Defense Never Rests As Virginia Takes Down #14 Michigan (Video Highlights & Photo Gallery)

 

By Jeff White, VirginiaSports.com (Click here for full article)

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At the Maui Invitational, Michigan scored 73 points against Memphis, 75 against Duke and 79 against UCLA, and John Beilein's basketball team beat two of those perennial powers.

In the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the 14th-ranked Wolverines connected on two bombs in the final minute Tuesday night and still didn't reach 60.

"They haven't seen a defense like ours," forward Mike Scott said after UVa's 70-58 win at John Paul Jones Arena. "That's no disrespect to the teams in Maui, but we watched film, and they didn't go against a defense like ours."

Beilein, who had a successful run as coach at the University of Richmond, saluted his counterpart, Tony Bennett, when asked about the Cavaliers' defense.

"It's always going to be good as long as that man is coaching this team," Beilein said. "They do a tremendous job. I'm not crazy about scoring 58 points, but not a lot of teams may score 58 points against them. Thank goodness we made some 3s to be able to do that. They're tough to get easy baskets against, and when you get them, you can't miss them and we had several of those in the game."

Suffocating defense has become a trademark of this UVa team, which in seven games has yet to allow an opponent to score 60 points.
 

Offensively as a team, Virginia had twice as many assists (16) as turnovers (8), a statistic that delighted its third-year coach. Four players scored in double figures for UVa, led by Scott and sophomore swingman Joe Harris with 18 points apiece. Freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon contributed a career-high 16 points and uncanny poise off the bench, and senior guard Sammy Zeglinski, playing on a sore right ankle, added 11 points, 6 assists and only 1 turnover.

"We were getting pretty good looks. We just didn't knock 'em down [in the first half]" Zeglinski said. "But we knew if we stuck to our defensive principles and kept wearing [Michigan] down, shots would eventually fall, and that's exactly what happened in the second half."
 

"One game doesn't make a season, but it was an opportunity, a great barometer for us. Where are we at? We're playing a team that is good. You watched them in Maui, and they played well against some good teams, so we needed to see where we were at."

Bennett's message to his players at practice Monday: Want to win the game more than you fear losing it. "And then before the game I said, 'It's one thing to want it. You gotta play to win this one. Play it to win.' "

During the game, Bennett challenged his team to play with humility and passion. "I kept repeating that," he said, "and that was our little chant when we came in, and I think that's always going to be the key for our team: understanding how we have to play to be successful, and then having the passion and heart to carry it off."

 Click the picture above to watch video highlights of the win on VirginiaSportsTV.com

PHOTO GALLERY:

Virginia Takes Down #14 Michigan, 70-58 in Opening Game of Big Ten-ACC Challenge (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)

Associated Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Mike Scott had 18 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday night and Virginia used a 19-2 second-half run to take command and beat Michigan (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 14 AP) 70-58 in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Joe Harris added 18 points and freshman Malcolm Brogdon had 16 for the Cavaliers (6-1), who trailed 39-34 before Harris' floater sparked the burst. Brogdon had eight points in the run, which made it 53-41 with 6:43 remaining. Scott had six points and Harris five.

The Wolverines (5-2), who used a 16-10 run starting the second half to match their biggest lead of the game, went 6 1/2 minutes without a point during one stretch as Virginia repeatedly rebounded missed shots and went the other way. The Cavaliers outrebounded Michigan 36-26.

ESPN's Big Ten-ACC Challenge: Virginia Hosts #14 Michigan on Tuesday (7PM ET/ESPN2)

UVa Cruises to Thanksgiving Weekend Victory Over Green Bay on ESPNU (Video Highlights)

 Click the picture above to watch video highlights of the win over UW-Green Bay.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Coach Tony Bennett got the best of his alma mater as Virginia — behind Mike Scott’s 15 points and 10 rebounds and KT Harrell’s 14 points — defeated Green Bay 68-42 Friday night.

