Bennett On NIT

After being bypassed for an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Virginia men's basketball team received a berth in the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 1 seed. That means the Hoos, appearing for the first time since 2006, have the right to host NIT games for the first three rounds if they win to advance. The Cavaliers open tourney play with Norfolk State at 9 p.m. on Tuesday night at the John Paul Jones Arena. The game is set to be televised by ESPNU.

Despite what UVa coach Tony Bennett described as a feeling of being on the outside looking in, the team gathered to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show. When the brackets failed to include Virginia, the team headed out of the JPJ to await its NIT fate. Once the Hoos learned they were in the NIT, the focus shifted to that tournament and the Spartans. NSU (21-11) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title.

"I told our guys if we have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, we'll be thankful for that," Bennett said. "If not, I said, then be very thankful to play in the NIT, and let's be the best NIT team we can be."

Conventional bracketology had Virginia among the last four teams out of the NCAA Tournament field after a shaky finish to the season. The Cavaliers likely needed two more wins after the victory over Duke in Charlottesville, but they came up with just one among the games against Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, and NC State (in the ACC Tournament). Bennett said that the Hoos had their chances to play their way into the field, but that the quality of play didn't rise to where it needed to be to get the job done.

"In some ways, we deserved to be strongly considered but in some ways, we couldn't finish out strong. I said if that's the reason why we don't get in, we had our chances to play our way in and we didn't," Bennett said. "We had a chance to probably secure it but we didn't get it done down the stretch."

For Virginia fans and message board posters, the focus shifted in a lot of ways to the computer numbers, namely a suspect RPI and a lousy non-conference strength of schedule rating. Questions abound about decisions to play teams in the bottom 100-150 of the RPI as well as early season tournaments with dangerous implications for bubble teams that pick up a bad loss. Reporters asked Bennett about his scheduling on Sunday night's teleconference.

"It wasn't by design we played that poorly of a rated non-conference schedule. We didn't schedule all of those, but we took the chance that we were going to be in the Preseason NIT and we couldn't come through," Bennett said. "You've always got to look at [scheduling]. It's an interesting one because when the Old Dominion game came out, they were projected as the third team in their league - we didn't take care of business, we didn't win, so that's on us - but that's a quality game based on the last nine years and even what's projected going in. Most of the tournaments you play in, whether it is the Maui Invitational, the Paradise Jam, you play [good competition for ratings] in those no matter what. The Preseason NIT is a very prestigious tournament, but there is that risk [of playing lower teams in the ratings]. ... That's a risk. You don't beat them, that's going to mess with your non-conference strength of schedule. Going into this thing knowing we'd be at Wisconsin and all of those deals, we really thought it was a schedule that would be very solid and it could have been obviously if we could have won in the Preseason NIT, that changes everything with your numbers. ... So I think it was a sound schedule, it really was, but you had to take care of business and we didn't take care of business going on the road to George Mason and all of that stuff. It may make me think about playing in those tournaments. [chuckling] I think you want to make sure you're playing those [good ratings] teams when you go to Maui or those as opposed to having to win your way."

The future schedules, of course, can be broken down heavily in the weeks to come. First things first, though. The Hoos want to earn a trip to Madison Square Garden for the NIT Final Four. That quest starts with Norfolk State.

"Coach Evans has done a great job. I really respect what he's done over the years. When you go [undefeated in your conference regular season], that's impressive," Bennett said. "A couple of years ago we were so fortunate to beat them when Assane [Sene] tipped one in."

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release with NIT ticket and parking information

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Football Recruiting

The initial series of "Strategy Session" articles for the class of 2014 comes to an end this week with a focus on defensive backs and special teams. UVa is off to an excellent start with DB recruiting, having landed consensus 5-star safety Quin Blanding. Who is next on the staff's target list? I'll break down the potential need areas and top targets later in the week.

In case you missed it, be sure to check out last week's feature (linked below), which focused on the defensive line and linebacker positions, in addition to discussing the latest developments based on the pre-spring football roster.

Virginia football's spring season begins Monday and runs through the Spring Game on April 6. This is another key time in recruiting, with prospects taking to the road to check out spring practices and visit schools. Chancellor (Fredericksburg, VA) offensive tackle Steven Moss, one of the most coveted linemen in the nation in the class of 2014, is expected on Grounds this weekend for a visit. The 6'5", 290-pound rising senior has visited Virginia numerous times before.

