Cavs close regular season with NCAA tourney bid on line
Virginia coach Tony Bennett’s “every game is important” mantra takes on a different significance this week.
The Cavaliers (21-9, 12-7) are down to their last regular-season contest, tonight against Georgia Tech (14-16, 7-12) at John Paul Jones Arena, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
If it’s true that every game is important, this one might warrant a red exclamation point like those urgent emails that fill up a work inbox. Respond quickly or face dire consequences.
In this case, a lack of response by the Cavaliers — more specifically, a lack of a bounce-back after Saturday night’s 73-48 drubbing at No. 9 Duke — could send their season spiraling toward the recycling bin.
After four losses in its past six games, UVA is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and it has a tenuous hold on the third seed for next week’s ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.
“We’re fighting like crazy to try to finish as high as we can in the conference, get the best seed we can, fight for an NCAA Tournament berth,” Bennett said after the loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium. “All that stuff matters, so as crappy as I feel right now, we’re still playing meaningful games.”
The Cavaliers can be pleased with what they’ve accomplished thus far in an up-and-down campaign — at least 21 victories for the 12th time in the past 13 years and at least 12 ACC wins for the seventh straight season — but Bennett wants the players to “keep trying to build on it. I will, and they better keep swinging until the last tick on the clock. We have to.”
Virginia, which will honor point guard Reece Beekman and forwards Jordan Minor, Jake Groves and Virginia Beach native Tristan How during a Senior Night ceremony prior to tonight’s game, has clinched at least the fourth seed for next week’s ACC Tournament.
The Cavaliers have work to do, however, to make the cut for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
ESPN currently has UVA as one of its last four teams to make the Big Dance. That’s as fragile as it gets.
After Wednesday’s games, the Cavaliers ranked 50th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, the system the NCAA uses to rate teams. Georgia Tech, Virginia’s opponent tonight, is 124th. The Yellow Jackets are considered a “Quadrant 3” opponent. UVA is 7-0 against Quad 3 foes this season.
Virginia defeated Georgia Tech 75-66 on Jan. 20, one of many early-season ACC losses for the Yellow Jackets. After some growing pains, however, Georgia Tech is playing its best ball of the season. It beat Wake Forest 70-69 on a last-second shot Tuesday and has won three straight and four of its past five.
“I think guys are becoming more comfortable with each other. … I’ve just seen a buy-in a little bit more, and I see guys connecting a little bit more,” said Yellow Jackets coach
Damon Stoudemire.
They face a Cavaliers squad coming off its second loss of at least 25 points in its past four games, including a 34-point trouncing at Virginia Tech on Feb. 19. UVA has lost seven games by 16 or more points on the road this season, but it has done an admirable job responding after each of those setbacks.
The Cavaliers, who had two days off after Saturday’s loss in Durham, have suffered consecutive losses only twice this season.
“At the end of the day, it’s just one game. We understand that,” UVA sophomore forward Ryan Dunn said. “Watch the film, take these two days off, come back to practice and just say, you know, eff it, it’s behind us. We can’t do anything about it. Get ready for Georgia Tech. Get ready for the ACC Tournament.”
Virginia’s offensive struggles have been well documented, but the recent difficulties are as attributable to the opponents’ strengths as it is its own deficiencies. UVA has been held to fewer than 50 points in four of its past five games, but two of those were against No. 7 UNC and No. 9 Duke.
“We just went into one of the toughest settings against one of the best teams and that’s where it’s at,” Bennett said. “Now let’s address (what went wrong) and get as ready as we can. Some teams have a smaller margin of error and a finer line than others. We know where we are, so we address it and attack to the best of our abilities and prepare.”
The Cavaliers are approaching their final regular-season contest with urgency. They know what’s at stake.
“We have to figure something out, especially before this Georgia Tech game,” UVA sophomore guard Isaac McKneely said. “We’ve got to get a win. We’re still fighting for a postseason appearance, so hopefully we’ll get a win and make a run in the ACC Tournament and see where we’re at.”