Virginia looks to stay perfect
No. 2 Cavaliers kick off tough ACC stretch vs. Duke today
Tony Bennett guided Virginia to its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 38 years with a foundation in defense, smart play and hard work.
A season later, the No. 2 Cavaliers are off their best start since the Ralph Sampson era.
In a league featuring Hall of Fame coaches and marquee programs, Bennett and the Cavs are again atop the standings. They’re one of the nation’s last two unbeatens entering a stretch that could reveal whether they’re as good as their ranking, starting today against No. 4 Duke.
“It’s still the same mindset: Will you be faithful to the things that have gotten you there?” Bennett said. “It doesn’t change. Nothing changes. All of a sudden, you don’t become someone you’re not. That would be fool’s gold. That would be a big mistake.”
A roster led largely by unheralded veterans has Virginia alongside top-ranked Kentucky as college basketball’s only undefeated teams.
Now the Cavaliers (19-0, 7-0 ACC) face the three ACC teams picked to finish ahead of them, each coached by Hall of Famers.
First up is Mike Krzyzewski and the preseason favorite Blue Devils (17-3, 4-3) in a rematch of last year’s ACC tournament final.
Virginia visits No. 13 North Carolina and Roy Williams on Monday and hosts No. 10 Louisville and Rick Pitino next weekend.
Men
No. 6 ARIZONA 57, OREGON STATE 34: In Tucson, Brandon Ashley scored 12 points and T.J. McConnell had a career-high eight steals to spark Arizona’s smothering defense, lifting the Wildcats (20-2, 8-1 Pac-12) to a victory over Oregon State (14-7, 5-4) on Friday night.
UC-COLORADO SPRINGS 103, WESTERN NEW MEXICO 91: In Colorado Springs, Derrick White scored 38 points to lift UCCS (18-2, 12-2 RMAC) past the Mustangs (2-16, 2-12).
Marcos Castrillo scored 21 points to lead WNMU.
CSU-PUEBLO 77, NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS 67: In Pueblo, Colo., Jonathan Mines scored 26 points for NMHU (4-14, 4-9 RMAC) but the Thunder-Wolves (13-7, 9-5) pulled away in the second half.
No. 9 FLORIDA STATE 82, GEORGIA TECH
62: In Atlanta, Adut Bulgak had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead Florida State (20-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a win over Georgia Tech (13-9, 4-4).
Women
In No. Boulder,11 ARIZONAColo., SophieSTATE 68, Brunner COLORADOand Katie60: Hempen scored 15 points each, combining for 21 in the second half as Arizona State (19-2, 8-2 Pac-12) defeated Colorado (9-11, 2-7).
No. 19 PRINCETON 96, HARVARD 46: In Cambridge, Mass., Amanda Berntsen hit six of seven shots for a career-high 17 points to lead Princeton (18-0, 2-0 Ivy League) to a win over Harvard (8-9, 1-2).
CSU-PUEBLO 65, NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS 60: In Pueblo, Colo., Jenny Johnson scored a game-high 21 points as NMHU (4-13, 3-10 RMAC) fell to the ThunderWolves (10-7, 8-5)
UC-COLORADO SPRINGS 77, WESTERN
NEW MEXICO 54: In Colorado Springs, Nalani Hernandez scored 11 points, and Stephanie Moore and Tessa Jones had 10 apiece, but the Mustangs (10-8, 7-7 RMAC) were no match for UCCS (17-3, 12-2).