Unable to find any success away from University Hall this season, the Virginia women's basketball team brings their 1-8 road record to tonight's matchup with No. 7 North Carolina at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels (16-2, 6-1 ACC), fresh off an 83-82 last-second victory at Maryland on Monday, are 9-1 on their home court this season, suffering their only home loss to undefeated No. 1 Duke. The two teams met twice last year, with Virginia falling short in both. The Cavaliers also have dropped nine of the last 12 meetings between the two squads.
The Cavaliers (8-10, 2-5 ACC) have been plagued by a lack of "mental toughness" on the road so far this season, said Virginia coach Debbie Ryan. Ryan has worked to simulate road conditions during practice to better prepare the team for games away from Charlottesville.
"We try to put them into situations where things aren't fair," Ryan said. "If they can get through it in practice, then there's more of a likelihood they can get through it in the game. But when we're in practice, they still get very angry when we don't call fouls. I just say 'wah, wah, wah. Too bad.'"
Predicted to finish third in the ACC this season, Virginia has been unable to live up to expectations, currently residing at sixth place in the conference. The Cavaliers fell to a season-low 5-9 earlier this month after losing five games in a row including one-point road losses at Clemson and N.C. State.
"Everybody feels a lot more comfortable at home," Sophomore center Brandi Teamer said. "A lot of times on the road you don't feel like a lot of the calls are going for you. We have to learn to play through that. At home you have all of the fans behind you, but on the road the people in the gym aren't on your side, and I think that's something we need to adjust to very quickly."
Despite struggling on the road, the Cavaliers have been victorious in three of their last four attempts,
including victories in two of their last three ACC games, and are 2-1 this season against ranked opponents.
After defeating then No. 22 Old Dominion on the road to start the season and beating then No. 25 Michigan at a neutral site, Virginia fell victim to No. 1 Duke at U-Hall Jan. 9 in a narrow 60-59 decision.
Most recently, the Cavaliers put forth a strong performance against Georgetown where sophomore guard Cherise Graham's 23 points helped Virginia pull away in the second half.
The Cavaliers' post players also contributed to the victory, out-rebounding the Hoyas and scoring more points in the paint. Virginia's frontcourt presence should be a factor tonight against 6 foot-6 Tar Heel center Candace Sutton.
For Virginia to earn its 21st consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, however, Ryan recognizes the Cavaliers will have to do more than almost win.
"I think that every game is important now," Ryan said. "I don't think whether it is at home or on the road should matter. I think we have to stay focused, regardless of what happens, and not worry about any of the extraneous outside forces that get to you on the road."
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