Err, uhh, hmmm … is it basketball season yet?  You know that it’s a sad state of affairs when there is literally not one positive thing to take away from a 60-minute football game.  Sadly, UVa was involved in one of those games on Saturday afternoon in Miami, getting beat 52-17 by the revenge-seeking Canes.  And the score wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that the Hoos (once again) failed to show any improvement in any facet of the game.  Now don’t get me wrong, I bleed orange and blue and consider myself one of the most passionate fans in the fan base, but even I found myself sighing at the TV on Saturday afternoon saying, “I don’t even care anymore.”

SO, with all that in mind, here are a few things I can safely surmise following the weekend:

• Even though we still lost, it sure was fun watching UVa play a little bit of “Beamerball” on Saturday with two blocked punts and a long INT return.  Now I finally understand why Hokie fans are so amped to watch their team play every week.
• If you’re in favor of a college football playoff system, then start praying for Texas to lose.  Now that TCU is ranked #4 in the BCS rankings, the only thing standing in the way of a TCU/SEC Champion BCS Championship Game is the Longhorns.
• As long as he can stay healthy, Matt Schaub is a Pro Bowl quarterback this year.
• Does anyone want to take control of the NFC East?  It’s the NFL’s version of the ACC this year with the top teams trading spots week after week.
• It’s taken some time since he was hired, but I’m finally getting warm to the idea that Tony Bennett is the right guy to lead our basketball program in the direction we all want it to go.
• The winner of tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Steelers and Broncos will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
• Are the Saints really that good?  After giving up boat loads of yards to the Panthers on Sunday and the Dolphins a few weeks ago, I’m beginning to question whether that defense is good enough to complement Drew Brees and Co.
• The fact that Andre Agassi used “meth” during his tennis playing days is disappointing, but I really don’t see why everyone is so up in arms about it.  I think the fact that his ATP ranking dropped 100-some spots and he lost countless money in earnings and endorsements is punishment enough.
• Tom Brady and Randy Moss appear to have returned to their 2007 form … which is depressing news for the other 31 teams in the NFL.

The injury reports for both Miami and Virginia for Saturday’s noon game follow …

Miami

Probable
RB Javarris James – Lower Extremity
DB Randy Phillips – Upper Extremity

Doubtful
DL Eric Moncur – Lower Extremity

Out
DB Ray-Ray Armstrong – Lower Extremity
FB Patrick Hill – Lower Extremity
DB JoJo Nicolas – Upper Extremity
LB Sean Spence – Lower Extremity

Surgery and Out for the Season
DL Dyron Dye – Lower Extremity
DL Marcus Forston – Lower Extremity
LB Jordan Futch – Lower Extremity
TE Richard Gordon – Upper Extremity
LB Shayon Green – Lower Extremity
DE Gavin Hardin – Upper Extremity
DB Ryan Hill – Upper Extremity
DE Adewale Ojomo – Jaw

Virginia

This report is compiled by the University of Virginia Sports Medicine staff under the direction of Dr. David Diduch.

Doubtful
Jameel Sewell (shoulder)

Questionable
Aaron Clark (knee)
Matt Conrath (ankle)

Probable
Nate Collins (hip)
Steve Greer (shoulder)
Rashawn Jackson (arm)
Zane Parr (knee)
Brandon Woods (shoulder)

All remaining players on the Virginia roster are available to participate. Please note the status of an injured student-athlete’s ability to participate can increase or decrease between the time this report is issued and game time.

Key:
Probable = Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable = 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful = At least 75% chance will not play
Out = Definitely will not play

Hey guys, so with Duke on deck on the football schedule and basketball season right around the corner, I wanted to get a little interest generated in hoops, so I decided to do a quick run-down of the ACC teams:

Boston College (22-12, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Joe Trapani, Rakim Sanders, Reggie Jackson

The Skinny: Fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance, the Eagles will have to replace all-world guard Tyrese Rice.  However, they return all four starters besides Rice and Joe Trapani and Rakim Sanders both look to handle the scoring load with Reggie Jackson handling the ball.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 @Michigan, 2/6 Duke, 2/20 UNC

Clemson (23-9, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Trevor Booker, Demontez Stitt, Milton Jennings (Fr.)