Bennett, Green Bay’s all-time leading scorer, was coaching against the Phoenix for the first time. He helped lead Green Bay to its first NCAA Tournament in 1991 while playing under his father, Dick Bennett.

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...Virginia (5-1) came out smoking. The Cavaliers hit 10 of their first 15 shots and jumped out to a 27-7 lead.

Green Bay cut the lead to 33-23 by halftime, but Virginia opened the second half with a 10-0 run capped by a pair of buckets from center Assane Sene.

“I challenged them at halftime to regain their defensive edge and their ability to keep the ball out of the lane,” Bennett said, “and I think they did a pretty good job of that.

Virginia shot 51 percent (23 of 45) and held Green Bay to 30-percent shooting (15 of 50).

“I think we got some second-chance points and guys found their rhythm and got to the paint and did a decent job certainly in stretches,” Bennett said.

Virginia, which has won five of its first six games, hosts Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge on Tuesday.

Excerpts from article by The Washington Post. For full article click here.

More Photos from the Virgin Islands

Doug Browman, Thomas Rogers, Darion Atkins, and Paul Jesperson get some time in the pool.

View from "Paradise Point"

Coach Bennett takes a look out Paradise Point

Doug Browman, Jontel Evans, and Mike Scott 

Mike Scott talks to VirginiaSportsTV.com

Ferris Wheel Ride

Assane Sene on the "Paradise Jump"

Sky ride

Assane Sene (L), Doug Browman (Middle), and Mike Scott (R)

Sophomore Joe Harris

Freshman Malcolm Brogdon

'Hoos Conclude Paradise Jam on Winning Note (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)

Click the picture above to watch video highlights of the Cavalier victory over Drake

By Jeff White, VirginiaSports.com (For full article click here)
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- At the end of practice Sunday night, Tony Bennett called his players together in the spartan gym of a local high school and reminded them of recent events on the mainland -- specifically, UVa's victories over Florida State in football, Tennessee in women's basketball and Virginia Tech in NCAA women's soccer.

"Hopefully we can cap off a great weekend for Virginia sports," Bennett said before the team headed back to its hotel on this Caribbean island.

UVa's third-year men's basketball coach got his wish Monday. It may not qualify as a marquee victory, but the Cavaliers beat Drake 60-52 in the Paradise Jam to end their stay in St. Thomas  on a positive note.

"We lost a tough game the first game," senior guard Sammy Zeglinski said, "but I liked the way we responded the next two games, and we got wins that we needed to get."

Off the Court at Paradise Jam (VIDEO)

Click the picture above to watch some of the off-court activities the Cavaliers participated in at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.

Paradise Jam Update: Virginia Wins Defensive Battle over Drexel (VIDEO)

 

Click picture above to watch the video highlights

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands-Virginia senior forward Mike Scott scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to a 49-35 victory over Drexel at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Saturday (Nov. 19). UVa limited the Dragons to just 25.9 percent (14-54) shooting from the field in the consolation bracket victory.

The double-double was the 25th of Scott's career and moves him into a tie for fifth place on Virginia's career double-doubles list.

The Cavaliers never trailed in the game and the win improves Virginia's record to 3-1 on the season. Drexel is now 1-2.

The 35 points are the fewest allowed by a Tony Bennett coached Virginia team and the fewest the Cavaliers have allowed since defeating UMBC 57-34 on Dec. 21, 1996.

Sophomore guard Joe Harris added 12 points for the Cavaliers and senior guard Sammy Zeglinski scored eight points.

Virginia plays its final game in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Monday (Nov. 21) at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time against Drake.

Game Day in the Virgin Islands

ST. THOMAS, USVI - The Virginia men's basketball team plays on the road for the first time tonight as part of the Paradise Jam. The Cavaliers open the tournament at 6 p.m. ET as they meet TCU. If they win, they would meet the Drexel/Norfolk State winner in the semifinals at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. If they lose, they would meet the Drexel/Norfolk State loser in the consolation bracket on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Virginia will play its final game of the tournament on Monday against Drake, Marquette, Ole Miss or Winthrop.

