Jason Cain had not experienced this kind of feeling in a long time, but it is something he plans on getting used to.
"It's going to be a happy ride home," Cain said after Virginia's 64-62 victory over N.C. State Saturday. "We haven't had that in awhile, but I'm looking forward to some more."
It was only one victory, but the Cavaliers are exhibiting the kind of confidence that had been lacking from the team as of late. A three-guard lineup, a new offensive system and a renewed commitment to defense made the difference against the Wolfpack Saturday, and the Cavaliers feel good about their chances of turning a single victory into a winning streak.
"We just have to get one win to get a snowball effect," sophomore guard Gary Forbes said. "I'm happy we got this victory and I think we're going to go into the next practice with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger."
One player who seems to be out of the picture for the newly-charged Cavaliers, who host Florida State tonight at 7:30 p.m., is center Elton Brown. He had been a regular in the Virginia starting lineup for the past two seasons and currently ranks in the top two on the team for rebounding, points and minutes played, but Brown saw only four minutes of floor time Saturday. And he was not happy about it.
Even during the stretches when his team was leading, Brown made no attempt to hide his frustration. He could be seen glaring at coach Pete Gillen from the bench, and during timeouts he stood separate from his team away from the huddle.
Brown did score seven points and pulled down three rebounds in his four minutes of play against the Wolfpack. Yet, the Cavaliers were able to earn their first ACC road win of the year and their first win at N.C. State in seven seasons, largely without the services of the 6-foot 9-inch center.
Although Gillen said he minimized Brown's playing mainly because of matchup problems against a Wolfpack lineup which features big men who like to play on the perimeter, he did express frustration with Brown's play of late.
"He wasn't playing his best, frankly," Gillen said of his center.
Without Brown, who didn't make himself available to the media after Saturday's game, Virginia ran a different offensive system that relied on speed and quickness to make up for lack of size. Point guards T.J. Bannister and Sean Singletary, who rarely shared court time before Saturday, worked well together on the floor.
"We love playing with each other because we're able to run a lot," Singletary said. "We got a lot of transition buckets, we were able to spread the floor, and it's hard to guard both of us because we get into the lane real easy."
The Cavaliers took a little bit of time adjusting to their new offense, having limited practice time to get used to the system.
"We had one day of practice," Gillen said. "We talked about it a little Thursday, walked through it and did it one day."
Virginia still came through with the victory and begins a two-game homestand tonight against Florida State (11-11, 3-6 ACC). The Seminoles also defeated the Wolfpack in Raleigh this season but have lost the rest of their ACC road games. The Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7), who would move out of last place in the ACC with a victory, have not lost to Florida State at home since Gillen's first season with Virginia in 1998-99.
As to whether Brown will be on the bench again and the Cavaliers will feature their three-guard lineup for most of the contest, Gillen would not say for sure.
"It's still certainly a work in progress," Gillen said of the new offense. "Will we do it every game? Who knows? We just got to try and give our kids the best chance to win."
For a Cavalier team that is coming off just its second victory in its last nine contests, the results from Saturday's game speak volumes about the new lineup.
"We played as a unit," Singletary said. "We never gave up, we never yelled at each other, we just stayed together and we were able to pull out a victory."
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