Virginia

[Cusefan0307]

I think our defense against their offense is a bigger win for us than their defense is against our offense. I could see us really locking them down. As long as we find Harris and brogdon we should be in good shape. They are easier to guard than duke and we played good defense Saturday.

 

[SouthernCuse]

UVA got really lucky with the unbalanced schedule. The highest ACC placed team in current standings that UVA has to play twice is 8th place Maryland (7-8).

So the 6 teams 2nd thru 6th they only play once – NCSU, Clem, Pitt, UNC, Dook, SU – and UNC, SU was/is at home, and their 1 loss so far @Dook.

I keep looking at who they play and wondering,:noidea: when they are going to get a tough game! I guess on Saturday.

I like the Hoo fans that have come over here, they are very polite, which is kind of their rep. They are having a great year. A tougher schedule gives them a couple more losses, but the game would still be for 1st, just a different dynamic.

 

[Cowtown]

I expect another 55-60 point nail-biter. I'll believe that of each game until I see something different.

I can see no reason to suspect anything but.

 

[jvbj01]

Taken from their message board.

 

[kirbivore]

I know this is a football centric rant, but still funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpn_bTo893w

 

[CaptainJ]

View attachment 8400

Taken from their message board.

I tip my hat to them for naming the arena after one of the most fascinating naval captains of all time, as well as a member of Led Zeppelin, John Paul Jones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones
This is an interesting read about a man whose genius was not given the admiration it deserved. SU fans may be interested to note that "Jones repulsed the Ottoman forces from the area". Much like myself, JPJ took dispute with the American political elite. Also like myself, his body was preserved in alcohol.

 

[CaptainJ]

It seems like from the first Duke game until now we have been in some alternate reality or a sort of purgatory , maybe a hyperdimension, I don't know.

That sounds like a good way to characterize a decent portion of the latest chapters of my life, far beyond that limited time frame.

 

[NKR1978]

Mike Brey seems to think we have a decent home court:

"The crowd here is, wow," Brey said. "I don’t know if we’ve played – this may be the loudest place we’ve played. We played at Iowa, played at the Carrier Dome. It’s a fabulous home-court atmosphere."

http://articles.dailypress.com/2014...140223_1_virginia-tech-georgia-tech-cavaliers

We've won 16 straight home conference games, which I believe is second only in conference to Duke. We will be tough to beat at home, and the place will certainly be rocking Saturday night.

Don't get me wrong, I respect the Syracuse program, know there's more history there, and fully expect a game that goes down to the wire this weekend. I'd just like to counter some of the preconceived notions there may be here about our program, home court, season, etc.

I'm curious to see how many tickets to this game were picked by DC/ Northern Virginia Cuse fans when you guys were struggling and your season looked like it was going off the rails. I bet it's a decent number, and like at Comcast, I won't be at all surprised to hear Let's Go Orange chants on TV.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

The timing of this game in late afternoon is not conducive to an active student section. Those kids are going to be drunk out of their minds. Maybe in the first half they'll be fine but they'll all be puking and dehydrated by the second half. Foxfield races every spring outside C'ville is a great example of what will likely happen ...

 

[MGP]

Ricky Stokes...

 

[shandeezy7]

View attachment 8400

Taken from their message board.

I just hope Paul doesn't make too many boneheaded plays. If he doesn't, we win this game going away.

 

[Hoo's That]

We obviously have the greater history in basketball, (football, too, and other sports). We had the more impressive pre-conference schedule and record. But that won't mean much on Saturday.

They will be a most formidable opponent, especially if Jerami grant isn't fully healthy and Trevor Cooney keeps clanging three pointers.

It must be tiring when you always have to be the adult in the room.

 

[SU4life]

UVA: where do I begin, for starters the Cavs have lost to every ranked team in which they have played this year. (Well except for PITT, but the Panthers are in a major funk and are currently unranked.). As for talent, Brogdon, their best player would be 3rd off of our bench. I live in the DC area and the UVA fanbase has absolutely no respect for Cuse as I don't know why? Cuse has played in more NCAA tournament games in the last 12 months than UVA has played in over a decade. The funny thing is win or lose on Sat., Cuse is so consistent that we will be here again in the same position next year (playing for conference regular season title). However, next year I am certain that UVA will once again fade into mediocrity, this is a flash in the pan program, with no NBA calibre talent, that is playing well as a team this year. They kinda remind me of Georgetown last year, great in the regular season, (Big East Champs)but awful in post season tournaments.

