SPORTS WRAP
Most underrated male athletes: Rather than focusing on the struggles of the men's basketball teams, Wahoo fans can proudly support their smaller-market clubs as the UVA men's swimming and diving team captures its seventh consecutive ACC championship in convincing fashion.
The Cavs locked up the victory Saturday, February 26, sinking the competition as runner-up Florida State finished a distant 146.5 points behind. The No. 2 nationally ranked (highest in the program's history) men's tennis team (10-1) meanwhile continues to extend their historic season. UVA opened conference play in dominant fashion as they hammered Virginia Tech 6-1 Friday, February 25, and then knocked off No. 24 Notre Dame 4-3 Sunday.
Knights stand alone: While other Central Virginia schools bow out of high school state basketball playoffs, only Mother Nature can slow the Charlottesville girls' march toward a state championship. CHS cruised past Harrisonburg 74-52 in the Region II quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 22, before the week's most recent winter blast indefinitely postponed their showdown with Stone Bridge in the semifinals.
Worst of times in Hooville hoops: Only a miracle can save the UVA men's basketball team's season at this point. A week after their heartbreaking loss to arch rival Maryland, the Cavs fade down the stretch in a 90-68 blowout road loss to the sixth-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-4, 11-3) Sunday, February 27. With only one week of regular season action remaining, UVA (13-12, 4-10) coach Pete Gillen admits to waving the white flag. "That team [Wake] has a chance to get to the Final Four and win a national championship," he told the AP. "We couldn't stop them. They just wore us down."
Best model of perseverance: Even after the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (23-2, 11-2) throttled the UVA women's basketball team 89-60 in Chapel Hill Thursday, February 24, coach Debbie Ryan found a way to keep the Cavs (19-9, 8-6) on track. The Lady Cavs rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat a pesky Wake Forest team (14-13, 3-11) down the stretch to pull out a clutch 57-54 victory on senior day.
"They weren't going to quit and they weren't going to let things fall apart," Ryan proudly told The Daily Progress. The win also allowed UVA to secure fifth place in the ACC and earn a first-round bye as they head into a wide-open conference tournament.
Hottest February on the diamond: Fresh off a perfect 3-0 start, the Fordham Rams (4-2) invaded Charlottesville for the weekend hoping to extend their winning ways against the red-hot UVA baseball team (8-2). Instead, the Rams were happy to escape Hooville above the .500 mark, as they only managed to halt UVA's six game winning streak with a 3-2 victory Sunday, February 27. Prior to the setback, the Cavs stomped Old Dominion 8-0 Wednesday and then swept a doubleheader with Fordham Saturday, 5-0, and 13-3.
Men on a mission: The UVA men's lacrosse team enters this season determined to erase memories of last spring's collapse and return to the glories of their 2003 national championship. The Hoos look sharper than ever in their second victory of the season, an 18-2 rout of the Manhattan Jaspers at Klockner Saturday, February 26.
The Week Ahead:
BASKETBALL
ACC WOMENS TOURNAMENT
vs. FLORIDA STATE
Saturday, March 5 @ 2pm in Greensboro
March madness begins as the Cavs look to pad their NCAA tournament resume. Various tickets remain through the UVA ticket office. 1-800-542-UVA1
MEN vs. FLORIDA STATE
2pm Sunday, March 6 @Tallahassee
UVA LACROSSE
WOMEN vs. SYRACUSE
Noon Saturday, March 5 @ Syracuse
MEN vs. SYRACUSE
3pm Saturday, March 5 @Syracuse
WOMEN vs. MARYLAND
7pm Tuesday, March 8 @ Klockner
UVA BASEBALL
vs. WAKE FOREST
Friday, March 4 (2:30pm), Saturday, March 5 (1:30pm) and Sunday, March 6 (1pm) at Winston-Salem
vs. LONGWOOD
Tuesday, March 8 @ 4pm
vs. JAMES MADISON
Wednesday, March 9 @ 4pm
Can anyone slow down UVA baseball at Davenport field? $6 Adult, $4 Senior/Youth.
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