As I watched the Georgetown Hoyas steal the ballover and over from my beloved Cavalier women yesterday, I started to wonder why I wasn't nervous. Did I not care about this team? Had I become apathetic? It couldn't be. When my girls finally got it together in the last few minutes of the second half and pulled within two points again, it hit me. I finally had enough faith in them to ignore their first-half ineptitudes. I had joined the followers of the "Come-From-Behind Cavaliers."
I have not seen this team stay ahead for an entire game. They do not crush their opponents. In fact, they allow opponents to gain substantial leads without so much as a hint of urgency. While the team's trademark first-half nonchalance may be giving coach Debbie Ryan a few more gray hairs, it may be doing the exact opposite to the players... or is it?
After the last several wins, the players have responded to every question about breakdowns in the first half with some version of, "It's okay -- we're a second half team!"
They laughed, the reporters laughed, and Ryan laughed (nervously). It seems like the ability to stay calm while behind in double-digits is important to the team. They have faith in their ability to come back, and flaws in their play are not exacerbated by desperation or frustration. It has almost gotten to the point were it seems like the team is doing it on purpose. Every single game is the same. After a mediocre 15 minutes, the Cavaliers come out of nowhere to take the lead, tie it up, or come within just a few points right before halftime. This run inevitably helps their momentum going into the next half and proves to their opponents that they really did come to play.
There are definitely good and bad things about Operation Scare-the- Living-Daylights-Out-of-Our-Coaches-and-Fans-Before-Winning-Like-We-Always-Knew-We-Would. Some of the good things include keeping fans on the edges of their seats, amplifying the home-court advantage by getting the senior citizens pumped up, silencing cocky fans of the other team and, last but not least, crushing the hopes of a team that thought it had victory within its grasp.
Maybe I'm overestimating the team's desire to see its opponents suffer, but there is no doubt that the Come-From-Behind Cavaliers leave a path of depression in their wake.
Now, on a more serious note, Debbie Ryan has a reason to be a little nervous about the tactic her players have adopted. The plan's number one flaw is that it will not always work. For example, in the game against North Carolina, the plan was going perfectly until the last few seconds of the game in which UNC unleashed its own secret weapon -- freshman star Ivory Latta. Since the Tar Heels squeaked back into the lead in the last seconds, the Cavaliers did not have time to get back in the game.
Also, Virginia must admit that there will come a day when the other team will just be too good to post 10-point run against. The Virginia women will soon travel to the home of No. 1 Duke and should seriously consider if they'll be able to recover from an early Blue Devils lead.
Finally, the more Virginia uses this strategy, the more prepared their opponents will be. I almost wince with every echo of "we're a second-half team," knowing full well that the more the players emphasize that strength, the more their opponents will be ready for it.
The come-from-behind strategy has made my job much more interesting, and I love it. But, out of love, I would warn the Cavaliers to be wary of it and its pitfalls.
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