Fox College Sports and FSN will televise both semifinals on Sunday, and the final and consolation game on Monday. In Virginia, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air both semifinals. CSN+ will air both the final and consolation game.

Virginia is making its first appearance in the Paradise Jam. The Cavaliers have played in the Caribbean twice before, playing in tournaments in Puerto Rico in 1999-00 and 2006-07.

Wahoos Arrive in St. Thomas (Day 1 Photo Album)

Team Bus

Assane Sene (L), Doug Browman (Middle), and Mike Scott (R)

Practice at UVI

Cavs Head to the Virgin Islands with a 2-0 Record

 

To view more pictures from last night's win over Winthrop click here.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By late Thursday afternoon, Tony Bennett's basketball team will be in the tropics, far, far away from UVa's Grounds and John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers played their first two games of the season at home. Their next three will be at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, site of the eight-team Paradise Jam tournament, starting Friday night against TCU (2-0).

UVa is 2-0, too, after convincing victories over South Carolina State (75-38) and Winthrop (69-48) at JPJ. UVa found itself seriously tested in the second half of the Winthrop game. Back-to-back 3-pointers by freshman guard Andre Smith gave Winthrop a 44-41 lead with 10:28 to play, and the crowd of 7,983 grew uneasy.

About a minute earlier, after the Eagles pulled to 39-38, Bennett had reassured his players during a timeout.

"I said, 'We need to be in this spot. We need to be able to get stops, come up with big buckets,' " Bennett told reporters after the game. "I said, 'We're fine.' We talked about that: 'Keep playing, don't yield, and it's OK we're in this spot, and we need to mature in this situation,' and I thought the guys did a nice job."

Indeed, the 'Hoos held Winthrop (0-2) to four points in the final 10 minutes. On a night when Bennett had only eight scholarship players available, he got significant contributions from most of them, including junior point guard Jontel Evans, senior forward Mike Scott, senior center Assane Sene, freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon and sophomore forward Akil Mitchell.

"The guys really did pay the price in the offseason," Bennett said. "It's not just lip service. Everybody says they go to work, but they took it upon themselves and they really were purposeful in the areas they needed to address. So you can see the physical maturity, the skill maturity, and I think even emotionally they're in a better place."

Virginia's next opponent is TCU in the opening game of the Paradise Jam tournament in the US Virgin Islands.

Paradise Jam Announces Television Broadcast Schedule

ST. THOMAS, USVI -- The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam announced Tuesday (Nov. 15) the tournament's television broadcast schedule. Fox College Sports and FSN will air both semifinals on Sunday, and the final and consolation game on Monday.

In Virginia, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will air both semifinals. CSN+ will air both the final and consolation game.

Sunday's semifinals are slated for 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm ET. The Virginia/TCU winner will play the Norfolk State/Drexel winner in the first semifinal. The Drake/Mississippi winner will play the Marquette/Winthrop winner in the second semifinal.

The consolation game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday with the championship game to follow at 8:30 p.m.

-Excerpts from article by Jeff White, VirginiaSports.com (Link to Full Article)

Click to watch video highlights of Tuesday night's win over Winthrop

Cavaliers Back in Action Tonight Against Winthrop

CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men's basketball team is back in action on Tuesday (Nov. 15) when the Cavaliers host Winthrop at John Paul Jones Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The game will be broadcast by the Virginia Sports Radio Network and televised by the Regional Sports Networks (Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic in Charlottesville).

UVa opened its 2011-12 season with a 75-38 victory over South Carolina State Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) at John Paul Jones Arena. The 37-point victory is the largest margin of victory in the Tony Bennett era. 

Sophomore guards KT Harrell and Joe Harris each scored 13 points and senior forward Mike Scott had 15 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to their 14th consecutive season-opening victory.

Harris, who also had six rebounds and four assists, scored 11 of his points and Scott had 12 of his rebounds in the first half as the Cavaliers took a 33-18 halftime lead.

