Virginia basketball fans: The end of the world as we know it?

Fourth-ranked Virginia lost on the road at Virginia Tech last night. Which means it’s the end of the world as we know it, for any number of reasons.

 

It was the Cavs’ first true road game in a month, and look what happened. OK, I’ll bite. Yes, Virginia lost its first true road game in a month, and that’s bad, because, you know, it’s bad.

How many true road games does UVA play in March, I counter.

One. March 1. At Clemson. Virginia finishes the regular season at home against Louisville, then moves to Washington, D.C., for the ACC Tournament, before the NCAA Tournament, which is also a neutral-site affair.

True road games only matter when it comes to seeding for said NCAA Tournament.

And as we know from the past two seasons, seeding in the NCAA Tournament means bupkis once the ball is up in the air for the opening tip.

That said, yes, it’s not good that UVA is 1-2 in true road games this season – losing at George Washington in November, beating Ohio State in December and now losing this one last night in Blacksburg.

GW (12-2) is an NCAA team. Ohio State (10-5) is probably an NCAA team (with a W over Kentucky on its resume). Virginia Tech (10-5) probably isn’t an NCAA team, but the Hokies are 2-0 at home in the ACC at the moment.

Not the end of the world.

 

The defense has huge, gaping holes. No doubt there. Three games in the last two weeks with opponents scoring more than a point per possession. These aren’t last year’s Cavaliers, to say the least.

KenPom.com has UVA just 30th in the nation in defensive efficiency. The offense is ranked second, as it was most of last season, at least until Justin Anderson was lost to injury in early February.

The loss of defensive backbone Darion Atkins was always the bigger issue for this team, and it’s obvious that coach Tony Bennett is still searching for the right combination of guys on the floor to keep teams from slicing and dicing his Pack-Line the way Tech did last night.

The Hokies scored 1.375 points per possession in the second half using a basic high pick-and-roll offense that Virginia couldn’t figure out.

GW, you may remember, beat the Cavs with a high post-based attack that fueled a productive second half in the Colonials’ upset.

Bennett and staff figured out a solution to that one. They have 16 games plus to figure out this one.

Not the end of the world.

 

Yeah, but … Mike Tobey. Tobey will be fine. Face it, Mike Tobey is what Mike Tobey is. An NBA talent who will forever tantalize us with his potential.

We all hoped for a Junior Burrough-type senior season, a Norm Nolan-type senior season, out of Tobey. What we’re going to get is the uneven production of the past three years, 15 and six here, four and two there.

That’s why Tobey isn’t in the starting lineup.

Look, we have Anthony Gill; be happy with what you have, not what else you want.

Whatever you get from Tobey is gravy on the meat and potatoes. Accept that, and life is easier.

Not the end of the world.

 

OK, but UNC, Duke, Miami, Louisville … the ACC is deep this year. The point being, what? UVA might not repeat as regular-season champs? Might not get a one or two seed in the Big Dance?

We’ve learned our lessons as far as that rigmarole goes. You want to win every time you go out on the court, but they don’t give out trophies to the best team between November and mid-March.

The trophy goes to the team that wins six in a row in March.

Bennett scheduled a nice mix of teams in the pre-ACC season to give his guys looks at different styles that may come up again in March and early April. West Virginia going 94 feet for 40 minutes, Villanova going four guards who can shoot threes, Cal with two supreme one-and-done talents.

‘Nova is a good approximation of Duke; Cal is prep for UNC. West Virginia and Oakland get you ready for wild-cards that will try to throw pace at you.

Remember what the goal is: to win a national title. (See 2015 National Championship, Virginia Baseball.) We’ve done the win ACC title and 30 games thing. If those happen, too, even better. But the eyes are on the prize, and everything that happens between now and the first tip in March Madness is getting ready for the first tip in March Madness.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Not the end of the world.

 

Bottom line: just sit back and enjoy this one, for a change. We all worked ourselves up so bad last year that we looked 28-1 in the mouth and wanted to take that gift back.

The sun came up today. It was damn cold, but it was going to be damn cold anyway.

JPJ is going to be rocking again soon.

And hey, it could be worse. It hasn’t been that long since Dave Leitao and Pete Gillen.

– Column by Chris Graham