Stay tuned to TheSabre.com for more on Moss and other visitor news and reports in the coming weeks.

Basketball Recruiting

Last week featured articles on UVa class of 2013 signee Devon Hall and class of 2014 commitment BJ Stith. While Stith, a 6'5", 195-pound wing guard, has one more season left to play at Brunswick High School (Lawrenceville, VA), Hall has completed his high school career and is now preparing for his upcoming first year at Virginia. With Jontel Evans' departure, the competition at point guard looks to be open heading into the 2013/2014 season.

"I'm going to work my butt off. It's going to be a learning process, no doubt. I want to get stronger and just work hard. I'm going to have to work to come in and play. I feel like I can come in and make an impact and try to win with coach's defensive style," Hall said. For more from Hall and Stith, who is the son of former Virginia basketball great Bryant Stith, check out the EDGE articles linked below. This week, I hope to catch up with Virginia class of 2013 recruit London Perrantes for a look back at his stellar senior season and a look ahead to his career in Charlottesville. The 6'1", 185-pound point guard was just named 2012/2013 Mission League Player of the Year.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for EDGE subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an EDGE subscription, please check out the Sabre EDGE Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an EDGE subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

More recent Sabre recruiting updates ...

Devon Hall Turns Attention To UVa
Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, VA) held its boys varsity basketball banquet on Wednesday, celebrating a 29-4 season that included Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools regular season and postseason tournament championships. The Dolphins expect to field a quality team once again next season, but they will be without 6'5", 205-pound point guard Devon Hall, who will be a freshman at the University of Virginia.

Stith Talks State Title, Offseason Goals
Brunswick (Lawrenceville, VA) defeated Spotswood last Saturday in the Group AA, Division 3 state championship, giving the Bulldogs their third straight state championship crown. Junior BJ Stith, who has been a valuable contributor in all three of his team's title runs, said this season was particularly significant for one major reason.

Strategy Session 2014: DL and LBs
This latest "Strategy Session" for UVa football's class of 2014 recruiting focuses on the defensive line and linebackers. The former particularly is a serious need for the Hoos in this class, and there are five top prospects in the state. I also take a look at some of the recent developments on Virginia's pre-spring roster, which was released last week.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Richmond (VA) Sophomore CB Boasts Six Offers
• In-State OL Surpasses 20 Offers
• Reavis Talks Visits, Decision Timetable

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Sponsorships are a critical component of your fan community and their success will permit us to continually improve our services to you. If you are in the market for any of the products and services offered by your sponsors, please give them first chance at your business. Sponsors power TheSabre.com, the No. 1 media source covering UVa Athletics. Thank you for supporting your Sponsors!

Check out the current site sponsors here. If you would like to sponsor the site, please contact us.

UVa's Football Schedule Released

Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

The Atlantic Coast Conference released the 2013 football schedules for the 14 schools that will be conference members for the 2013-14 academic year. Virginia's slate features 12 regular-season games, including eight home contests. The schedule marks the first time in Virginia’s history the Cavaliers will play eight home games. Starting times for all contests and the home game designated for Homecomings will be announced at a later date.

"This is a very challenging schedule, but it is the type of schedule I want us to play each and every year," Virginia head coach Mike London said. "We will have to be our best in every practice and every game. With eight home games, our fans can really make a difference. We can't do it without them."

Virginia will play home games against BYU (Aug. 31), Oregon (Sept. 7), VMI (Sept. 21), Ball State (Oct. 5), Duke (Oct. 19), Georgia Tech (Oct. 26), Clemson (Nov. 2), and Virginia Tech (Nov. 30). Virginia will travel to conference games at Pittsburgh (Sept. 28), Maryland (Oct. 12), North Carolina (Nov. 9) and Miami (Nov. 23).

The Cavaliers will have bye weeks on Sept. 14 and Nov 16.

Read the full news release here. Check the other ACC schedule news here and here.

Virginia Wins Blue Gray Tennis Classic

Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

The Virginia women's tennis team won the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic championship, defeating No. 50 Tulane, 4-1, Sunday afternoon at Lagoon Park Tennis Center.

The Cavaliers claimed the doubles point and freshmen Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Stephanie Nauta (Galveston, Texas) and senior Erin Vierra(Norwell, Mass.) won their respective singles matches.

