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Articles by Jake Blank
The Case for Pace: Refuting the narrative that Virginia's pace can't win in March
All statistics are courtesy of https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb unless otherwise stated. By Jake Blank and Aidan Brown Virginia is slow. Virginia is boring. Virginia can't win in March with the style they play. Virginia will never make a Final Four. All are common refrains among college basketball analysts and fans alike and have been for years. Virginia tends to be a popular upset pick because people believe teams with a slower pace of play are more likely to lose to underdogs.
BLANK: Time to play Jay
When he committed to the Cavaliers, Jay Huff was an under-the-radar prospect — Virginia had been one of his first official scholarship offers — but for those who knew him, Huff was defined by limitless potential. It is not often a seven-footer with a three point shot comes to Charlottesville, let alone one who had been receiving interest from Duke, as Huff had. In the first two years after his arrival in 2016, though, little came of this potential.
CD Sports picks their Final Fours
Even without De’Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers have the defensive prowess to make life hard for Kentucky and Arizona’s guards in a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup, as well as outslug Cincinnati or Tennessee in a low-scoring Elite Eight. Junior guard Jalen Brunson will lead Villanova, as they tear through a favorite East bracket, while Michigan State’s depth and defensive adeptness will carry them in marquee matchups against Duke and Kansas.
BLANK: Beware the Ides of March
Virginia men’s basketball was unanimously voted the best team in the country in the latest AP Poll, a position they have held for the last month. They have undoubtedly the most impressive season in college basketball — the selection committee named them the number one overall seed for a reason. Yet, there still seems to be lingering doubt about their ability to win in March.
Men’s tennis opens conference play at home
This weekend, the men’s tennis team (7-5, 0-1 ACC) is preparing to open ACC play with a set matches against Boston College (7-3, 0-1 ACC) and Notre Dame (10-6, 2-0 ACC). Virginia has just returned from a three match road tour, dropping the first two in competitions against Louisville (9-4, 1-1 ACC) and Illinois (10-4, 1-0 Big Ten), but picking up an impressive victory at the University of Central Florida.
No. 7 Virginia to take on No. 4 Notre Dame in a matchup of ACC heavyweights
The Virginia men’s lacrosse team (6-1, 0-1 ACC) will wrap up their three-game road trip with a return to ACC play, as they take on No. 4 Notre Dame (3-1, 0-0 ACC) in South Bend, Ind. on Saturday. Virginia followed up their first loss, against Syracuse, with two wins on the road — at Manhattan and then at Stony Brook this past Saturday.
Broken wrist sidelines De’Andre Hunter from NCAA Tournament
No. 1 Virginia’s difficult road ahead in the NCAA Tournament just got that much more challenging, as they’ll have to vie for the national championship without redshirt freshman guard De’Andre Hunter. On Tuesday, Coach Tony Bennett announced that Hunter broke his left wrist and has to undergo a surgery that will sideline him for 10 to 12 weeks. Hunter had a phenomenal first season with the Cavaliers, averaging 9.2. points and 3.5 rebounds on the season.
橄榄球队确定最后招生 | The Cavalier Daily
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Advocacy groups rally for Medicaid expansion in front of Rotunda
Members of Virginia Organizing, the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, Indivisible Charlottesville and other groups stood on each side of University Avenue in a demonstration Thursday evening to show their support for expanding Medicaid. The goal of the event was to encourage the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, who are releasing their budgets soon, to accept funds from the federal government to expand Medicaid — a federal health insurance program for low-income Americans.
SPCA offers puppy love year-round
At any given time, one can find a student walking down the Lawn who has stopped, dropped everything and run over to pet a dog. The University knows about the general affinity students have for animals because it brings them in every semester during finals week to soothe students’ souls. But in all this anticipation and longing, there’s been a place filled with animals just begging to be loved.
Third year Engineering student earns national recognition
Third-year Engineering student Matthew Asper has been named as one of “Tomorrow’s Technology Leaders: The 20 Twenties” by Aviation Week Network, in collaboration with the American Institution of Aeronautics and Astronautics . Asper is an Aerospace Engineering major and Material Science Engineering minor. This award is part of a larger effort that brings together technology managers with students and faculty to improve success and innovation in the aerospace field.
No. 2 men’s basketball takes on Virginia Tech under national spotlight
Saturday night’s clash between the No. 2 Virginia men’s basketball team and Virginia Tech is far from a typical rivalry game. With a huge loss for No. 1 Villanova at the hands of St. John’s Wednesday, the Cavaliers (23-1, 12-0 ACC) have to chance to achieve something they haven’t in 35 years, when legend Ralph Sampson was running the floor — a No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll.