The Skinny: Oliver Purnell has led his Tigers to the past two NCAA tournaments, but replacing three key starters from those teams, K.C. Rivers, Terrence Oglesby, and Raymond Sykes, will not be an easy task.  Trevor Booker returns as an ACC POY candidate and Demontez Stitt provides some experience in the Clemson backcourt.  Look for freshman Milton Jennings to give some good minutes.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Illinois, 1/3 @Duke, 3/2 Georgia Tech

Duke (30-7, 11-5 NCAA Sweet 16)

Key Players: Kyle Singler, John Scheyer, Nolan Smith

The Skinny: Even with the loss of Gerald Henderson, this Blue Devils squad appears loaded for a tourney run.  Singler, Scheyer and Smith are now all upperclassmen who should be able to mentor the three McDonald’s AA’s from the incoming recruiting class.  Look for freshman Ryan Kelly to be the “go to” guy for the Blue Devils in the paint.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Clemson, 2/10 @UNC, 3/6 UNC

Florida State (25-10, 10-6 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Solomon Alabi, Ufe Echefu, Michael Snaer (Fr.)

The Skinny: FSU returns almost the entire starting lineup from a year ago.  The problem is the “almost” piece missing is one of the school’s best basketball players ever in Toney Douglas.  Besides Douglas, no Seminole averaged in double figures last year and only two players averaged eight points or better.  Solomon Alabi and Ufe Echefu return to form an experienced front court and superstar freshman Michael Snaer will look to replace some of Douglas’ point production, but the ‘Noles will ultimately need another player to step up if they want to get back to The Dance this year.

Georgia Tech (13-19, 2-14)

Key Players: Iman Shumpert, Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors (Fr.)

The Skinny: The only team to lose more conference games than UVa last year was the Yellow Jackets.  However, few teams enter the 09/10 season with as much confidence as the Ramblin’ Wreck.  Freshamn sensation Iman Shumpert returns along with talented forward Gani Lawal.  D’Andre Bell also returns for the Jackets after spending a year on medical reserve and should provide quality depth to a starting five littered with talent.  Paul Hewitt once again brought in a stellar recruiting class, landing 5-star all-everything Derrick Favors as well as top-100 player Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice Jr.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Duke, 1/16 @UNC, 3/2 @Clemson

Maryland (21-14, 7-9 NCAA 2nd Round)

Key Players: Grievous Vasquez, Adrian Bowie, Eric Hayes

The Skinny: The Terps return three starters including All-ACC guard Grievous Vasquez.  Adrian Bowie, who came on strong in the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year also returns as well as Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne for the Terps.  This is a key season for Gary Williams and staff.  They have a player in Vasquez who can lead them back to the depths of the NCAA tourney, but is there enough talent surrounding Vasquez to take them there?

3 BIG GAMES: 1/16 @Boston College, 2/7 UNC, 3/3 Duke

Miami (19-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Dwayne Collins, James Dews, Durand Scott (Fr.)

The Skinny: Frank Haith’s squad looks to find out what life is like without the indispensable Jack McClinton suiting up every night.  McClinton averaged one fourth of his teams total points a year ago, so finding someone to replace him will be easier said than done.  The ‘Canes will also be breaking in two other starters to go along with McClinton’s replacement, as Brian Asbury and Lance Hurdle are also gone.  Even with all the losses from last years team, the ‘Canes were able to sign a top-20 recruiting class including guard Durand Scott and still have some talent left over in forward Dwayne Collins and senior guard James Dews.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Minnesota, 1/26 @Maryland, 2/17 Duke

North Carolina (34-4, 13-3 NCAA National Champs)

Key Players: Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, Ed Davis

The Skinny: Gone from the Heels’ squad are the two winningest seniors in program history in Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.  Also gone are guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.  The four combined for 66.2 ppg a season ago, and even though Roy Williams once again stuffed his cupboard full of talent, it will be hard to replace what the ’09 team lost.  Returning for the Tar Heels are seniors Deon Thompson, who started all 38 games last year, and Marcus Ginyard returns after a medical redshirt season.  Talented big man Ed Davis also returns and looks to be the primary scorer in the paint.  Freshmen John Henson, Dexter Strickland and twins David and Travis Wear could all make an impact this season for North Carolina.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Mich. St., 12/19 vs. Texas, 3/6 @Duke

N.C. State (16-13, 6-10)

Key Players: Javier Gonzalez, Tracy Smith, DeShawn Painter (Fr.)

The Skinny: The Wolfpack lose three starters from a mediocre ‘09 team.  In Sydney Lowe’s time at N.C. State, he has proven to be a good recruiter and the ‘09 class was no different as he landed two four stars in DeShawn Painter and Richard Howell.  Javier Gonzalez returns and should get most of the minutes at point guard while Tracy Smith provides an experienced post player for the ‘Pack.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/23 @Arizona, 1/16 Clemson, 1/26 UNC

Virginia (10-17, 4-12)

Key Players: Sylven Landesberg, Mike Scott, Jeff Jones

The Skinny: The Hoos are coming off one of their worst years in their basketball program’s history.  New coach Tony Bennett has his work cut out for him in the ‘09/’10 season, but Dave Leitao didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare.  The Cavs return ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg as well as talented big man Mike Scott, who will look for more of a feature role in Bennett’s offense.  Bennett was able to bring in the two Leitao commitments in Tristan Spurlock and Jontell Evans, both of whom could provide quality depth for UVa this season.

