The rocky road through ACC play hasn't been very smooth for the Virginia men's basketball team.
Coach Pete Gillen thinks his offense is turning out, but the defense -- well, if anyone finds it roaming lost around Charlottesville, Gillen probably would be grateful for its safe return to University Hall.
The Cavaliers quickly have turned a 9-2 start into a 10-9 (1-7 ACC) struggle with eight games left to play. They can attribute their record to mediocre defensive play, which began with a Jan. 2 home loss to Wake Forest and erupted during a three-game string of losses over the past week.
On the road versus Virginia Tech last Thursday, Virginia shot 51 percent overall and 43 from behind the arc. But the Cavaliers' defense gave the Hokies bragging rights in yet another sport. Virginia Tech shot 53 and 47 percent overall and from three-point range, respectively.
The bad dream of conference opponents on fire returned home with Virginia last Saturday, and North Carolina turned it into a daunting nightmare.
The Tar Heels flogged Virginia with 60 percent shooting from the field and 61 percent from long range -- including 73 percent (8-11) in the first half -- to build an insurmountable double-digit lead by halftime.
The inability to stop the three ball followed the Cavaliers to Providence Wednesday night. The Friars shot 7-9 from three in the second half, and guard Donnie McGraw set an NCAA record for 3-point field goal percentage by going nine for nine in the game for Providence.
"We did a very poor job defensively," Gillen said after Virginia's 98-79 loss at Providence. "The bottom line is that we've got to defend. We've got to dig down, suck it up and guard somebody. That's my biggest disappointment."
Defensive weakness to that degree just won't cut it.
"We've got to have stops. We can't give up," Gillen said. "With our defense -- the bottom line is you've got to guard to play at this level."
Providence, the worst team in the Big East -- arguably the nation's top conference -- easily handled Virginia, and now the Cavaliers have to head back into their own terrain in the ACC, a conference that also stakes a bid for the nation's best.
Saturday's game at North Carolina State isn't on easy ground either.
Gillen has never beaten N.C. State in Raleigh. Virginia's last victory there over the Wolfpack was a 55-46 win in 1997 when Jeff Jones was the Cavalier coach. The Wolfpack has won five of the last six overall.
Entering last night, N.C. State was 3-4 and sitting at eighth in the ACC, three spots above Virginia (Note: The Wolfpack played a late game at North Carolina last night).
The Cavaliers recognize the importance of getting conference win number two.
"Right now it's a must-win game," Virginia guard Sean Singletary said. "We just have to go out as a team and fight."
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