With the final 30 seconds winding down on yesterday's Virginia-Arizona game, Cavalier point guard Sean Singletary grabbed a rebound at the top of the key after the Wildcats' last shot. For the first time in the contest, however, the freshman did not transition to push the break. Instead, Singletary dribbled the ball until time expired on a Virginia upset win over No. 10 Arizona, 78-60.
Wildcat turnovers allowed Virginia to run the floor toward their basket in transition. Through the evening, the Cavaliers had 12 fast break points, a number which doubled the Arizona output.
Singletary constantly pushed the ball down the court in 30 minutes of play. On the break, he was helped Virginia wingmen running without the ball, notably sophomore forward Gary Forbes.
Singletary ended with 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals, while Forbes tallied 13 points in 16 minutes, missing only one shot from the floor.
The Cavaliers' success throughout the game was built on two pillars -- forcing Arizona turnovers and fighting for rebounds. Virginia outrebounded the Wildcats 37-32 and also snagged 15 steals against their opponents in a zone defense.
"We emphasize rebounding hard," Virginia center Elton Brown said. "We know last year we were in the bottom of the NCAA in rebounding. This year we're not going to have that happen."
In the first half the Cavaliers held the potent Arizona backcourt combination of Mustafa Shakur and Salim Stoudamire to zero points, never allowing either played to take over the game or ever feel entirely comfortable with the ball.
"We had 11 turnovers out of our two starting guards," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "Anytime you do that, that's going to kill you."
The Virginia crowd was livelier than any time in recent memory, creating a deafening setting that only grew in decibels as the game moved forward. As time expired, Cavalier forward Jason Clark strolled to the sideline with his hand cupped to his ear as the Virginia faithful nearly blew the roof off of the increasingly decrepit University Hall.
Clark played the game with stitches in his eye and helped his team tremendously by staying out of foul trouble as he clogged up the paint against Arizona star center Channing Frye.
Clark "gave the rest of our guys some courage and some determination and some toughness," Gillen said. "I thought that was symbolic of the game."
All in all, the Cavaliers did more than just beat the Wildcats -- they blew them out of Charlottesville by a head-turning 18 point margin. Gillen coached well, keeping Virginia in a zone defense, using his bench to keep fresh legs on the court and never calling a timeout to halt Cavalier momentum. In the end, the Virginia's often criticized commander walked away with a victory over Arizona's Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson.
As has been predicted throughout the preseason, the Cavaliers have a chance to be successful if they can run a fast-paced offense. Yesterday evening, they coupled that strategy with a fluid zone defense and the confidence to challenge every Wildcat player to force turnovers.
Though it is only the second game of a long season, a win over a top-ten team gives Virginia momentum, confidence and early brief attention from the NCAA tournament selection committee.
This national attention temporarily verifies what every Cavalier coach and player has said thus far -- Virginia is primed and ready to return to tournament madness in March.
ARIZONA(2-1)
Frye 7-13 3-3 17, Adams 5-10 3-5 14, Radenovic 2-4 0-0 5, Shakur 2-8 1-2 5, Stoudamire 4-11 2-2 13, Fox 0-1 0-0 0, Tangara 0-0 0-0 0, Verdejo 1-3 0-0 2, Dillon 0-0 0-0 0, McClellan 1-3 0-0 2, Rodgers 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-58 9-12 60.
VIRGINIA(2-0)
Brown 7-13 1-5 15, Smith 6-11 2-2 17, Clark 3-5 0-0 6, Reynolds 3-9 0-0 6, Singletary 6-11 3-4 15, Minter 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph 2-3 0-0 4, Forbes 5-6 2-2 13, Soroye 0-0 0-1 0, Bannister 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 32-59 10-16 78.
Halftime-Virginia 34-22. 3-Point goals-Arizona 5-24 (Adams 1-3, Radenovic 1-2, Shakur 0-4, Stoudamire 3-10, Verdejo 0-2, Rodgers 0-1, McClellan 0-2), Virginia 4-17 (Brown 0-1, Reynolds 0-5, Singletary 0-3, Smith 3-6, Forbes 1-1, Joseph 0-1). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-Arizona 32 (Frye 11), Virginia 37 (Brown 7). Assists-Arizona 16 (Shakur 6), Virginia 14 (Singletary 8). Total fouls-Arizona 16, Virginia 15. A-7,792.
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