 

[GoTerps99]

"I just really hate Syracuse. They flatter themselves by claiming co-elite status with Duke and UNC, when the reality is they're one fluke Carmelo title away from having nothing at all. So basically they're Maryland, albeit with a good team this year."


LOL at the butterknife (thesabre.com), it's easily the worst message board in the ACC. The UVA fans found on other boards are so much more rational and easier to talk with.

The hilarious thing about that statement is we're 106-73 versus UVA, and we're their Daddy in Football too.

 

[Alsacs]

I believe Syracuse was the first team to beat Virginia at JPJ Arena in Dec. 2007 where students were allowed at the game. UVA had lost to Stanford the previous year, but their were no students. What I am remember from that game was Mike Patrick and Len Elmore slurping UVA the whole game and Sean Singletary who was like a 90% FT shooter missing like 4 or 5 FTs and us winning a close game at the end.

For this game its first team to 50 is going to win. If Grant/Fair are healthy I think we can exploit the player that Harris won't guard. This game is going to be a mirror match and who makes a couple more shots will win the game.

 

[CousCuse]

"I just really hate Syracuse. They flatter themselves by claiming co-elite status with Duke and UNC, when the reality is they're one fluke Carmelo title away from having nothing at all. So basically they're Maryland, albeit with a good team this year."


LOL at the butterknife (thesabre.com), it's easily the worst message board in the ACC. The UVA fans found on other boards are so much more rational and easier to talk with.

The hilarious thing about that statement is we're 106-73 versus UVA, and we're their Daddy in Football too.

Don't go to the B1G. That was a crooked deal by certain people who received a lot of personal gain and will destroy the Terp fanbase.

 

[01 Hoo]

UVA: where do I begin, for starters the Cavs have lost to every ranked team in which they have played this year. (Well except for PITT, but the Panthers are in a major funk and are currently unranked.). As for talent, Brogdon, their best player would be 3rd off of our bench. I live in the DC area and the UVA fanbase has absolutely no respect for Cuse as I don't know why? Cuse has played in more NCAA tournament games in the last 12 months than UVA has played in over a decade. The funny thing is win or lose on Sat., Cuse is so consistent that we will be here again in the same position next year (playing for conference regular season title). However, next year I am certain that UVA will once again fade into mediocrity, this is a flash in the pan program, with no NBA calibre talent, that is playing well as a team this year. They kinda remind me of Georgetown last year, great in the regular season, (Big East Champs)but awful in post season tournaments.

You should do a little more research on our team before making statements like "next year I am certain that UVA will once again fade into mediocrity". We lose two senior starters this year (Harris and Mitchell), but go about 9 deep on the bench and they will be replaced by very capable players who are getting a lot of minutes this year (Anderson and Gill). Take a look at their minutes and points per game below for comparison.

Each year since he's been here, Bennett has finished higher in the league standings than predicted by the media in the preseason, and he's won more games than he won in the prior season. With the returning talent and experience and what Bennett has done up until now, there's no reason to believe we won't maintain the current level of play - maybe not to the tune of a 14-1 start but there's no reason to think this will be a mediocre team next year.

Player Minutes Points
Harris 27.8 11.5
Anderson 22.3 8.9

Player Minutes Points
Mitchell 25 7.2
Gill 18.7 7.8

 

[SU4life]

The past is the best indicator of the future...that being said UVA has Won exactly ONE tournament game in the last 17 years. You claim the Bennett has the program headed in the right direction, but yet he has been at the head job since 2009 and guess how many tournament games he has one for you in the past 5 years, Exactly NONE.

Based on your performance over the past 20 years, I have no reason to believe that all of a sudden UVA will start competing year in and year out for a ACC title and NC. I admit that your team is playing well this year, but just like Miami of last year, FSU of the year before, your program in my opinion is once again fall back to historic levels of the last 20 years. Talk to me in 5 years when you have more historic data proving that UVA wont be mediocre.

 

[SU4life]

You should do a little more research on our team before making statements like "next year I am certain that UVA will once again fade into mediocrity". We lose two senior starters this year (Harris and Mitchell), but go about 9 deep on the bench and they will be replaced by very capable players who are getting a lot of minutes this year (Anderson and Gill). Take a look at their minutes and points per game below for comparison.

Each year since he's been here, Bennett has finished higher in the league standings than predicted by the media in the preseason, and he's won more games than he won in the prior season. With the returning talent and experience and what Bennett has done up until now, there's no reason to believe we won't maintain the current level of play - maybe not to the tune of a 14-1 start but there's no reason to think this will be a mediocre team next year.