South Carolina State senior forward Omar Sanders scored the first basket of the second half before Virginia scored 24 consecutive points to take a commanding 57-20 lead with 13:01 left to play in the game. Harrell made three three-pointers during the UVa run.

Among the players making their collegiate debuts for Virginia were freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon and redshirt freshman forward James Johnson. Brogdon scored nine points and had four assists for the Cavaliers, while Johnson scored six points and had three rebounds.

Scott, junior guard Jontel Evans and sophomore forward Akil Mitchell each scored eight points for UVa.

Virginia out-rebounded South Carolina State 44-29 and held the Bulldogs to 25.5 percent (13-51) shooting from the field. UVa shot 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field, including 42.1 percent (8-19) from three-point range, and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free-throw line.

Virginia's game with Winthrop on Tuesday will be the third in the series between the two teams. UVa won the first two games at University Hall. The Cavaliers defeated the Eagles 93-47 during the 1990-91 season and 92-68 during the 1992-93 season. 

Winthrop, a member of the Big South Conference, opened its season with a 71-59 loss at home to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday (Nov. 12). Senior center Matt Morgan scored 14 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Eagles. Senior guard Andre Jones scored 13 points, had five rebounds and five assists, and senior forward George Valentine had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Randy Peele is in his fifth season as head coach of the Eagles.

After the game with Winthrop the next competition for Virginia is in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Cavaliers play TCU in the U.S. Virginia Islands Paradise Jam on Friday (Nov. 18). The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

CBS Sports: Virginia poised to make leap in the ACC

Cavaliers during Sunday's season opener vs South Carolina St.

by Jeff Borzello, CBSSports.com (Link to full article)

"The Cavaliers got off to a roaring start to their season on Sunday afternoon, thoroughly handling South Carolina State, 75-38. Mike Scott was his typically impressive self, racking up eight points and 15 rebounds, while Joe Harris got hot early and scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

...It starts with Tony Bennett, who was 31-31 in two seasons since arriving in Charlottesville. On the surface, that’s obviously not impressive, but there was plenty of injuries and plenty of personnel attrition along the way. Bennett now has a roster full of his type of players, which means they will get after it on the defensive end and make life difficult for the opponent at the other end.

The return of Scott is a huge boost. He’s one of the most underrated players in the conference, and flew even further under the radar this season after missing most of last year with an ankle injury. Scott provides a legitimate inside option for the Cavaliers.

The perimeter is deep and talented. Harris and K.T. Harrell are both talented shooters who spurred multiple runs for the Cavaliers against South Carolina State on Sunday. When they are knocking down their shots, it opens up more opportunities for Scott down low. Jontel Evans is a quick point guard who creates pressure on both sides of the ball, and Sammy Zeglinski, who missed Sunday with an ankle injury, can play both guard spots. Freshman Malcolm Brogdon can be an impact player.

When Bennett has had success in the past, he has had a very solid perimeter, capable inside players and a ferocious defense. The Cavaliers have the pieces to be like that this season. They have been one of the better defensive teams in the ACC the past two seasons, but have simply not had the offensive firepower or inside play to contend with the top teams in the conference. They’ve shown flashes, but haven’t been able to put it together on a consistent basis.

If everyone stays healthy, and Assane Sene and James Johnson provide something up front, don’t be surprised to see Virginia finish fourth in the ACC and go dancing come March."

Cavaliers Open Season With 75-38 Win Over South Carolina State (Photo & Video Highlights)

For more pictures from today's season opener click here

Sophomore guards KT Harrell and Joe Harris each scored 13 points and senior forward Mike Scott had 15 rebounds to lead Virginia to a 75-38 victory over South Carolina State Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) at John Paul Jones Arena.

The game was the season-opener for the Cavaliers. The Bulldogs are now 1-1.

Harris, who also had six rebounds and four assists, scored 11 of his points and Scott had 12 of his rebounds in the first half as the Cavaliers took a 33-18 halftime lead.