Virginia evens its record at 6-6. UVa returns home for a pair of ACC matches on March 22-23 against Boston College and Virginia Tech. First serve is set for 12 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Snyder Tennis Center.

Hoos Talking Airs On Monday Nights

Hoos Talking, TheSabre.com's radio partner from Richmond, is back on the air for its fourth season! The show airs on Monday nights LIVE from 6-7 p.m. on SportsRadio 910 AM (WRNL) in Richmond or on the internet for Hoos outside of the Richmond area.

Monday night's show features Virginia ACC Tournament legend Travis Watons and ACC Sports Journal's Dave Glenn.

Make sure to check out Hoos Talking on SportsRadio 910 AM (WRNL) or stay tuned to TheSabre.com for archived audio of the broadcasts.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 12 Baseball Wins 8-5 at Clemson to Claim Series: The No. 12 Virginia baseball team pounded out 15 hits and received a strong start from Nick Howard in an 8-5 victory at Clemson on Sunday. The Cavaliers (17-2, 4-2 ACC) earned their second straight series win of 2013 and recorded their fifth straight series victory against Clemson (11-7, 3-3), dating to 2006. Jared King went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored in Sunday's victory.
• No. 1 Cavaliers Blank No. 15 Illinois in Non-Conference Finale: The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule Sunday with a 7-0 win over No. 15 Illinois at the Atkins Tennis Center, site of the 2013 NCAA Championships this May. The Cavaliers (11-0) recorded their eighth win this season against teams currently ranked in the top 20.
• Divers Wrap Up NCAA Zone A Diving Championships: The Virginia divers concluded action at the 2013 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships on Sunday. The men finished second with 173 points, second for the fourth consecutive year behind Virginia Tech (260) and ahead of Princeton (62), Harvard (42) and UConn (28). The women placed second with 104 points, the highest finish in school history, behind Virginia Tech (237) and ahead of UConn (63), Rutgers (46) and JMU (42). On the men’s platform diving event, sophomore JB Kolod placed second with 752.45; he qualified for the NCAA Championship meet as well. Sophomore Laura Gartrell was fourth and broke the school record on the women’s platform with 455.45 points.
• Rowing Sweeps Races at Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite: The Virginia Rowing team swept races at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational to open the 2013 spring season this weekend (March 16-17) in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Cavaliers swept the races against Louisville and West Virginia Saturday morning (March 16), Georgetown and future ACC foe Notre Dame Saturday afternoon, and Alabama and ACC rival Duke Sunday morning.
• No. 9 Virginia Defeats Princeton, 9-7: The No. 9 Virginia women's lacrosse team held off a late charge by the Princeton Tigers to earn a 9-7 victory on Saturday in Charlottesville.
• No. 9 UVa Drops Nail-Biter to No. 12 Ohio State, 11-10: Nick O'Reilly had four goals and one assist, but it wasn't enough as the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers (5-3) dropped a Saturday afternoon meeting with the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) inside Klockner Stadium, 11-10. UVa's three losses this season are by a combined three goals and each opponents' game-winning goal has all come in either overtime, or in the final 1:31 of regulation.
• Virginia Women's Golfers Finish Fourth at Gator Invitational: The 15th-ranked Virginia women's golf tied for fourth place at the 15-team Sun Trust Gator Invitational that wrapped up Sunday in Gainesville, Fla. The Cavaliers shot a three-day total of 37-over 877. The Cavaliers were led by the second- and third-place finishes of Portland Rosen and Brittany Altomare. Both players shot 1-over 71 Sunday. Rosen finished at 1-over 211 and Altomare was two strokes behind her at 213.
• UVa Men's Golfers Finish 11th at Schenkel Invitational: The Virginia men's golf team finished 11th at the Schenkel Invitational in Stateboro, Ga., that completed play Sunday. Mac McLaughlin and Denny McCarthy led Virginia with 16th-place finishes at 3-over 219.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

Virginia Baseball V-Sabre T-Shirt

The Virginia Baseball V-Sabre T-Shirt features a front chest imprint. A two color Virginia is screened diagonally in the UVA Baseball team font between navy baseball stitches. The V-Sabre logo is imprinted on the bottom left of the baseball. This unique design will look great at Davenport or at your local ballpark.

