An old saying goes something like, "Getting to the top is easy; it's staying there that is the hard part."
Nothing could be truer for the Virginia men's basketball team, which earlier this week tied for first place in the ACC for the second time this season. Unfortunately for Virginia fans, the Cavaliers' second shot at reaching the top was not any more successful than the first. After being embarrassed and relegated to second by Virginia Tech Feb. 10, the Cavaliers (18-8, 9-4 ACC) again fell from first Wednesday as the team lost 60-68 to Miami, which currently sits in last place in the ACC.
After three consecutive ACC road wins in late January and early February, the Cavaliers have now lost two straight away from John Paul Jones Arena, bringing their season record away from home to a mediocre 4-7. Luckily for Virginia, however, the team returns to Charlottesville for two crucial games in the coming week. Saturday, Virginia will battle Georgia Tech (18-9, 6-7 ACC) at 3:30 p.m. Georgia Tech enters this weekend's contest on a much different note than Virginia after dismantling Wake Forest 75-61 Wednesday in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets are led by a pair of stellar freshmen, point guard Javaris Crittenton and forward Thaddeus Young. Crittenton is third in the ACC in scoring among freshmen and sits in the top five in the conference in assists and steals. Young is second on the team in scoring behind Crittenton with 13.7 points per game and third in rebounds at nearly five a game.
Virginia has a pair of its own players performing at high levels of late -- and no, it isn't the All-ACC duo of senior guard J.R. Reynolds and junior guard Sean Singletary. Rather, juniors Adrian Joseph and Tunji Soroye have parlayed improvement on the court into increased playing time. Joseph was the hero for the Cavaliers last weekend against Florida State, as he tallied 17 points -- including five three-pointers -- in only 23 minutes.
"The other guys that can make shots weren't getting as many minutes, so you need somebody else [to step up]," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said after the Florida State game. "I don't have a whole lot of doubt that as long as [Joseph] has his legs underneath him that [he] can make a ton of shots."
Junior big man Soroye has also received increased playing time in recent weeks. After an 11-point, four-rebound performance against Maryland and a clear need for change following the team's disaster in Blacksburg, Soroye has found himself in the starting lineup for the team's last three games.
Starting has "been bringing up my confidence a lot," Soroye said. "I've been working hard, trying to get over my injuries and stuff. But now I'm feeling 80 to 90 percent better."
The Cavaliers will need strong efforts from both Joseph and Soroye to pull out a win against Georgia Tech this weekend. The Yellow Jackets have won five of their last six ACC games, and desperately need a statement victory in Charlottesville to improve their NCAA Tournament hopes. Virginia, too, could use a decisive victory at home to cement its spot in the final field of 65.
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