South Carolina State senior forward Omar Sanders scored the first basket of the second half before Virginia scored 24 consecutive points to take a commanding 57-20 lead with 13:01 left to play in the game. Harrell made three three-pointers during the UVa run.

Freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon added nine points and four assists for the Cavaliers, while Scott, junior guard Jontel Evans and sophomore forward Akil Mitchell each scored eight points.
Sanders led South Carolina State with 13 points and senior center Presano Bell and junior guard Khalif Toombs each scored 10 points for the Bulldogs.

Virginia out-rebounded South Carolina State 44-29 and held the Bulldogs to 25.5 percent (13-51) shooting from the field. UVa shot 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field, including 42.1 percent (8-19) from three-point range, and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free-throw line.

The 37-point margin of victory was the biggest for the Cavaliers in the Tony Bennett era and the largest since a 42-point win (94-52) over Northwestern on Nov. 27, 2007. UVa held an opponent under 50 points for the eighth time in the Bennett era (second time under 40 points).
The Cavaliers return to action on Tuesday (Nov. 15) when they host Winthrop at John Paul Jones Arena. That game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.  

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF TODAY'S SEASON OPENER

Pre-Season Player Spotlights

Click on the pictures below to watch the following pre-season player spotlights from VirginiaSportsTV.com. From Top to Bottom: KT Harrell, Assane Sene, Sammy Zeglinski, and Joe Harris.

 

 

Tip-Off Approaches

The 2011-12 season is set to begin this Sunday, November 13th as the Cavaliers host South Carolina State for a 2PM tip-off. The Virginia men's basketball team will then participate with seven other teams in the 2011 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. For the first time this year, the Paradise
Jam will begin with two opening round games on the mainland. Marquette will host Norfolk State on Nov. 14 and Virginia hosts Winthrop on Nov. 15. The tournament is then scheduled for Nov. 18-21 and will be played at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, USVI. The Cavaliers are scheduled to play Texas Christian University on Nov. 18. The other games in the tournament that day include Norfolk State vs. Drexel, Drake vs. Mississippi and Winthrop vs. Marquette.

The early non-conference schedule also has the Cavaliers hosting Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 25 and Michigan on Nov. 29 in the 13th ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game will be the first meeting between Virginia and Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the fourth meeting overall. Michigan finished the 2010-11 season with an overall record of 21-14 and participated in the NCAA Tournament. UVa was 16-15 in 2010-11. Virginia won 87-79 at Minnesota in last season's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, while Michigan won 69-61 at Clemson. The Cavaliers have a 6-5 record in the Challenge and Michigan is 4-6.

-Excerpts from article by Jeff White VirginiaSports.com

Click the video below to watch a trailer for the upcoming season:

Fans Get A Look 'Inside Virginia Men's Basketball'

-from NBC29.com (link to article)

"The UVA men's basketball team held an open house Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena, giving fans a behind the scenes look at the program.

Players signed autographs and posed for pictures at the 'Inside Virginia Men's Basketball' event, and fans also had the opportunity to shoot a few hoops on the court.

Additional areas like the practice courts and head coach Tony Bennett's office were also open to the public during the first-time event.

Senior captain Mike Scott says, "I thought it was a great opportunity to see the fans. Everyone was excited. We're excited for the upcoming season, and they're excited. Actually a little kid did a project on me. I was like, 'Wow.' I was very shocked and almost cried. It was just a great experience."

The Cavaliers open the season Sunday, November 13 at home against South Carolina State at 2:00.

Scott, coming off a redshirt year because of injury, said, "It's coming up quick, and it's been a year since I played, so little jitters are going to be out there, but we'll definitely be ready. As soon as the ball's tipped off, I'll be right back to normal.""

What's New with the 'Hoos

Welcome to The Virginia Basketball Experience Blog, the official blog of UVA Men's Basketball. This blog will be regularly updated with photos, videos, and articles throughout the year. We hope you enjoy!