One of the most interesting topics for college sports these days seems to be the scheduling of football and basketball teams. Why doesn't a football team use the new 12th game to play a big-time, high-profile opponent? Who should a basketball team play to raise its RPI, while packing the stands with fans? Hey, did you see who so-and-so is playing this year? More often than not, however, it seems like a majority of teams in those sports simply don't play the headline-grabbing opponent.

Well, if you're a fan of ambitious and challenging scheduling, look no further than the University of Virginia men's tennis team. The Cavaliers are playing as many highly ranked and high profile teams as possible. Here's a short list: Pepperdine, Southern Cal, VCU, Notre Dame and Illinois. And that was just in the opening month of the spring season! UVa continues its fierce scheduling battle with a pair of top 25 teams - Texas A&M and Texas - this weekend at the new indoor facility of the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville. Virginia currently leads the nation in matches against top 25 opponents (4) and ranked wins (6).

"I think this is the best thing for our team," Cav coach Brian Boland said. "We have learned a lot about our team and what we have to do against this great competition and hopefully it will pay off in May. So far, so good."

For Cavalier fans in the area, this weekend is the perfect opportunity to take in some quality college tennis. The Hoos face No. 24 Texas A&M today at 5 p.m. and No. 20 Texas on Sunday at 10 p.m. The Boar's Head facility seats a little more than 1,000 people and has a standing room area available in an overlooking lobby. You can see all six singles matches at one time and two large scoreboards make it easy to keep track of the scores. Last week, the Hoo Crew, the Virginia band, and nearly 900 people attended the Baylor match - the goal this week is to break the 1,000-fan barrier so head on out and support the Cavaliers. Admission is free!

"Last week, with the Hoo Crew and the band and so many fans, it was an incredible environment for college tennis. It gave our guys a lift at the beginning and they really carried that energy through the match," Boland said. "This is without question one of the best venues in all of college tennis. ... I had someone tell me that they had never even thought about going to a tennis match until last week and that being there at the match last week made them a college tennis fan. ... The atmosphere is incredible and it's definitely worth going if you can."

Kris Wright
Editor
TheSabre.com

Tomorrow, Virginia will host a football recruiting junior day and a number of top 2007 prospects are expected to be in attendance. The in-state stars expected to show include West Springfield QB Peter Lalich, Orange QB/ATH Bradley Starks, Hampton QB Tyrod Taylor, Yorktown RB Max Milien, Matoaca RB Patrick Mills, Matoaca WR Kris Burd, Hylton OL William Alvarez, Culpeper LB Terance Fells-Danzer, Gloucester LB Aaron Taliaferro, St. Anne's Belfield ATH Colin Pehanick. Of these prospects, only Mills and Starks do not have offers at this time.

Out-of-state recruits with offers and who are expected in attendance include New York OL John Elliott and North Carolina ATH Greg Little.

Among the group of visitors, UVa currently has the best shot with Lalich, Burd and Taliaferro and is well positioned with several others. Stay tuned to TheSabre for coverage of this weekend's visitors and to see if the Cavs can gain their first commitment for the 2007 class.

According to head coach Linzy Davis, Tat has qualified academically and still plans on signing with the Hoos in the spring signing period. The signing period begins April 12 and lasts through May 17.

Stay tuned to the Sabre Edge for further updates on UVa's 2006 recruits and a look into the 2007 class. You can sign up for Sabre Edge here.

It is the final weekend before Valentine's Day, which means you're running out of time if you haven't gotten a gift for that special someone. Here's a hint: you can never go wrong with jewelry! What's that, you don't know the difference between sapphire and rubies? Or white gold and platinum? Don't worry, Andrew Minton Jewelers has you covered and can save you money! Get 15% off your next purchase at Andrew Minton Jewelers with our online coupon!

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Thread of the Week

Subject: Following the JJ thread below, who are the best 5 players by position ...
Posted by: 111Balz on Tue Feb 7 2006 2:17:50 PM
Message: ... in ACC history? How would that differ from the five best players regardless of position.

My votes: Small Forward: Thompson
Power Forward: Laetner
Center: Ralph
Shooting guard: Jordan?
Point: torn between Phil Ford and John Lucas

Top five players regardless of position? Right now...I think I would go with the first four above plus Lucas.

Subject: Re: Following the JJ thread below, who are the best 5 players by position ...
Posted by: 2hoop3 on Tue Feb 7 2006 5:33:55 PM
Message: Good team and good thread. I would take Buck Williams or Worthy for the true power forward role over Laetner because somebody's got to rebound when Ralph is playing point-center. :-)

Subject: As much as it pains me to admit this ...
Posted by: testudo_mike on Tue Feb 7 2006 4:39:04 PM
Message: You'd have to consider Hurley at the point. After that I'd take:

Jordan - guard, Worthy - forward, Bias - forward, Sampson - center

As far as I'm concerned, that squad would beat all comers.

Subject: Here are the point guards I would CLEARLY take over Hurley ...
Posted by: 111Balz on Tue Feb 7 2006 6:40:16 PM
Message: Ford, Lucas, John Roche, Charlie Scott, Chris Paul, Ray Felton, John Crotty. Just off the top of my head.

