UVA outduels VT in ACC play

Sunday afternoon it was a cold, breezy day outside the confines of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Inside the gym the temperature got scorching hot in a hurry. It was a battle of two state rival teams that wanted to knock off each other by any means necessary. A few technical fouls came into play during the course of the action. Despite a low scoring affair from both sides the tension and hungry for victory was relentless.

The Cavs took to their style of play, shooting from the perimeter and the outside. Guards Sean Singletary (16 points, 6 assists) and J.R. Reynolds (16 points) finished with a good performance. They lead UVA to 54-49 win and help UVA improve to 8-6 overall. Virginia Tech dropped to 10-7. The fans really got into this game, yelling and screaming at the refs for making a slew of bad calls, in their view. The moment of intensity came when VT's Coleman Collins went up for a dunk, hung on the rim, and popped the ball up and out of the net. The officials reversed the call, waving off the basket. This didn't go over well with the Hokie crowd at all. They began throwing trash on the court and booing.

VT's Coach, Seth Greenberg was running wild with emotions all day: he was frustrated, excited, content, incensed, and apalled. Then his moment came like a fury of heat after the PA announcer warned the fans not to throw any more trash on the court. Greenberg then hastily grabbed the microphone and yelled throughout the packed auditorium,"I'm sick of this f--king non-officating crap. Damn it! We're here to win a basketball game. Who's ass do I have to kick around here to get some fair calls our way for God sakes?!!"

Okay, he really didn't say those words, but what a way to have ended a college basketball game. If that did happen he would have been ejected and probably arrested. What he did shout was that his team was going to play as hard as they could to win. Less dramatic yes, but still effective as a motivator. This was the first time I've ever known a Coach to get on a live microphone during a game. So kudos to Seth Greenberg. He's got more than just heart. Tough loss for the resurgent Hokies, but they'll rebound. The two Virginia teams will meet again later in the season at University Hall in Charlottesville.