3 BIG GAMES: 11/24 vs. Stanford, 2/10 @Maryland, 2/28 Duke

Virginia Tech (17-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Jeff Allen, Malcolm Delaney, J.T. Thompson

The Skinny: The Hokies’ emotional leader from a year ago, A.D. Vassallo, graduated, but Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney return for a solid one-two punch for Tech.  However, Virginia Tech will need someone to step up and provide a third scoring option for the Hokies to have a successful season and make it to the NCAA tournament.  Look for junior forward J.T. Thompson to fill that role.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/1 @Iowa, 1/28 @UVA, 2/4 UNC

Wake Forest (24-7, 11-5 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Chas McFarland, L.D. Williams

The Skinny: Dino Gaudio’s hopes of a second straight top-five league finish took a serious hit when underclassmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague left school early for the pros.  On the flip side, the Deacs still return an All-ACC caliber player in Aminu and Gaudio’s recruiting continues to improve as he signed top-50 player Ari Stewart who looks to contribute this year.  Chas Macfarland returns up front for Wake and guard L.D. Williams is also back to provide senior leadership in the backcourt.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/5 @Gonzaga, 1/17 @Duke, 2/27 UNC

After his team’s 7-5 loss to Miami yesterday, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor was ready for the big question. Why did you leave Tyler Wilson in the game in the top of the 8th with the game on the line?

O’Connor said his decision was two fold. One, he had confidence in Wilson. He hadn’t thrown that many pitches at that point and he had done a good job for the club all season, the Hoos’ skipper said.

Secondly, the other alternative was Kevin Arico who had perhaps, only one inning “in him.” With closer Matt Packer on the shelf because of an overload of innings last week, Arico was the only option. At this time, O’Connor said, it still wasn’t clear if a ninth inning would happen so he sent Wilson back out to finish the Canes’ top of the eighth.

“If I would’ve known for sure that we would’ve only played eight innings, then I would’ve brought Kevin Arico in in the 8th inning,” O’Connor told reporters after the game. “You just don’t know how quick an inning is going to happen.”

A reader unloads after the Miami loss:

For crying out loud….! What happened to the days when we’re supposed to win handily on our home court? Since the Miami game wasn’t on TV where I could catch it, I didn’t get to read about this recent loss until this morning. I have to agree with most of what I’ve read on the Message Board Friday AM. We can’t pass, much less get one into the low post. And even if we did, we don’t have anyone who can take it to the rim with authority. There’s a severe lack of super athletics on our squad, and there are no ball fakers who can create shots and make crisp passes for opportunities. Teams overwhelm us by simply shutting down our most productive players. I’m getting fed up just as much as any other fan out there at “super-recruiter” Leitao’s incessant excuses. Well, that’s my rant for the day.

If you’ve got comments for me on this or anything, send ‘em to mahini@thesabre.com.

Just messing around on the NFL’s site, and here are the number of ACC players at the combines by team (all invites were accepted by the conference’s players):

Boston College: 3
Clemson: 6
Florida State: 2
Georgia Tech: 5
Maryland: 6
Miami: 1
North Carolina: 5
NC State: 2
Virginia: 5
Virginia Tech: 2
Wake Forest: 5

So, feel free to be impressed with the Virginia coaching staff’s ability to develop NFL-potential talent while being unimpressed with its ability to win with said talent. Or feel free to conclude that the implosion at the quarterback position derailed what could’ve been a decent season. Or feel free to conclude nothing, since the list above isn’t exactly a perfect correlation for anything.

Miami axes offensive coordinator Patrick Nix after bungling clock management at Emerald Bowl and generally failing to marry his wide-open philosophy with Coach Randy Shannon’s not-so-wide-open philosophy.

Perhaps a little silver lining for Virginia in finishing with 5 wins? Not making a bowl gave Al Groh a bit of a head start in the dash for new assistants.

UNC loses a game … check
Miami loses a game … check
Virginia wins out … pending

While I’m not going to talk about it, here’s some ink on Miami gearing up for Georgia Tech in case you’re not following my one-game-at-a-time philosophy.

So, Maryland did us a huge favor and gave Carolina that loss Virginia needed the Heels to get. The Hoos need to win out and have Miami lose a game to win the division (as noted here before).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Virginia isn’t even bowl eligible yet. In other words, this could still end up a losing season, despite all our talk this late in the year about a trip to the championship game. I’m as guilty as anyone about getting ahead of myself, so no more posting about these sort of things if and until Virginia beats Clemson.