Y2K-U: Cousin Dan's Weekly Update

(Note: A piece from Sip will follow later this afternoon.)

It’s not every week that one’s favorite team in all the land scores the last 15 points of a game to win by 1, so, uh, let’s get right to it.

1. And elsewhere, it appears a pig has just flown outside my window.

Just last week and the week before in this space, yours truly was whining about how it was February of 2005 since Virginia had won a road game outside the Commonwealth. To channel my inner Verne Lundquist, then, “oh my!”, as the Cavs have swept an ACC road trip for the first time in five years or so.

The game yesterday, in which Virginia rallied from 63-49 to end the game on a 15-0 run at a top-20 ranked Clemson team was the crowning moment on the best stretch for the program in a long, long time. To pull out the old “this is why we watch” chestnut, it was pure goosebumps to hear the random announcer say during a different game, “the Cavaliers have put themselves in the middle of the ACC race.”

2. The best sports news I’ve heard this year.

It was obvious that one Virginia item would not do in this column, so let’s turn to Sean Singletary, the best player the Cavs have had in quite some time. It was the 6-foot Singletary, who jumped over two Clemson forwards to pull down a rebound in the final 20 seconds, land directly on his back, and still have the presence of mind to keep the play alive without traveling, leading to the game-winning tip-in. (You’ll excuse the run-on sentence, but I’m still excited hours later).

Singletary also announced earlier this week that he would return to Virginia next season for his senior campaign. If true, this is a Mark Mangino-big factoid for the Cavs.

3. In other superlatives, the least likely sentence to ever appear in this blog.

Yes, I’ll admit it, Gregg Doyel said it best. It may not be that your team gets the benefit of every close call in the history of ever, it’s more that you feel entitled to it. And sure, once or twice a year, the conference has to apologize for handing you a game, and maybe suspend the referees involved, but no matter because Mr. Leader-Not-A-Coach says how his players deserved to win.

And that celebration you saw, that pig-pile after eking past the basketball factory that is Clemson, yes, that celebration – pay close attention, Virginia Tech, because that’s what a “classy” celebration is all about. Indeed, Mr. Doyel said it right – “this is why people hate Duke.”

4. My apologies that all the interesting stories came out of the ACC this week.

Finally, the most impressive performance by any team out there over the past 7 days was put forth by North Carolina, who ran Arizona off its own floor in a 92-64 shellacking. It was the worst loss of Lute Olson’s home career in Tucson, and it came without UNC’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, Brandan Wright, who missed the game with an illness.

Since all the non-ACC fans have stopped reading, I’ll just say this—if not for Oden and Durant, then you’d sure hear a lot more about how absurdly talented Wright is. So Carolina is probably pretty good.

5. Take hands. Place on head in Manning-like fashion.

Not much happening in Jayhawk-land with a couple 20+-point victories against overmatched foes. But there was this. Yes, it’s another absurdly talented college player named Wright, probably wishing he was ill like Brandan.

6. Meanwhile, in the best conference in the land.

For the Pac-10 item of the week, let’s toss a bone to one of our more, uh, insistent commenters here at Y2K. After all, the Stanford Cardinal (named after the color, not the bird, and therefore obviously in the singular) deserve some more exposure in this here space.

So, here goes: Way to blow your big chance against UCLA, Trent! National TV, and that’s all you’ve got? Getting absolutely housed on your home floor? Pretty pathetic, if you ask me! What? They beat UCLA? From 17 points down? Brook Lopez is such a beast, and that’s a helluva comeback, if you ask me! Also, if you ask me if I’m an immature and envious owner of a Cal degree, then the answer is yes.

7. This guy here is dead! Cross him off, then.

Quickly, who is the second best team in the SEC? I could have saved this for final question, but it deserves a little more publicity. Namely, after Florida, the SEC really is nothing to see. Is it possible that the penultimate squad is Vanderbilt, who lost to Furman and Appalachian State? Is it Kentucky, who just lost at home to the Commodores?

No, at this point, it appears the answer is Georgia. Yes, Georgia, who dropped their second game of the year to Western Kentucky. Honestly, when looking at the Bulldogs’ roster, I felt like the GM in “Major League”. (“I've never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime…” “… Most of these guys never had a prime….”)

8. Sorry you didn’t win the million dollars. Here’s a year’s supply of Tide.

Seemed like a lot of headline writers had some fun with Troy Smith outdueling Chris Leak to win the Senior Bowl. Well, to them I say this…okay, I got nothing. Kinda amusing, actually.

9. Club Fed.

Perhaps the most interesting debate of the weekend is Roger Federer against Tiger Woods for SportsPerson of the New Millennium. I think I come down with Federer on this one, for the simple fact that he may never lose again.

Aside from not dropping a set in the entire Australian Open, Federer’s greatness is now defined by the fact that there are no remaining humans who think they have a chance against him. For evidence, witness Andy Roddick, playing the best tennis of his life, just laughing at the postmatch press conference after being dismantled.

I just don’t think Tiger holding off Andrew Buckle and Charles Howell III is as impressive.

10. Final Question.

If this entry was too Virginia- and ACC-centric, how bad will it be if the Hoos take down the Evil Empire on Thursday in front of Dookie V? Stay tuned…

- Cousin Dan

(Images courtesy of scout.com and cnn.com)