Within the span of three days, Virginia has experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. The Cavaliers were clearly the superior team during last night's win over Boston College, a major achievement considering the Eagles were ranked No.11 nationally coming into the contest. After slipping perilously close to falling off the NCAA Tournament bubble following Saturday's ugly loss at Florida State, Virginia has planted itself firmly back in the thick of the competition. Nothing helps a team's RPI more than a convincing win over a legitimate top-20 squad.
Before I go on about Virginia's win, I must first give some love to the members of Team Halloween, Virginia's eclectic posse of basketball fanatics who have graced U-Hall with their flavorful costumes and imaginative antics in recent years. "Team Halloween" had a particularly strong showing Tuesday, with diverse medley of characters that included Chief Wahoo, Hot Dog Man, Milk-alauskas, Astronaut, Jew-V-A, Tigger, Pumpkin Girl and U-V-Eighties Girl, among others. I spent the first half of Tuesday's game sitting in the stands with "Team Halloween" dressed as U-V-Aviator before returning to my customary perch on press row for the second half.
The future of the group is up in the air due to the upcoming graduation of many of the core members and the growth of a new school-sanctioned student fan group, the Hoo-Crew. Hopefully, fresh leaders will emerge and pick up the mantle of leadership left behind by the graduating "Team Halloween" members. If this is the end of the road, however, thanks for the memories. You guys have left a solid blue print for fan creativity, non-conformity and ingenuity that future Wahoo fans can follow.
There are several players who deserve major credit for their contributions to the victory over the Eagles. J.R. Reynolds stands out first and foremost. Over the past eight games, J.R. Reynolds has not scored fewer than 16 points. Against Boston College, he notched a season-high 28 points and his ability to knock down threes and get to the foul line elicited thoughts of another ACC player from Roanoke.
Sophomore center Tunji Soroye definitely played his best game of the season, if not his career, against the Eagles. Soroye, who has only recently gotten over a nagging groin injury, recorded six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. He looked much less tentative on offense than he has in earlier games this season. The Nigerian native has obvious raw potential and hopefully he can convert that potential into concrete production over the course of his collegiate career.
Both of Virginia's freshman contributors, Laurynas Mikalauskas and Mamadi Diane, had solid nights for different reasons. Diane displayed a high level of energy and a smooth shooting stroke by draining three of four three-point attempts and Mikalauskas showed his physical toughness by scoring two nice baskets in the post while playing with a mask that was protecting his broken nose. He may not have been the most handsome player on the court, but he sure showed how dedicated he is to this team by playing through the injury. Perhaps Team Halloween can create a new character, the Mask of Mikalauskas.
Virginia's upcoming game at Clemson Saturday will be another difficult road challenge. Although Virginia defeated Clemson earlier this year at U-Hall, Littlejohn Coliseum is a very intimidating place to play. The Cavaliers only have two more opportunities to add a conference road win to their lone victory over Virginia Tech. With the March 1 matchup at North Carolina's famed Dean Smith Center the only other remaining road game, this Saturday's game at Clemson would seem to be Virginia's best shot at improving their road resume.
Following last night's win, Diane told me that postseason possibilities have been running through the back of his mind.
"You dream of March Madness and all the hoopla when you're growing up," Diane said. "It's on everyone's mind during this time of the season. We have a chance to make the postseason which is something we haven't done in a while."
This season has already been far more successful than most Virginia fans could have hoped. Yet there is still much to be accomplished if this underdog squad hopes to turn a surprising year into a truly historical one.
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