Wahoos go 1-1 in rivalry week

Gary Forbes scored 44 points in the past two games.

Virginia's two biggest rivals, it's safe to say, are Virginia Tech and North Carolina. That rivalry has been more intense in football than basketball, but the Cavaliers took on both teams over the past six days on the hardwood - with mixed results.

UVa handled the Hokies 65-60 at University Hall on Saturday, preventing VaTech from sweeping the season series. If nothing else, the 'Hoos prevented the Hokies from claiming bragging rights in football and basketball. That would have been unbearable.

No such luck against the Tar Heels, who pounded Virginia for the second time this season Wednesday. The 85-61 rout wasn't as embarrassing as UNC's 110-76 win at U-Hall two weeks earlier, but it illustrated once again how the Cavs have been unable to compete against the ACC's top teams this season.

Gary Forbes was UVa's star in both games, scoring 21 against Virginia Tech and 23 vs. North Carolina. With four regular-season games remaining (next up: Maryland at U-Hall tomorrow), the Wahoos are 13-10 overall and 4-8 in the ACC.

For the Sabre's story on the North Carolina game, please see the link below.

For the Sabre's story on the Virginia Tech game, please see the link below.

Women's basketball bounces back

It was a good week for Hokie haters. One day after the UVa men beat Tech, the Wahoo women did the same.

LaTonya Blue scored 16 points in Virginia's 61-58 victory, its first at Cassell Coliseum in eight years. It was a big win for several reasons. It gave the Cavaliers a season sweep of the Hokies, it snapped a three-game ACC losing streak and it bolstered their NCAA tournament hopes.

Now 17-8 overall and 6-5 in the ACC, Virginia hosts No. 20 Maryland on Sunday.

For more information on UVa women's basketball, please see the link below.

Men's tennis startles Stanford

The Virginia men's tennis program may be ready to take its place among the national elite.

The ninth-ranked Cavaliers defeated No. 7 Stanford, a longtime tennis power, in the first round of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships yesterday in Chicago. The 4-1 victory was highlighted by Doug Stewart's 6-4, 6-4 win over Sam Warburg at No. 1 singles. Warburg is the reigning Pac-10 singles champ and is ranked No. 4 in the nation, while Stewart is ranked No. 19.

Now 6-0 this season, Virginia takes on No. 2 UCLA today in the second round.

For more information on UVa men's tennis, please see the link below.

Baseball comes home after 2-2 start

The Virginia baseball team opened its season on the road, winning two of three at UNC-Wilmington over the weekend before falling to Old Dominion in Norfolk on Wednesday.

Still, it was an encouraging start for the Cavaliers for several reasons. Pitchers Mike Ballard and Jeff Kamrath, who missed the 2004 season with injuries, were victorious in their 2005 debuts. Ballard was named ACC pitcher of the week after throwing seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win on Saturday. Freshman Sean Doolittle also is off to a hot start with a .636 batting average and two home runs.

The Wahoos open a seven-game homestand today against Bucknell. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and will not play Sunday because inclement weather is expected for Charlottesville.

For more information on UVa baseball, please see the link below.

Men's lacrosse seeks a fresh start

Long one of the nation's top programs, Virginia men's lacrosse suffered through a disappointing 2004 season, finishing with a 5-8 record, their first losing season in 17 years.

The Cavaliers will seek a return to prominence this year, beginning with the 2005 opener Sunday at home against Drexel. Ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll, UVa welcomes back eight starters. Three Wahoos were placed on the preseason watch list for the Tewaaraton Trophy: seniors John Christmas and Rob Bateman, and junior Matt Ward.

For more information on UVa men's lacrosse, please see the link below.

Al Groh likes his players to be tough, smart and focused. With Hermitage High quarterback Jameel Sewell, Virginia's head coach is getting all that and more. Tough? The Colonial District Player of the Year also started at safety for the Panthers. Smart? He wants to be a sports medicine major. Focused? Just ask his coach. Oh yeah, he happens to be a pretty good athlete, too. Sewell may be overshadowed by fellow QB recruit Vic Hall, but he shouldn't be underestimated.

A peculiar phenomenon has occurred this season in Virginia basketball - fans rooting against their own team. Well, maybe not actively cheering for the Cavaliers to lose. But a significant percentage of fans are less than wholeheartedly supporting the Wahoos as they wind down the regular season, fearful that too much success will result in the retention of Pete Gillen as head coach. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it, but what does it mean? Are they bad fans? Are they good fans? And do they really have anything to worry about?

Anyone who followed the Virginia football team last season knows that its aerial attack struggled. Actually, that may be an understatement, given that the Cavaliers averaged 180 passing yards per game, their lowest output in a decade. Enter Brandon Woods and Maurice Covington, a pair of big and fast receivers from Southern Durham (N.C.) High School. When they enroll at UVa this summer, they will start upon the task they were brought in to accomplish: add speed and height to the Cavalier receiving corps and immediately open up the vertical passing game.

Virginia in the NCAA tournament? What was once a laughable notion has in one short week become a reasonable possibility. Pete Gillen has deployed a new offense, his Cavaliers have ratcheted up the defense and Virginia has seemed to shake its propensity for second-half collapses and now finds itself on the cusp of NCAA bubbledom. How have the 'Hoos made the jump from laughingstock to potential Cinderella?

First, the good news about Virginia's last two basketball games: Pete Gillen adjusted his strategy and made some shrewd moves. The Cavaliers played hard and smart. They didn't fold when they fell behind. They played decent defense. They made an effort on the boards. And, most importantly, they won. Now the bad news: All of those things seem remarkable. That's how dismal things have gotten for the Wahoos this season. Any semblance of defense, of fortitude, of coaching prowess, now qualifies as something of a shock.

The final rankings for the 2005 class are out, and UVa finished as follows: #14 overall ranking by Scout.com; #19 overall ranking by Rivals.com. The ACC schools also fared very well, as seven teams - Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Maryland and N.C. State - each finished in the top 25 in at least one of the two major recruiting service rankings. In an interview with TheSabre.com, respected ACC journalist Dave Glenn of the ACC Area Sports Journal gives his thoughts on how the ACC schools did in the conference and nationally.

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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