Basketball Features 
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Basketball Features
Thanks to two double-doubles and an outstanding performance on the road in Blacksburg on Sunday, Virginia's Mike Scott received recognition as the ACC Player of the Week. Against Virginia Tech, Scott posted 21 points and 13 rebounds to help the Hoos start 1-0 in conference play. Just as important as his scoring and glass work, however, has been Scott's passing ability.
With the first Virginia-Virginia Tech men's basketball match-up coming early on the ACC calendar, the Cavaliers and Hokies will have to be in league battle mode the first weekend of December this time around. How will Seth Greenberg and Tony Bennett prepare their teams for the in-state showdown? Here are some things to watch for during the basketball game on Sunday.
During Monday night's ACC-Big 10 Challenge upset by Virginia, senior captain Will Sherrill crumpled to the floor as Minnesota's Colton Iverson fell on top of him. Sherrill immediately reacted in obvious pain from the weight and force of Iverson's 6'10", 258-pound body hitting his right leg. Official word came Wednesday that Sherrill fractured his fibula on the play and there is no concrete timetable for his return this season.
The Virginia men's basketball team picked up a huge win at Minnesota on Monday in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. Get a look at the team in this 47-image photo gallery from the USC Upstate win at the John Paul Jones Arena. There are great shots of seniors like Mike Scott as well freshmen like Joe Harris, Akil Mitchell, and more!
One week after giving up the most points in the Tony Bennett era, Virginia flipped the script and scored the most points in the second-year coach's tenure thanks to a truly impressive sharp-shooting effort. The Cavaliers made 10 of 13 3-pointers and 25 of 30 free throws on Monday night en route to 87-79 win at No. 15 Minnesota in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. UVa handed the Gophers their first loss of the season and their first non-conference home loss (now 27-1) under Tubby Smith.
Tony Bennett's three seasons as the head coach at Washington State featured some tenacious scoring defense. Those three seasons the Cougars allowed 59.5, 56.4, and 55.4 points per game. In Virginia's first game in the 2010 Maui Invitational, Bennett's Cavaliers allowed 55 points to No. 11 Washington in the first half and, as one might expect when seeing a number like that, things turned decisively sour in an eventual 106-63 loss.
In this latest "Quick Take," Jim Young, Editor of ACCSports.com, answers questions regarding the ACC schools and the Early Signing Period, which ended last Wednesday. Young discusses Virginia's 3-recruit haul, which school came out on top in the ACC according to ACCSports.com, and more.
Virginia's first road trip of the 2010-2011 men's basketball season ended with a disappointing thud at Stanford on Thursday night. After leading in the early stages of the game, the Cavaliers hung tough through the first half before a shooting onslaught propelled the Cardinal to an 81-60 win. Stanford slammed UVa with 54.4 percent shooting to eventually pull away.
The Virginia men's basketball team opened its season with a win over William & Mary at the John Paul Jones Arena. It was the first real game for the Cavalier freshmen, including Billy Baron, who stole the show with a 3-point barrage and 19 points against the Tribe. Check out 56 photos from the victory!
Tony Bennett's Cavaliers firmly established themselves as a second-half team Monday night after rallying to a 20-point win over USC Upstate at the John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia's Pack-Line defense did little to frustrate the Spartans early in the contest, as the Cavaliers gave up several 3-pointers and a few key drives to the basket. In the second half, Virginia came out as a much more cohesive unit, aided by clutch play from the Wahoo bench.
Four players in double figures. Five players with at least one 3-pointer. 17 assists on 28 field goals. Only 8 turnovers. An opponent below 40% shooting. In the end, the Virginia men's basketball team opened its season in impressive fashion and pulled away from visiting William and Mary in the second half of a 76-52 victory. UVa led by one at intermission before dominating the final 20 minutes.
After inking six players in the 2010 class, the University of Virginia has signed three prospects this Early Signing Period of the 2011 class. Landon School (Baltimore, MD) power forward Darion Atkins and Merrill (WI) wing forward Paul Jesperson signed on Wednesday, while Greater Atlanta Christian (Atlanta, GA) guard Malcolm Brogdon followed through on Thursday. TheSabre.com caught up with Atkins and Jesperson, and ESPN's Dave Telep gives his thoughts on the class in this "Notes" piece.
The Blocker/Mover offense is what I would consider a "free" motion offense. It is a system with rules and tendencies that allows players to work freely within that framework. No movement within the offense is predetermined except in special situations, movement instead is determined by players reading their defenders. Due to the nature of the Blocker/Mover it is impossible to truly draw out what you will see on any given play, but here is a basic primer for the offense you may see pieces of this season for the Hoos.
The Virginia men's basketball team won its only preseason exhibition contest Saturday night, topping Roanoke College 82-50 at the John Paul Jones Arena. The tune-up gave UVa a chance to continue its preseason work after a scrimmage at Marquette as the season opener with William & Mary looms on Friday. It also gave fans a chance to see the Cavaliers' seven freshmen in action for the first time.
Coming into the 2010-2011 season, the Virginia basketball teams are facing quite a few questions when it comes to star power and replacing production. The men's roster, of course, features as many freshmen as upperclassmen as the Hoos look to move on without leading scorer Sylven Landesberg and other unexpected absentees. The women, on the other hand, have to fill the void left by UVa and ACC stalwart Monica Wright. The Sabre swapped a few questions with a pair of Cavaliers, Mustapha Farrakhan and Simone Egwu, stepping into important roles this season.
Jontel Evans is just a sophomore. In fact, he's the only sophomore on the Virginia basketball team. Of course, on a team with six scholarship freshmen and a walk-on youngster to boot, he's one of the old veterans by comparison. With a chance to provide point guard minutes ahead of him, The Sabre caught up with Evans to talk about his summer and the upcoming season in this Q&A.
As the Nov. 12 season opener against William and Mary rapidly approaches, the Cavalier men's basketball team is hard at work on the practice court at the John Paul Jones Arena. One of the hallmarks of this season's squad is the sheer youth present on the roster; there are seven incoming freshman players, including one walk-on. It will be up to veteran players to both set the tone for the season and to bring the younger guys along, a role that Will Sherrill is ready to embrace.
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