Sammy Zeglinski News

Off to their best start since 1993-94 when they opened 13-1, the 24th-ranked UAB Blazers try to keep the good times rolling tonight as they pay a visit to the Virginia Cavaliers for a non- conference bout at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

UAB won't have to wait long for its first ranking in more than three years to get a serious test.

Now usually, sportswriters would not start their breaking news story with a reference from a play.A However, Virginia fans had to feel a little bit like "Waiting for Godot" when news came this afternoon.

Sylven Landesberg scored 14 points, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and dished out six assists to lead Virginia over Hampton 80-54 on Wednesday night.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- What was supposed to be an 11-day break from games for Virginia turned into 13 days. The blizzard that bombarded the Washington region postponed the Cavaliers' game on Saturday and kept many fans from attending Monday's meeting with New Jersey Institute of Technology -- a team that has so far staked its Division I reputation as a doormat for superior opponents.

After the layoff, Virginia displayed a commitment to defense -- albeit against an uninspiring offense -- while still proving there was much room for improvement despite a 68-37 victory.

As close as Virginia's men's basketball team has come to pulling out a few games and changing the complexion of its nonconference season, it's a good thing first-year coach Tony Bennett is a patient man.

The Citadel's players kept hitting 3-pointers, and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was left asking anyone around the same question.

OPELIKA, Ala., - Some 30 minutes after Virginia's loss to Penn State in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge last Monday, UVa guard Sammy Zeglinski had tears in his eyes as he took questions from a group of reporters.

Junior forward Mike Scott, who scored 17 points against Penn State, and the rest of the Cavaliers will be looking for a more consistent performance in their upcoming matchup against the Tigers.

Portland was among a record-tying seven teams to move into the Associated Press men's basketball rankings Monday, the Pilots' first appearance in the poll since February 1959.

Talor Battle scored 28 of his 32 points in the second half and Penn State withstood a furious rally by Virginia in the final minute to beat the Cavaliers 69-66 Monday night in the opener of the Big Ten-ACC challenge.

VIRGINIA 76, CLEVELAND ST. 65: Sylven Landesberg scored 20 points and Will Sherrill came off the bench to add 18, including 15 in the second half, to lead the Cavaliers to a victory over the Vikings on Wednesday night in Cancun, Mexico.

The Virginia men's basketball team beat Cleveland State 76-65 in the third place game of the Cancun Challenge Wednesday night.

Life on the East Coast may be an adjustment for new Virginia coach Tony Bennett, but none of that matters this week in Cancun, Mexico.

After a convincing win over Rider on Thursday, the Cavaliers had much more to prove in game two of the Cancun Challenge as they hosted Oral Roberts on Saturday.

Mike Scott of Chesapeake had 17 points and nine rebounds Thursday night, leading Virginia to a 79-46 victory against Rider in a Cancun Challenge game in Charlottesville.

Mike Scott had 17 points and eight rebounds Thursday night, leading Virginia to a 79-46 victory against Rider in the Cancun Challenge.

After scoring 14 points in Virginiaa TMs season-opening victory against Longwood Friday, sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski managed only two points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field in the Cavaliersa TM 66-49 loss against South Florida last night.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The pregame video at John Paul Jones Arena advertised a new beginning for the Virginia men's basketball program, with first-year coach Tony Bennett as the impetus for the excitement. It helped that the opening night of the Bennett era came against Longwood, prolonging the honeymoon period at least a few more days.

The first public glimpse of Bennett's team appeared as he had warned -- a group with much work to do. For all the excitement about Bennett, his team did not appear to be one that followed his traditional blueprint during an 85-72 win over the Lancers. The defense suffered from lapses, turnovers were too frequent and the win could be attributed to a fast-paced offense. Despite Bennett's first victory as Virginia's coach, he was not left encouraged after the game.

On April 1, 2009, Tony Bennett was introduced as the 11th head coach of Virginia's basketball program ... in three seasons at Washington State, Bennett led the Cougars to a 69-33 record, including a 32-22 mark in the Pac-10 ... Washington State's 69 wins were the most in a three-year span in school history ... the 2007 consensus National Coach of ...