Issue No. 171 - January 7, 2005

Will they stay or will they go?

Heath Miller

This is a big week for the Virginia football team. Underclassmen have until next Sunday to apply for the NFL draft and four Cavaliers - Ahmad Brooks, Darryl Blackstock, Heath Miller and D'Brickashaw Ferguson - have been projected as high-round picks if they decide to go pro.

Fortunately for the Wahoos, Ferguson and Blackstock already have indicated that they plan to return for their senior seasons. Brooks also is reportedly leaning toward staying at UVa, while Miller has not made any statement about his plans. Of course, it would be hard to fault Miller for leaving. He just won the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end and is on schedule to graduate in May.

Read SabreMail No. 171 here.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site soon:

• Spring Football: Spring football practice has started. Stay tuned to the site for updates on the Hoos' offseason work.
• NIT Coverage: The men's basketball team is a No. 1 seed in the postseason NIT and The Sabre will cover the entire tournament.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre articles ...

NCSU Ousts UVa At ACC Tournament
With tournament play arriving around the country, many teams - including NC State - have warm-up apparel that reads 'Rise To The Occasion.' If the ACC Tournament is the occasion, Virginia hasn't risen to the task for nearly two decades. Seeking its first conference tournament semifinal appearance since 1995, the fourth-seeded Hoos struggled offensively and the defense wasn't good enough to keep it close as the fifth-seeded Wolfpack rolled to a 75-56 victory Friday in Greensboro.

Double Bonus: Maryland 2
The Virginia men's basketball team capped its regular season schedule with a come-from-behind victory against Maryland. The Cavaliers trailed by 17 points before rallying to win 61-58 in overtime. UVa shot just 36.8% for the game, but winning ugly is better than not winning at all ... especially if you have NCAA Tournament hopes. The "Double Bonus" dives into the finale as the Hoos prep for the ACC Tournament.

Hoos Rally Past Terps
Despite some shaky first half defense, poor shooting, and missed free throws throughout, Virginia found a way to topple Maryland on Sunday at the John Paul Jones Arena. It took overtime, but the 61-58 victory extended the Cavaliers' home winning streak to 17 games as they overcame a 17-point deficit on Senior Night in Charlottesville.

Maryland Primer No. 2 2013
The Virginia men's basketball team picked up a 80-69 road win in its first meeting with Maryland this season. Can the Terrapins flip the script in Charlottesville? If the Hoos can prevent payback in this one, they will earn a first round bye in the ACC Tournament. Here are 10 things to consider for the Sunday showdown.

Double Bonus: FSU
The Virginia men's basketball team had one last chance at an ACC road victory on Thursday night, but the trip to Tallahassee ended in another frustratingly close loss for the Hoos. After rallying from an 11-point deficit to take a late lead, UVa dropped the 53-51 decision when Michael Snaer scored in the final five seconds for Florida State. The "Double Bonus" takes a look at some of the key pieces of the game.

FSU Snaers Win Over UVa
Virginia's final road game of the season ended much like the first. Back on Nov. 9, UVa lost a close one at George Mason with too many defensive breakdowns, a big shot late from an opposing player, and disjointed offense headlining the outcome. Fast forward to Thursday night at Florida State and the themes proved similar as the Cavaliers lost a heartbreaker, 53-51.

FSU Primer No. 2 2013
Since losing to Virginia 56-36 back on Jan. 19, Florida State has gone 5-7: 4-2 at home and 1-5 on the road. As UVa fans certainly know after losing at Boston College on Sunday, that doesn't make things any easier for a team that is 2-6 in conference road games so far this season. Can the Hoos win their last ACC trip of the year? Here are 10 things to consider for the rematch.

Double Bonus: Boston College 2
Facing a let-down trap game at Boston College, which has played everyone tough it its home gym, the Virginia men's basketball team couldn't back up a win over Duke with a road victory at BC. Of course, that's become a theme for this year's collection of Cavaliers. What's the difference between the John Paul Jones Arena and the road? The "Double Bonus" takes a closer look at that and other storylines from the weekend game.

Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

Every week, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

All of the great Sabre Edge content can be yours for the price of $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Try it for a month and cancel if you like. But we think you'll get hooked on the Edge and find out for yourself why the most knowledgeable Cavalier fans are Edge subscribers.

If you're a Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up