Player Minutes Points
Harris 27.8 11.5
Anderson 22.3 8.9

Player Minutes Points
Mitchell 25 7.2
Gill 18.7 7.8

Additionally, player potential has never one a single ball game. Your argument is based solely on player potential and speculation for next year.

 

[SU4life]

Additionally, player potential has never one a single ball game. Your argument is based solely on player potential and speculation for next year.

" won"...

 

[jordoo]

I think Bennett is a pretty good coach and has done well with what he has. The evidence is easy to see with this years team by looking at some of their OOC struggles to how they have played in the ACC. Regardless of whom they have played they have played well. The hurdle is and always will be upgrading recruiting to the point that you can compete year in and year out with the UNC's, Duke's, SU's and next year Lville's in the conference. It doesn't mean you have to get the same level of talent recruiting wise but you have to get pretty dang good talent every season and have some very well rounded Juniors and Seniors that know your system and are very good college players. History tells us that it is very unlikely that any of the 4 headliner schools (starting next year) will have long draughts performance wise and even their draughts will likely be at worst Fringe NCAA teams that are dangerous with a lot of talent. The ACC as a whole should be able to control east coast recruiting for the most part since the BE has been crippled and the AAC will be about what the A10 in in a couple of years especially if Cinci can hitch a ride on a big boy buss. Still teams like Pitt, VA, Miami, ND ect are not going to get more than 1 or 2 guys every 10 years recruiting against teams like Duke, UK, SU, UNC, Lville and Florida on the east coast. Its something that takes quite a lot of time and then sustained success to achieve. You also then have to hang on to the coach that is able to do this and said coach must be able to adjust to coaching guys who are only going to be around 1 or 2 years when they finally reach that point in recruiting. This is why guys especially earlier in their careers when they see a season or two in a row of great success often hop to the bigger job where its already set up to be able to sustain the recruiting and the support is in place.

 

[cusetown1]

I stopped reading the UVA board when they were worried Syracuse would take Bennett from them when jimmy retired.

 

[jordoo]

I stopped reading the UVA board when they were worried Syracuse would take Bennett from them when jimmy retired.

hahahahahahahahahahaaha

 

[01 Hoo]

Additionally, player potential has never one a single ball game. Your argument is based solely on player potential and speculation for next year.

My argument isn't at all based on player potential, it's based on demonstrated performance. I mentioned that we should be solid next year because we only lose two starters and their replacements are demonstrating this year that they can play at a similar level of performance. I'm not talking about replacing starters with incoming freshmen that we haven't seen play.

To your prior point about FSU and Miami, anyone paying attention could and should have expected a dropoff from those teams. Florida State had to replace 4 senior starters from the 2012 team, and Miami lost all 5 starters and their top bench player from last year's squad. Those situations are very, very different from what we will be facing next year.

 

[wahoodan]

Every fanbase has its fair share of moronic posters. Any of our fans suggesting that UVA is a better program or that Syracuse isn't one of the best programs in the country is an idiot. Cherrypicking statements from these types of people is lame.

On the macro level, Virginia fans generally respect the hell out of Syracuse and what it has done over the years. I was especially excited for you guys (along with Pitt, ND, and Louisville) to join the ACC and help it try and regain its status as the best conference in the country.

On the other side of the coin, you shouldn't hold it against us for being excited and confident about our team. Our program is finally at a level it should be and we're understandably thrilled. There really hasn't been a good reason why we haven't been able to find consistent success in the post-Ralph era. The easiest answer has been poor coaching hires. Well, we now feel like we finally have our guy. And yes, while we have had the easiest conference schedule in the league, we've taken advantage of it. It'd be one thing if we were consistently squeaking by our opponents, but for the most part, that hasn't been the case. We lead the league in scoring margin by a full 2 points over Duke (who has the 6th easiest schedule) and by nearly points 7 over Cuse (who has the 4th easiest league schedule).

And to SU4 life, the past has no specific bearing on the future. Having a Coach like Boeheim is obviously relevant. His teams are going to be good. But he's had an extra 25 YEARS to prove himself. Granted his early success was far better than Bennett's, but he inherited a program that was already good. I understand your point and why it's tempting to compare us to Miami, but Miami had like 7 seniors on their team. That's not us. The nucleus of our roster still has 2-3 more years left. I have no idea exactly how good we'll be going forward, but you're mistaken if you expect us to sink into oblivion. Bennett deconstructed the program so he could build it from scratch. We've dealt with serious transfers and injuries (you think you're "banged up" this year? you should see our past few teams) which are a huge reason for our lack of postseason success.

I understand people's reservations about our establishment as a program. We certainly still have to put up or shut up. But success has to start somewhere, doesn't it?