Following multiple wins over NCAA tournament teams from a year ago, Virginia fans have begun to ask if those are really their Cavaliers out there on the court. Yes, that's Virginia at 4-0, ranked 24th in the AP and 25th in the Coaches/USA Today polls. And yes, those are the Cavaliers, blowing teams out with good defense, balanced scoring and sharp shooting. Who would've thought?
While the victories so far for the Cavaliers have been clear and decisive, they have yet to play an opponent outside of University Hall. Virginia will take its show on the road for the first time of the season tonight at 9:30 p.m. against the Northwestern Wildcats (1-3) in the much ballyhooed ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
"Northwestern is going to be a tough game," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "They have a great coach in Bill Carmody, and they run a tough system. They are hard to prepare for because they execute real well. It's going to be a very tough game."
While Gillen needs the Cavaliers to believe his words, Northwestern's record so far might imply that these Wildcats don't have quite the same claws as the Arizona Wildcats Virginia dispensed of a week ago.
Northwestern is on a three-game losing slide, having dropped games to New Mexico State, Utah State and Colorado. The Wildcats' lone win came in a 56-53 squeaker against the Portland Pilots in the opening round of the Top of the World Classic in Anchorage, Alaska. In Northwestern's defense, the Wildcats have yet to play a home game.
Virginia, on the other hand, has won each of its four home games by a margin of 17 points or more. Virginia has done well holding serve on its home court, but now the team will be faced with the challenge of winning on the road.
"It's always important to protect your home court, but now we've got to go on the road and we know there's going to be some adversity," senior forward Devin Smith said. "We've just got to play as a team and stick together for 40 minutes and play the same way that we do at home on the road."
What has been somewhat surprising this season has been the dominance the Cavaliers have shown in their first four games. While double-digit margins of victory might have been expected against Robert Morris and Appalachian State, the Cavaliers have opened some eyes by dispatching Arizona and Richmond, two teams who reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Virginia did not beat a single Top 25 team last season by more than two points. The recent blowouts certainly give Virginia confidence to play in a less-inviting atmosphere, such as the one they will face tonight in Evanston, Ill.
Virginia's large margin of victory over Richmond "builds up our confidence," senior center Elton Brown said. "We know that anyplace you play on the road is hard."
If nothing else, the road trip Virginia begins tonight at Northwestern will reveal the resolve and character of the Cavaliers. After tonight's game, Virginia will play Auburn at a neutral site in Richmond and Iowa State on the road before returning to Charlottesville Dec. 8 to face Furman.
"We have to show that we're tough enough to win on the road," Gillen said. "We'll know a lot more about our team in the next eight to 10 days."
November and December have been kind months to the Cavaliers in years past, as they started 9-0 last season. Similarly this year, Virginia has come out of the opening gates with its guns firing. Tonight's game against Northwestern will be a potentially difficult road test for a team that is trying to build another solid early season record.
This year could be different, however, as Virginia fans might still be asking late into March, "Are those really the Cavaliers out there?"
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