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The 2013 season for Virginia kicks off in a little more than 70 days and the schedule remains a hot offseason topic. People have talked about UVa's 12-game slate frequently ever since the announcement that Oregon had been added. A natural correlation to schedule talk is, of course, predicting the season's outcome and Hoo fans don't seem too optimistic.
I'm a Virginia fan, through and through. But I never attended UVa. Students and alumni would call me a 'townie,' and that's just fine by me. I don't need a degree from UVa to show my support, and by now think it's pretty obvious to most that I bleed orange and blue. So 15 years ago I started TheSabre.com as a hobby.
Coming off the euphoria of Virginia's first winning season and first postseason appearance in three years, thoughts turn to the inevitable question - was 2011 a fluke or a starting trend? Pundits are asking. Virginia fans and opponent fans are asking. Recruits are asking. It's a fair question.
During Saturday's NCAA Tournament opener at the Snyder Tennis Center, Virginia's Jarmere Jenkins couldn't find a consistent groove early against Fairleigh Dickinson and the Cavaliers clinched the match before Jenkins locked in fully. UVa coach Brian Boland said afterward that he wasn't worried about the ACC Player of the Year.
Jenkins showed why on Sunday. He dominated at No. 1 singles with a straight sets win that helped propel the Hoos to a 4-0 victory against VCU.
Saturday afternoon proved to be a good one for the Virginia tennis programs. Both teams won NCAA Tournament matches at the Snyder Tennis Center. The men's team cruised past Fairleigh Dickinson 4-0 in first round action, while the women's team took down Tennessee 4-1 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Unfortunately, 2011 didn't end the way the Hoos had hoped thanks to Auburn's 43-24 victory in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Saturday night. When the frustrations of a missed opportunity fade, however, 2011 will be remembered as the streak-busting year that gave the Virginia football program the chance to become a consistent winner again.
The magic number is six.
The Virginia football program needs to win six games this season. No, it doesn't have to win six games. This isn't some sort of temperature-taking season for hot seat purposes after all. But the program needs to win six games in Coach London's second season. Really, really needs.
In the past few days there has been quite a bit of good news for the Virginia Athletics Department. The Cavaliers completed their third straight year in the top 10 of the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup and claimed their fourth consecutive Virginia Sports Information Directors' Association Division I All-Sports Championship.
But so what? That's those "other" sports. It's not football or basketball. Wrong. It's time to check that attitude at the door Virginia fans. Those "other" sports? They've saved UVa fandom.
There's something, though probably not one thing, about doubles that just clicks for Virginia senior Michael Shabaz. That's clear from looking at his track record at UVa and beyond. Shabaz, after all, has captured two straight NCAA doubles championships and won the Wimbledon junior boys' doubles title in 2005. All with different partners.
There's nothing quite like Charlottesville in the springtime. As silly as it sounds, I never wanted to go abroad during the school year because I didn't want to miss out on anything. Fall is football season, of course, but spring has its own special appeal. Some of my favorite Cavalier sports moments have happened during the spring, but fall and winter have had their share of memorable times as well. Here are my top 10 sports moments from my four years as a Virginia student, so far.
I don't know if it is because it is still March. Perhaps it is the morning practices limiting live views of the team. Maybe it is because this is Final Four weekend and hoops are on the brain. But whatever it is, there's a decided lack of buzz about Virginia's Spring Game and football practice this spring. To me, that's an indicator of something bigger at work here for UVa fans.
The Virginia Athletics Department began selling season football tickets on Monday. That, in and of itself, is not news. Season tickets are sold, well, every season. Buried within the school news release, however, are some nuggets of information that suggest UVa is starting to reach out to the fans. For a pair of revenue programs attempting to regain success and bring fans back to the bleachers, it's a step in the right direction.
The Virginia men's basketball team opens ACC Tournament play on Thursday at noon. The game matches eighth-seeded UVa and ninth-seeded Miami. It's far from a glamorous position and neither team is heading to the NCAA Tournament unless it wins four games in four days. Yet, optimism is palpable among Cavalier fans.
It's not a cure for everything that has ailed this Virginia basketball program this season, but it helps. Boy does it help. The season's 'almost had it' wins and low-scoring losses took an afternoon hiatus on Saturday as the Cavaliers swept rival Virginia Tech in front of a lively, and thankful, John Paul Jones Arena crowd.
It's a rough life being a Cavalier fan. Enduring countless disappointments from the major revenue sports, putting up with taunts and jibes from opposing fanbases, and being frustrated at decisions from above have all been a part of my first seven semesters at the University of Virginia. Thursday night's basketball game against Maryland highlighted a few of my major gripes. When the Hoos are good, they're good. But when they're bad ... let's just say things get out of hand in a hurry.
I figured it's about time to own up to it. So yes, Mustapha Farrakhan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for writing you off so early in your career. I'm sorry for pegging you as a "he'll never change and never contribute" category player. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to put together a career first. Because now, Farrakhan is proving me wrong. Very wrong.
Is that "Auld Lang Syne" I hear, ushering in the New Year? Nah, that's just The Good Old Song. The nostalgia is starting to creep over me as I enter my last semester as a UVa student, and some of my hopes and resolutions are indicative of my approaching status as an alumnus. While I have plenty that aren't necessarily sports related (a real-world, adult job would be nice, along with world peace and bipartisan agreement, of course), some Wahoo athletic triumphs continue to make the list.
The Virginia football season is over after Saturday's 37-7 loss at Virginia Tech. The final 2010 tally: 4 wins, 8 losses with another 0 for November to wrap things up. The Cavaliers have suffered through three straight losing seasons and four in the last five years. At the end of Mike London's first season on the sidelines, the question on many minds is "Are the Hoos headed in the right direction?"
As I walked to my car from Scott Stadium on Saturday, tailgate music wafted through the cool November air. Battery-powered lanterns lit tables strewn with the remnants of afternoon meals. A few children waved sparklers in the air. Nothing out of the ordinary, not at Virginia, not in any college football town sprinkled across this great nation really. Only on this night, there was an unmistakable feel to the air. One that is going to be tough to shake.
Virginia fans, some of you have been waiting. Waiting for a reason. Waiting for a reason to jump on board with this team, this program, this coach. Waiting for something to latch on to - signs of improvement maybe or a little hope. Or maybe just a big win. Maybe like the 24-19 victory Saturday against Miami. All the while, you're missing it.
48-21 ... we had them the whole time, right? This game was one that admittedly looks better if you just see the final score, but with a nice little boost from special teams, the Hoos pulled away to a comfortable lead in the second half and ultimately to a win. Let me say that again ... a win. This year, you have to take those whenever they come, however they come, and learn from what happened.
If you've spent the past day or so wondering why Kris wrote the game story for Eastern Michigan (as I'm sure you have), it's because I had a weekend off to enjoy being a student. This was my first game in the Mike London era during which I was able to participate as a UVa student and fan. Consider this game recap from a student perspective, and an insider's look at what it's like to be a bright-eyed, optimistic Wahoo fan on game day.
Marc Verica shuffled off the field Saturday, his shoulders slightly slumped. His head tilted toward the ground. Boos trickled down from the stands clad in his own colors. No one dreams of being Y.A. Tittle, kneeling in an end zone, helmetless and spent. Yet, that's all I could think about Saturday when Verica solemnly trotted to the sidelines.
The prognosticators predicted before the season Virginia would be bad in 2010, the worst team in the ACC's Coastal Division and perhaps worse than a year ago. The last two humbling weeks are certainly pointed in that direction. At some point, however, there isn't much to say. I guess it's the "shut up and take your medicine" phase of rebuilding that's sinking in.
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