Well, we have arrived at roughly the midpoint of the basketball season, and the path taken to Virginia's 8-6 record probably has been just as wild as the conclusion of Sunday's win over Virginia Tech. Yes, the road to the Cavaliers' record has much in common with giving up, and then regaining, a second-half lead in Blacksburg. So with the rest of the brutal ACC schedule looming, let's take a look back at how the Cavaliers got to this point because I'm sure not everyone was rushing to their computers to check on the team over Winter Break.
After a promising 3-1 start, Virginia endured a three-game losing streak, falling to Georgia Tech, Fordham and Gonzaga. Fordham? Yes, the Cavaliers sandwiched two "good" losses around a loss to Fordham. Fordham?!? As unreal as it sounds, the Cavaliers gave up a close one, possibly because point guard Sean Singletary did not play in that game. The match seemed to confirm the widely held belief that Virginia should change its name to Sean Singletary & Co., especially because Singletary scored 35 points against Gonzaga while the next closest scorer in that game, J.R. Reynolds, scored 10. Luckily, because the Gonzaga game was in Spokane, no one from the national media or NBA saw Singletary's West coast heroics. Hopefully, Singletary stays in school all four years because when he is on the court, he makes everyone better. When he's not out there, Virginia can lose a home game to a team like Fordham.
But that three-game losing streak did have some silver lining: Jason Cain started to come alive. Coming off the bench against Georgia Tech, Cain scored 15 and pulled down 11 rebounds. In the Fordham loss, Cain again came off the bench to score 16 and grab 15 boards. Cain's performances earned him a spot in the starting line-up against Gonzaga, setting up the epic "Clash of the 'Stache": Cain vs. Morrison. The two goofiest looking forwards in the nation going toe to toe, head to head, 'stache to 'stache. Cain and Morrison both had seven rebounds, but Morrison got the better of Cain on the offensive end, outscoring him 27 to two. What possibly could be the only collegiate match up of these two great mustachioed players will go down as a one-sided affair. Just imagine what could have been.
Following the Gonzaga loss, Virginia took advantage of its schedule beating Loyola (Md.), UMBC and Hartford. Despite the winning streak, Virginia still managed to lose as Donte Minter became the third Virginia player to leave the team since the school year began. Minter joined Gary Forbes and Sam Warren as players who apparently decided they didn't want to play for Dave Leitao. Leitao has handled these apparent defections with class, wishing the individuals the best while keeping his team focused on the task at hand. Minter left the team prior to the Loyola game, and the Cavaliers went out and put up 98 points, their highest total of the season. Granted the competition wasn't exactly what anyone would call elite, but anytime you score 60 points in a half, it is something to be praised.
And credit should also be given to Leitao for going 2-1 since the ACC schedule has begun in earnest. Next up for the Cavaliers is a home game against North Carolina, and, if the season so far has been any indication, it should be wild game.
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