Cavs conquer Canada!

Too bad Virginia isn't playing in a Canadian basketball conference. The 'Hoos apparently would be a powerhouse up north, judging from the results of their three-game exhibition swing last weekend.

UVa routed Royal Military College (112-52), Concordia University (88-76) and McGill University (83-46), leading each game by at least 16 points at halftime. Elton Brown was named MVP of the tourney in Montreal after scoring 51 points in the three games. J.R. Reynolds scored 44 points, including one game in which he made seven 3-pointers in the first half. Devin Smith finished with 38 points, while freshman point guard Sean Singletary had 30.

The Cavs outrebounded their opponents by 11 per game and shot over 50 percent from the field. Something tells me the ACC will be a little tougher.

For more information about UVa men's basketball, please see the link below.

Men's soccer on a hot streak

After finishing the regular season with a losing record in 2003, there were questions about the direction of the men's soccer program. So far, the Cavaliers have answered those questions with a strong start in 2004.

Virginia is 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC going into Sunday's road game at Clemson. Currently on a five-game winning streak, the 'Hoos are ranked 15th and are getting contributions from throughout a deep roster. Nine different players have scored the decisive goal in the 10 victories. Junior midfielder Hunter Freeman leads the nation with 13 assists, while sophomore forward Adam Cristman leads the team with six goals.

Last week the Cavs easily defeated Davidson (4-1) and Saint Francis (3-1) to complete a perfect five-game homestand.

For more information about UVa men's soccer, please see the link below.

Gelnovatch not going anywhere

In an effort to squash rumors that he will leave UVa to become coach of the United States Under-17 national team, George Gelnovatch issued a statement Wednesday saying that he plans to stay put. He is in his ninth season as Virginia's men's soccer coach and has compiled a record of 134-47-14.

"Recently there have been rumors and speculation circulating about me taking over the U-17 Team. I hoped these rumors would go away, but they have not. In fact, they have become a distraction to what we are trying to accomplish here at UVa," said Gelnovatch.

"I have had no official conversations with any of the U.S. Soccer administration with regards to the job. My part time involvement with the U.S. National Teams, as always, is the decision of (former UVa head coach) Bruce Arena. I will remain involved with Coach Arena if and when he needs me. However, I am fully committed to the University of Virginia, my team and everything we are striving to accomplish here at UVa and I have no plans to go anywhere."

Women's soccer bounces back

After winning its first nine games, the Virginia women's soccer team endured a difficult first week of October, losing to Wake Forest and tying Maryland. But the Cavaliers proved that they are resilient with a pair of impressive victories this past week.

The Wahoos traveled to Duke last Saturday and beat the 16th-ranked Blue Devils, 2-1, on a pair of second-half goals by Shannon Foley. Then they returned home and clobbered James Madison, 5-0, as Lindsay Gusick and Kelly Hammond each scored twice.

Hopefully, the fourth-ranked Cavaliers (11-1-1) regained their confidence. They'll need it Sunday when they play at No. 2 North Carolina, the dominant program in women's soccer.

For more information about UVa women's soccer, please see the link below.

Two days before the official start of practice, Pete Gillen sat down with the local media and discussed the prospects of his basketball team. It's the seventh time he has done so as Virginia's coach, and it may not be his favorite annual event. But Gillen had to be happy that he was sitting in front of a background of V-Sabres in University Hall. He will likely be even happier if he is sitting in the same spot next year, as that would mean his team was both successful on and off the court during the 2004-05 season.

During UVa's basketball media day Thursday, men's coach Pete Gillen and women's coach Debbie Ryan discussed their teams and the upcoming 2004-05 season with reporters. Audio of their press conferences is here along with an interview with senior tri-captain Jason Clark.

For each game, I typically list five things Virginia needs to do (the absolutes) and five things the Cavaliers would like to do (the desirables). But since this is such a big game, everything is an absolute, so here are 10 of them.

One critical factor will be how well Kai Parham and the rest of Virginia's defense slows down Florida State's potent running game.

I wouldn't call this the biggest game in Virginia football history. That distinction still belongs to the Georgia Tech game in 1990 because it came later in the season and the Cavaliers had more to lose - and did. But if the 'Hoos beat Florida State on Saturday, you can make a strong argument that it would be the biggest win in UVa history.

That's because there are at least four ways in which a victory would represent a significant breakthrough for Virginia's program. Call them the Florida Factor, the Road Rules, the Ranking Respect and the 'Hoo Hunt. Let's go through each one of them and show how a triumph in Tallahassee would help UVa take its place among the national elite in college football.

Virginia and Florida State have played three common opponents this season. A close look at those games helps give us a clearer sense of how the teams will match up against each other Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. From my vantage point, there is a razor-edge of difference between the two teams at the moment. The two advantages FSU holds are the home field and a superb run defense. But I think there are eight keys to a Cavalier victory, one that would help realize Al Groh's vision of placing Virginia among the nation's elite programs. One of those keys involves using Heath Miller to occupy FSU's strong safety.

The last time Virginia played Florida State in Tallahassee, Al Groh acknowledged Monday, the Seminoles were "significantly bigger, stronger, faster and more experienced" than the Cavaliers. Two years later, much has changed. Guys like Elton Brown have helped the 'Hoos close the talent gap. But FSU still holds a sizable advantage in one of those areas. "They are still, I think, significantly faster than we are," Groh said.

In his Monday press conference, Virginia coach Al Groh talked about the upcoming game with Florida State. He discussed FSU's personnel, the development of his team since its last trip to Tallahassee, what a win would mean for his program, UVa's injury situation, and much more. Also included in this audio feature is an interview with senior center Zac Yarbrough, a native of Orlando who will be facing the Seminoles for the final time.

The Cavaliers received their toughest test against Clemson, but they passed it with a total team effort. No unit scored lower than a B-plus in our game grades. Not surprisingly, the "D-fence" received some of the highest marks after shutting down the Tigers.

We also named players of the game on offense and defense, plus an overall game MVP.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week

Our resident recruiting expert, Chris Horne, provides updates for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please see the sign-up promotion below. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

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