After a week without playing a game, the Cavaliers should be well-rested for this weekend's matchup against the No. 6 Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.
The first meeting this season between Virginia and Wake was a 19-point win for the Deacons, who easily controlled both phases of the game through the stellar play of sophomore sensation Chris Paul.
Since their last meeting, Wake has been very consistent, remaining at the top of the ACC throughout the season. Virginia, on the other hand, has continued to float at the bottom of the conference. So after failing to close out against Maryland -- a middle of the pack team -- last weekend, it may seem as if there is no hope for the Cavs as they travel down to Winston-Salem this weekend.
But behind every cloud there is a silver lining, and that silver lining is shining brightly on sophomore guard T.J. Bannister. At the start of the season, Bannister was forced to keep Hank Nacey company on the bench, as the Virginia faithful fell in love with freshman phenom Sean Singletary.
But after a couple of losing months, Virginia coach Pete Gillen decided to make a switch to a three-guard offense to capitalize on Virginia's quickness. Thus, the rejuvenated Bannister was thrust back into the starting lineup, and since then, Virginia has played alarmingly more consistent defense, keeping many games close until the end.
"We were trying to play the three-point line, but we couldn't do it, to Virginia's credit," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.
Bannister had his best game of the year against Maryland, dishing out seven assists and playing tenacious defense the entire game.
"That's what Coach Gillen wants us to do -- he wants us to play good defense and play hard the whole game," Bannister said. "That's what I try to do and give him whatever I can on offense. I can score, but basically, I have a lot of scorers around me, so I get them involved and just play hard defense like Coach Gillen wants me to."
With Bannister in the starting lineup, Virginia can minimize turnovers by having another ballhandler on the floor with Singletary as well as add an element of quickness to an undersized defense.
"Sean and I love playing together, like we said in the beginning of this season," Bannister said. "We can get to the basket and dish it off to somebody else to hit the shot."
Virginia will need Bannister to play with the same consistency he has been playing with lately, especially in this weekend's game. Wake Forest features a talented trio of guards in Chris Paul, Taron Downey, and Justin Gray. However, up until last month, remaining consistent has not been easy for Bannister, who went from a five-assist effort in 37 minutes against Florida State to a six-turnover night in Chapel Hill earlier this month.
If the Cavaliers can play with as much consistency as they played with against Maryland last weekend, they could be in a position to win and possibly pull out a surprise upset on the national stage.
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