CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- In the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, the University of Virginia faced a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a league whose members have never beaten UVa in men's basketball.In the second round, the Cavaliers will meet a team from the rugged Big East. Moreover, that opponent, St. John's, is 7-0 all-time against UVa in this sport. The Red Storm edged Saint Joseph's in a first-round game Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
Virginia opened its 13th trip to the NIT with a 67-56 victory over Norfolk State before a vocal crowd of 4,790 at John Paul Jones. The Cavaliers' performance thrilled no one associated with their program Tuesday night.
"Obviously we'll probably have to play a little bit better to [beat St. John's]," junior swingman Joe Harris said as midnight approached. The Wahoos (22-11) turned the ball over 17 times and made only 22 of 37 free throws. In the second half, they gave up eight offensive rebounds to the Spartans (21-12). "We got just enough stops, obviously, to be successful,"
Virginia coach Tony Bennett said, "but we had trouble handling the ball, making free throws, keeping them off the glass, and those things kind of cost us. But enough plays were made on the defensive end, and a few buckets here and there, to keep Norfolk State at bay."
The officiating crew called 47 fouls Tuesday night, and at times it seemed the game would never end. Norfolk State, with 18 turnovers, was no more careful with the ball than UVa.
"It was not a pretty game at all," Bennett said. "But at this point, to be able to come away with one not playing well was important." The MEAC's regular-season champion, Norfolk State scored the game's first eight points. By halftime, the `Hoos led 26-16, but their slow start reflected their general lack of concentration Tuesday night.
"That wasn't us," senior point guard Jontel Evans said. "We have to come out with more energy and more focus than that. If we come out like that against St. John's, it will be over."
The `Hoos will host the Red Storm (17-15) in a second-round game Sunday or Monday at JPJ.
Virginia is a No. 1 seed in the 32-team tournament; St. John's, a No. 5 seed. An announcement on the date and starting time is expected late Wednesday night. Tickets for the game, $10 apiece, will go on sale at 10 a..m. Thursday.
The videotape of the Cavaliers' first-round game may give the Red Storm some ideas about how to stymie Bennett's team. UVa, which primarily faced man-to-man defenses during the regular season, appeared perplexed by Norfolk State's 3-2 zone for long stretches Tuesday night.
"We were very stagnant to start out against that zone," Bennett said. "Too many turnovers, guys looked uncomfortable. We haven't had a team play us quite like that most of the year. In the second half I thought we moved a little better. They played some more man-to-man, but even against their zone we had some more movement, and I thought it helped us."
He knew the Spartans "were gonna come in and they were gonna try to beat the state school, just as ODU did [in December]," Anderson said. "That bad taste I got from ODU came back to my memory. I knew they were gonna come in hungry and they were gonna fight. A lot of people look at our school and think we're a bunch of soft guys and all of that, but we're a tough team, and I loved how we battled back. We played through all the jawing that they did, and we stuck to our system, and I think that's why we were successful."
NSU PHOTO GALLERY VS. UVA
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