Virginia Arrives in Louisville Loose and Relaxed

By Jerry Ratcliffe

LOUISVILLE — Virginia arrived in Derby Town energized and loose for the challenge of the Sweet Sixteen.

The Cavaliers’ collective demeanor appeared different on Wednesday afternoon as they went through interviews and practice for Thursday night’s opponent, Pac-12 tournament champion Oregon, at the KFC Yum Center.

Last week in Columbia, S.C., site of the NCAA tournament first and second rounds, UVA seemed tight, still carrying the burden of last year’s monumental upset at the hands of No. 16 seed UMBC. After shaking that memory at halftime of the opening round win over another 16 seed, Gardner-Webb, Virginia demolished them in the second half, then cruised past Oklahoma.

Perhaps the best thing that UVA coach Tony Bennett could do, sensing the relief of his players after advancing past the opening two rounds, was show off a sense of humor.

After suffocating Oklahoma with a smothering defense, Bennett came into the locker room and pulled a stuffed monkey off his back. You can imagine the response of Virginia’s players.

“We just had fun with that,” Bennett said Wednesday before practice. “Again, only those of us who have been part of last year’s team and been through this year can appreciate it. We’ll be bonded for life by this experience.”

Bennett said removing the stuffed monkey was his way of saying, “OK, that part is gone, you’ve gotten past that.”

Now, it’s about focusing on the Ducks, one of the hottest teams remaining in the tournament and the only team that would qualify for the Cinderella tag, having been a No. 12 seed.

While Virginia has “shaken the monkey,” the Cavaliers are keenly aware of the threat that Oregon poses.

“I think the way we approached our first game against Gardner-Webb, we had a whole different approach to it,” said UVA point guard Ty Jerome. “We knew how good everybody in the whole tournament was, and Gardner-Webb still came out and punched us in the mouth. We were able to remain calm because we knew we were going to be in a dogfight.”

UVA was trailing 36-30 at the half, but down 14 points at one point before getting itself together. Once the Cavaliers settled and the defense intensified, G-Webb only scored 14 points in the entire second half leading up to the final media timeout with less than four minutes to play.

Jerome and his teammates know that at this point of the tournament, every team is playing at a high level.

“You would be crazy to underestimate anyone,” Jerome said.

Kyle Guy — who has spent most of the season rewriting the Virginia 3-point shooting record book, but was cold as ice in the two tournament wins — hasn’t allowed that to get under his skin.

Formerly the state of Indiana’s “Mr. Basketball,” (the Indiana border is across the river from the Yum Center), Guy pronounced himself ready to go Duck hunting.

“I think when my shots aren’t falling, I try to help the team in other ways,” Guy said with his usual wide smile. “Whether it’s play a little bit harder on defense or try to create for others, or even just my presence on the floor sometimes gets guys open because they’re not going to help off of me, even if I am shooting 0 for 10.”

Guy, who had 85 family members and friends here for UVA’s last game at the Yum Center earlier this season, said this time around he had informed them all to buy tickets.

Bennett was asked by a Louisville writer if he felt unburdened by making it this far in this year’s tournament after what happened last year.

“Yeah, to advance, certainly to win the first-round game after last year’s situation, you had to look that in the eye,” Bennett answered for the umpteenth time in the postseason. “It was ironic. We were a 1 seed again in that setting, and then to be down 14 points.

“But the guys, to have responded with the season they had and to have the year that they’ve had, to be co-champs in a league, the ACC that has five teams in the Sweet 16, having to go on the road and play that many games, that to me was an answer that was they were responding in a challenging, tough setting in the first round, second round.”

So, unburdened?

“Burdened, unburdened, doesn’t really matter in my opinion,” Bennett said. “You just step up to the challenge that’s there. You have joy in it, you have focus in it, and you got to be able to look both victory and defeat in the eye and say, it’s a possibility, and go forward. Obviously, everyone here is desperate to advance.”

While Bennett hasn’t had time to observe Oregon throughout the season — he noted that when he coached in the Pac-12 at Washington State, those games didn’t start until most people on the East Coast had gone to bed — he has studied video of the Ducks in preparation.

“I have great respect for Oregon and for Coach [Dana] Altman,” Bennett said. “Dana’s done a terrific job. What he’s done with his team to kind of change things and win 10 games (in a row). All you got to do is watch them and see what they’ve done in the last number of games to appreciate and respect their caliber of play.”