Alderman Library renovation planning committees, architects host open forums
HBRA Architects and the Alderman Library renovation planning committees hosted two open forums for students and faculty Thursday to address the planned renovations. The two meetings represented the third and fourth of the eight planned public forums taking place between Feb. 7 and 22. Opened to the public in 1938, Alderman Library now has many systems that are out of date, such as heating, plumbing, and fire safety, and currently suffers from inefficiencies of space and layout.
Football finalizes recruiting class
National Signing Day passed Wednesday, and the Virginia football team capped a relatively quiet recruiting period by signing three new recruits to its incoming class. Signing day was much less dramatic than usual across the country. Many commits signed letters of intent during the Dec. 20-22 signing period — the first time such an early signing period has existed.
Women’s basketball defeats North Carolina
The Virginia women’s basketball team hosted its second straight contest at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday night in a battle against North Carolina. The Cavaliers (14-7, 7-1 ACC) continued their torrid run in ACC play with an 82-70 victory, a streak that has lead them to a three-way tie for first place in the conference. Senior guard Aliyah Huland El opened hot from the floor with 10 points in the first six minutes of play.
BLANK: Powerhouse or house of cards?
Virginia men’s basketball started the season unranked, ending a string of 63-consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25. The national narrative was that Virginia had lost too much talent to graduation and transfers, including both of last season’s leading scorers in London Perrantes and Marial Shayok. Additionally, the last time the Cavaliers played, they put up a 39-point dud against Florida in the NCAA Tournament, casting doubt over whether Coach Tony Bennett’s unique style could succeed in March.
Women’s basketball falls to Rutgers, 52-43
The Virginia women’s basketball team took on Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. for the last game before a short break for final exams. The Cavaliers (4-6) picked up the 900th win in the program’s history, defeating UNC-Greensboro 68-50 Saturday night. The Cavaliers shot 60 percent from the three-point line in the contest, a welcome sight after struggling offensively in recent contests.
The underappreciated art of evading social media
As a young person in the year 2017, this confession may sound bizarre — but I have never been good with technology. I still have yet to learn how to connect my phone to Cavalier wifi, downloading any form of software or computer program is a constant struggle, and — in all seriousness — I once saved a Word document to an unrecoverable, non-existent corner of my crowded desktop, never to be seen again.
Football to play Navy in Military Bowl
Virginia accepted a bid to the Military Bowl Sunday to face off against the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis, Md. Dec. 28. It will be the Cavaliers’ first appearance in the Military Bowl, and the team’s first during Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s tenure. The game will be the 40th meeting between Virginia and Navy, although the first since 1994. Virginia has a 11-27 record against the Midshipmen. “To be selected to play in this year’s Military Bowl is a special honor for our team,” Mendenhall said.
BLANK: Crafting Blanding’s legacy
Like so many games the past few seasons, Virginia’s performance against Pittsburgh Saturday was a massive disappointment despite senior safety Quin Blanding’s superlative play. Blanding led the Cavaliers in tackles, had a tackle for loss and provided an interception late in the third quarter to give the Cavaliers one last chance at turning the game around, which they were unfortunately incapable of doing.
BLANK: Reasons to remember the name
If you were to walk around Grounds and pick a random student, it’s likely he or she could name a good portion of the basketball team. After a key game, it’s common to hear discussion in class, whether bemoaning a loss or celebrating a victory. However, if you were to try the same exercise with the football team, the same students would struggle to remember a single player.
BLANK: Paving the path to success
On Sept. 17, 2016, Virginia lost to Connecticut, 10-13, after missing a game-tying field goal as time expired. A year later when they played again, the result was much different, as the Cavaliers were up 24-0 at halftime and rolled to a 38-18 victory. While the dominant play against an FBS team itself was enough for fans at Scott Stadium Saturday, it also showed how Virginia can become a more consistently competitive team.
BLANK: Cavaliers may finally be able to play to their potential
Although Virginia football’s 33-year streak of having a player selected in the NFL draft came to an end this past spring, it wasn’t due to a lack of talent on the roster. This year’s senior class was ranked the 33rd best in the country and sixth in the ACC by when it entered the program in 2014. Throughout the seniors’ time in Charlottesville, however, the team hasn’t played as well as its talent level would suggest.
BLANK: What would success look like?
When Coach Bronco Mendenhall was hired to replace Mike London last year, Virginia’s football program inspired optimism for the first time in years. However, after a first season in which Virginia lost to FCS contender Richmond, got beaten by Virginia Tech, 52-10, and went 2-10 (1-7 ACC), the optimism around Grounds has deflated. Mendenhall’s first season seems to be universally viewed as a disappointment on the field.
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