Even worse than watching Virginia and their NCAA tournament hopes take a beating yesterday at Duke was knowing that if the Cavaliers had played every single game the way they played in the first half of this one, they would probably not be worried about their post-season probabilities.
There are games that, however disappointing, are a reminder that some teams are just better then their performance indicates. This game was one of them. Given the fact that the Blue Devils as a whole looked like stronger, faster players with better ballhandling, rebounding and shooting skills, there's not much to say criticizing the Cavaliers. They tried their best, it just wasn't good enough. And that happens.
A fog of desperation hung over the Virginia team last night, as they hovered around a .500 winning percentage, and that desperation led to an even more tangible desire. I have never seen more diving, rolling, or dramatic arm flailing. I have never seen these girls fight harder for every rebound and every layup. And I have certainly never seen Debbie Ryan have to be held back by players and assistant coaches as she practically dove for the necks of referees (exaggeration only slight).
While many of these unusual antics led to basketball that was less than pretty, and in Debbie's case a technical foul, it seems that if Virginia had faced many of their previous opponents with that same attitude, their season would have been much different. In each of the games that I have watched, their intensity level fluctuated in a relatively set pattern. They start slowly, if not nonchalantly, and pick up the pace going into the end of the first half. They maintain this intensity long enough to gain a lead throughout the second half. Or, they wait until the last minute to push ahead, acting as if they knew all along they would.
Virginia knew they weren't going to win against Duke with their usual "second-half team" strategy. They definitely couldn't come out sluggishly for the first 10 minutes and expect to come roaring back. We all know that the only people doing the roaring at Cameron Indoor Stadium are the fans. So they came out with absolutely everything. And everything might create opportunities for you and deny opportunities for your opponents, but unfortunately it does not necessarily put points on the board.
But the fact that the team was willing to leave everything out on the court tonight because it was a last-ditch effort to save their tournament chances is not necessarily admirable. I am certain that if the Cavaliers had looked at every single game as a possible last-ditch effort, Debbie Ryan wouldn't be answering incessant questions about how it feels to be facing the possibility (and very likelihood) of Virginia's first NCAA tournament non-appearance in 20 years.
Hindsight is always 20-20, and I understand that maintaining a frenetic energy level in every single game is nearly impossible. But it is hard to leave unsaid that tonight I caught a glimpse of what the Cavaliers could have been, and what they can be. Every team is not Duke, but every game does have an equal impact on your record at the end of the season. This season may be coming to an end, but in the future I hope the Virginia women's team will take it as a lesson that every game matters equally in the end, and second half, be it in a game or in a season, doesn't always cut it.
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