This thread appeared on the Men's Basketball Message board. To read the entire thread, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

Gutsherran Ceramic Rotunda Stein St. Patrick's Day is coming so make sure you celebrate in style. The Rotunda Stein is an authentic Gutsherran ceramic with full color image of the Rotunda and a Jefferson quote on the back. Take advantage of this great offer while they last and cheers! Regular Price: $54.99 Sale Price: $35.74

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Last Ball in U-Hall: Jeff Lamp Lit It Up
As the final days of basketball in University Hall wind down, The Sabre introduces its Last Ball in U-Hall series. In the coming weeks, we will catch up with some of the all-time great players from the University Hall era. Things kick off with one of the greatest scorers and leaders in Virginia history, Jeff Lamp. Lamp finished his career as a two-time All-American and had his jersey retired before moving on to the NBA.

Best Seat in the House: Baseball Player Sean Doolittle
Virginia baseball player Sean Doolittle joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House last week to talk about the Cavaliers upcoming baseball season. Doolittle talked about offseason workouts, mental toughness, the Cavaliers' team this season, and more. Check out the full discussion through this audio interview on the Sabre Edge.

Sabre Roundtable: UVa's 2006 Recruiting Class
One week ago, college football fanatics, recruiting experts, coaches, and players sweated through National Signing Day. When the dust had settled, Virginia signed 24 players with a heavy focus on defense. Should Al Groh be pleased with the class? Should most of this class red-shirt? Who could be an immediate impact player? The Sabre tackles these questions and more in this Sabre Roundtable with Chris Horne, Kris Wright, Nick Sauer, and Best Seat in the House host Jed Williams.

Terrapins Rally Past Cavaliers
After spotting the Cavaliers an 8-point lead at the break, the Maryland Terrapins held Virginia to 9-of-32 shooting from the field (28 percent) and 27 points in the second half (UVa's second lowest scoring second-half output of the season) en route to a 76-65 win at the Comcast Center on Tuesday night.

Chalktalk: The Intangibles
Dave Leitao had excellent game plans for the likes of North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Clemson. So far, that has resulted in 5 ACC wins this season. Virginia is in search of conference win No. 6 tonight when it travels to Maryland for a 7 p.m. showdown. One would guess that Leitao has a strategy in place for tonight's game as well. But sometimes, games don't always come down to X's and O's. Sometimes, it's other stuff - the intangibles - that decides a winner and a loser. And so far this season, UVa seems to have a little bit of mojo.

Photo Gallery: Wake Forest at Virginia
The Virginia men's basketball team has already surpassed last season's ACC win mark with 7 league games remaining. The Cavs reached the 5-win club behind a dominant rebounding performance, timely defensive stops, and a game-winning shot from J.R. Reynolds. Relive Saturday's 75-73 victory against Wake Forest with this Photo Gallery.

Salutations Sabre Fans
Have you ever been so engrossed in what you're doing or so caught up in the moment that you leave your keys in the door? The stove on? Your car unlocked with about a million CDs in the front seat? Not the smartest moves, I know. Well, that's exactly how I feel right now. I've been with you on the Sabre now for a little more than four weeks, but I've became so immersed with getting to know you, getting stories out there, getting started, I forgot one of the most important things -- Introducing myself formally! So without further ado, in the unforgettable words of a genuine and famous spider: Salutations!

Seahawks' Weeks Will Have Eye on Steelers' Backs
When Super Bowl XL kicks off today in Detroit, stopping the run will be a key focus for both defenses. And at least one of the Seahawks' offensive players will have a deeply invested interest: Marquis Weeks. The former Virginia standout simulated Willie Parker and other Pittsburgh backs in practice the past two weeks to help the Seattle defense prepare for today's big task.

Rebounding Plays Key Role in Win
In the 2000 movie Remember the Titans there's a line from Coach Bill Yoast that says "Jump on that ball carrier like a starving man on a Christmas ham." It isn't certain that the Virginia basketball players have seen that movie, but they surely would understand the meaning behind Coach Yoast's message. Or at the very least, the Cavs have picked up on a similar mantra from Coach Dave Leitao because every player on the floor seems to rebound with an unending hunger. That insatiable desire to clean the glass, which has benefited the Hoos throughout the season, paid big dividends again Saturday as the Cavaliers dominated the rebounding category in a 75-73 win against Wake Forest.

Virginia Knocks Off Wake Forest
Behind a dominant showing in the rebounding category and a game-winning shot from J.R. Reynolds with less than 5 seconds to play, Virginia grabbed its fifth ACC victory of the season Saturday by edging Wake Forest at University Hall, 75-73. At 11-8, 5-4 the Cavaliers have already surpassed last season's ACC win mark with 7 league games remaining.

Chalktalk: Controlling the Tempo
Under coach Skip Prosser, the Wake Forest men's basketball team has become known as an up-tempo club that pushes the basketball and attacks the rim aggressively. Despite a 1-7 start in the ACC this season, the run-and-gun style has paid dividends (Prosser is 79-38, a 67.5 winning percentage, in his career at Wake). With that in mind, expect Virginia to combat the Deacons' strength today by controlling the tempo.

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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