, if Virginia plays with an inspired sense of urgency, and if and U-Hall rocks with fan support the way it did last year, the Cavaliers might be able to keep those tournament hopes alive to see another day.
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