Senior Night brings a special spark to University Hall, and the Virginia Cavaliers are hoping to use that spark to their advantage when they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons tonight. Virginia (15-10, 5-9 ACC), once left for dead in the ACC cellar, has won three out of its last four games, and a win over Wake would put the Cavaliers back on the bubble.
Defeating the Deacons, (19-6, 9-5) however, will be no easy task. Wake has won six in a row, including four straight conference games. During their streak, the Deacs have downed national powers Duke and Cincinnati, and have won on the road at ACC rivals Maryland and Georgia Tech. In their first matchup against Virginia, Wake spanked the Cavaliers 91-78.
But Virginia is playing like a different team as of late. The Cavaliers upset Georgia Tech in a Valentine's Day delight and shocked North Carolina last week. Throw in their rare road win against Clemson, and Virginia is the second hottest team in the league.
"I think that being one of the youngest teams in the conference, our freshmen are really starting to mature and step up in ways that freshmen usually don't step up," senior guard Todd Billet said.
Billet and Devin Smith have keyed Virginia's recent success. Billet has hit game-winning three-pointers in all three of Virginia's recent wins, with his most dramatic coming against Georgia Tech with one second left on the clock. Smith has played with an injured back that has caused him to miss a significant amount of practice time. Despite his ailment, he dropped 16 points on the Yellow Jackets and lit up North Carolina for 20. Billet and Smith will need to be major factors for Virginia to upset the Demon Deacons.
"[Todd's] a very hard worker," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "He was the last guy in the gym yesterday. He is a terrific young man. It's nice to have some nice memories as his college career ends up."
A win against Wake would have major implications for Virginia's meager NCAA tournament aspirations. Two news sources, CBS and ESPN, list Virginia as a lower-tier bubble team. The Cavaliers currently boast an RPI around 50, which would not be good enough to make the tournament. But, should they upset Wake and beat Maryland away next Sunday, their RPI would likely be in the low 40s or upper 30s, making them a much more palatable choice for the tournament committee. A victory Tuesday would also give Virginia another quality win against a ranked team.
Virginia fans have reason to feel good about Tuesday's matchup. In three out of the last four years, Virginia has upset ranked conference opponents in its last home game of the season. Most memorably, the Cavaliers rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to down Duke in 2002. Last year, Virginia completed a sweep of Maryland, upsetting the Terps in an overtime thriller.
If the magic is to continue against Wake, Virginia might need to hope for an unlikely contribution. Four years ago, defensive specialist Adam Hall hit a three pointer in the closing seconds to beat Maryland and give Virginia a third-place finish in the ACC. Against Duke, point guard Keith Jenifer made a rare jump shot to take the lead in the final minute. And last year, senior Jason Rogers made his first collegiate start and provided a huge offensive lift against the Terps.
In a perfect world, senior guard Majestic Mapp would provide Virginia with an unexpected boost. Mapp, who missed two years to a knee injury, has played sparingly this season. The NCAA may grant Mapp a sixth year of eligibility under its medical hardship rule, but Gillen has already said Mapp won't be joining the Cavaliers next season. Thus, Mapp will be honored alongside Billet Tuesday night. Hopefully, the two seniors will provide one more night of magic for Cavalier fans.
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