After a humiliating and deflating loss to Virginia Tech Saturday, the Virginia men's basketball team will look to get back on track tonight. The Cavaliers will face the Longwood Lancers tonight at 7 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena. A non-conference home game might prove to be just what Virginia needs.
The Cavs (16-7, 8-3 ACC) were dominated from start to finish by the Hokies Saturday in Blacksburg -- the final score was 84-57, a 27 point loss.
"We just came out flat and never had enough energy to play well," senior forward Jason Cain said.
Fortunately for Virginia, Longwood (8-18) does not have a historically strong basketball team. Longwood recently moved into Division I and has gone through some expected growing pains. The Lancers have suffered lopsided defeats to Oklahoma, Hampton and Providence. Oklahoma easily dispatched Longwood 81-40 at the end of January in Norman, Okla., which could bode well for the Cavaliers.
As is usually the case in sports, however, nothing is guaranteed, and Virginia will need to come out ready to play without lingering memories of Saturday's loss.
Junior guard Sean Singletary is one player in particular who is looking forward to tonight's matchup. Singletary was bottled up and frustrated by the Hokies. He finished the game with only 13 points on 5-11 shooting from the field and two assists.
"There was a disconnection on our team," Singletary said. "They had a lot of energy, but when there is a disconnection on the team, it's really hard to play through it. We're definitely going to go on another run. I'm not worried."
Virginia coach Dave Leitao attributes Singletary's struggles against Virginia Tech to the Hokies' defensive pressure. Virginia Tech is second in the ACC in points allowed per game and its aggressive defense was able to limit Singletary's production.
"Scouting reports are catching up," Leitao said. "He doesn't have as much freedom. We have to diversify ourselves a little bit and find ways to get him some openings because he doesn't have the same freedom he had a month ago."
Singletary's woes against Virginia Tech were mirrored by the rest of the team. Sophomore forward Mamadi Diane struggled to find his shot and wound up with only two points -- far short of his 10-point average. As a team, Virginia was limited to 33 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent shooting from three-point range. Both numbers are well below Virginia's season averages.
Additionally, Virginia only made 69 percent of its free throws, which have been a source of pride and excellence this season as Virginia ranks second in the ACC in free-throw percentage.
"We've played in some tough environments against some good teams and haven't had a day like that," Leitao said. "That really concerns me."
But Saturday's struggles should not overshadow Virginia's recent success. The Cavaliers won seven straight ACC games, including three ACC road wins. Virginia now stands third in the ACC.
Tonight's game against Longwood could provide the Cavaliers with a springboard to end their season on a high note. As six games remain, tonight's matchup has become increasingly important for the Cavaliers' NCAA tournament hopes.
"We've got six games left in the season and ... it'll say a lot about who we are at the end of those six games," Leitao said.
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