Spring Break will be anything but restful for the Virginia men's basketball team -- the Cavaliers will play four ACC teams in nine days to finish the regular season.
The Cavaliers (13-12, 3-9 ACC) enter the month of March with their first multi-game winning streak in conference play, two games, after a convincing 78-60 home win against N.C. State Sunday.
Though Virginia is still in last place in the ACC, coach Dave Leitao said he is optimistic about the team's remaining four games. He attributed most of the Cavaliers' recent success to more productive preparation off the court.
"To win [against N.C. State], especially with what's been going on, kind of gives credence to the fact that our practices ... have been much better and more competitive," Leitao said, noting that he began to see a change in the team's performance after the hard-fought home loss to then-No. 5 North Carolina Feb. 12. "Hopefully that means we'll see a little bit more results on the floor."
A well-rested Virginia team, whose last road game was a Feb. 17 79-74 win against Boston College, will try to extend its winning streak on the road to two games Saturday against Miami, a red-hot team that has moved out of the dregs of the conference with a winning streak of its own. The Hurricanes (19-8, 6-7 ACC) have won four of their past five games, including two ACC road wins and a home upset of then-No. 5 Duke Feb. 20.
The Cavaliers will have to contain an explosive Hurricane offense that had five players in double figures in a dominant win against Maryland Saturday. Additionally, Miami boasts the conference's highest 3-point conversion percentage at 39.3 percent.
Still, Virginia's strong defensive performance against N.C. State, which Leitao called one of the team's best all year, has the team energized for the upcoming contest. The Cavaliers had 16 steals and forced 25 turnovers against the Wolfpack.
"We were playing with a lot of emotion on defense, getting a lot of steals and turnovers, which triggered our offense," sophomore guard Calvin Baker said. "We were able to get a lot of open shots in transition."
After a day of travel, the Cavaliers' conference road trip continues Monday against Georgia Tech (11-15, 4-8 ACC) in a make-up game for last week's postponed matchup. The original contest between the two teams in Atlanta Feb. 21 was called off because of a leaky roof in Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
The extra day of rest did not help the Yellow Jackets, though. The team fell short against Virginia Tech last Saturday, giving Georgia Tech it fifth loss in six games. Though the Yellow Jackets will face Wake Forest before meeting Virginia, the team is slumping and will be looking for a pivotal conference win against the Cavaliers no matter the outcome of its prior games.
Just as Georgia Tech's players must focus during their tight season-ending schedule, Virginia players know they must pace themselves to finish the season strong.
"Especially with our team, coach Leitao feels that if we focus on us, we will be OK," Baker said. "He's having us focus on resting our body, because he knows it's not a sprint -- it's a marathon."
If Virginia's late-season schedule is a race, then the Cavaliers' March 5 rematch against No. 6? Duke (24-3, 11-2 ACC) is a pivotal leg. Behind North Carolina, Duke has the ACC's second-highest scoring offense and second-best field goal percentage. By contrast, Virginia has the fifth-highest scoring offense and 12th-best field goal percentage.
All-time at the John Paul Jones Arena, the Cavaliers are 4-1 against ranked opponents and will look to avenge a 87-65 road loss to the Blue Devils earlier in the season. The game, like last season, will be nationally televised on ESPN, and fans and commentators alike will recall senior guard Sean Singletary's last-second shot against the Blue Devils for a dramatic 68-66 win.
Even though Duke is heavily favored to win the home contest, last year's game-winning hero said the sky is the limit for what the Cavaliers can accomplish.
"Nobody in that locker room wants that season to be over," Singletary said. "Even though a lot of people have counted us out, we're sticking together. We know what we can do."
Virginia's second season at John Paul Jones Arena comes to a close March 9 against Maryland. Both teams will finish their regular season in Charlottesville, and Virginia will recognize four seniors. Singletary will be honored alongside forwards Adrian Joseph, Ryan Pettinella and injured center Tunji Soroye.
The Cavaliers will need to defend the Terrapins' balanced offensive attack, which has four players averaging in double figures. Maryland (17-11, 7-6 ACC) is led by sophomore guard Greivis Vasquez, the ACC's assists leader at 6.7 assists per game, who also averages 17.5 points per game.
Despite the team's lackluster performance this season, Baker said the Cavaliers hope to finish strong in the remaining games.
"We're trying to make a statement that we're a good team," Baker said. "A lot of people are counting us out, and we know our capabilities"
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