Angebot, Shop » El Zhar did well to fend off Ramos

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - No McDonalds All-Americans. No top-50 recruits. And no projected future first-round NBA draft picks. Virginia does have a successful system, however. Its one that isnt going to win any beauty pageants, but it may be good enough to cut down the nets in Indianapolis come April. Welcome to Tony Bennetts world. The Cavaliers (19-0) and their vaunted Pack-Line defense are just four wins away from matching the 1980-81 team for the best start in school history. Virginia, which has kept 44 straight ACC opponents under 50 percent shooting, is holding its adversaries to just 34.1 percent from the floor on the season. And this has come a year following the departures of Joe Harris -- Virginias No. 11 all-time leading scorer -- and Akil Mitchell -- the schools No. 7 rebounder. The improvements of Justin Anderson and Anthony Gill have picked up their slack. But its the system thats most responsible for the Wahoos prosperity. The main tenet of the Pack-Line is the defensive shape, with four defenders forming an imaginary arch several feet inside of the 3-point line. Then theres an on-the-ball defender who pressures the ball handler. Basically, the defense is designed to force difficult, contested jumpers. And with four defenders sagging inside the Pack-Line, it eliminates dribble penetration. Due to the wall of defenders, the gaps for an offensive player to navigate through are minimal. The strategy also prevents backdoor cuts and players are always in position to clear the defensive glass. Bennett also wants all five of his players on the court to sprint back following an offensive possession to prevent the fastbreak. As good as the Cavaliers defensive statistics look, there are some disadvantages. The 3-point shot is an equalizer, although Virginias foes are shooting just 29.9 percent from long distance. Defenders are always playing off their man and in a help position so if they dont anticipate quick enough and close out on a shot, a team can get hot from beyond the arc. This was seen in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season when 16th-seeded Coastal Carolina led by as many as 10 in the opening half and was up five going into the break. The Chanticleers made 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes and finished 9-of-19 for the game. Looking back, some of the fans in Charlottesville werent enthused when Bennett was hired in 2009. Tubby Smith was the shiny glittering name that had won a national championship at Kentucky with ties to the Commonwealth. He was an assistant coach for VCU from 1979-86 when it won a trio of Sun Belt conference titles. Smith, though, decided to stay at Minnesota and Bennetts Pack-Line defense was brought in instead. Theres no second guessing the hiring of Bennett now. The Hoos had made just two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 12 years prior to Bennetts arrival -- in 2001 under Pete Gillen and 2007 with Dave Leitao. Only the 2007 team won a tournament game. But Bennett was used to turning programs around. Washington State hadnt been in the Big Dance since 1994 until Bennett led it there in his first season at Pullman. The Cougars went 26-8 in 2006-07, tying the school record for wins, and earned a No. 3 seed in the tourney. They won their first round game but lost to Vanderbilt in the second. But the team the following season reached the Sweet 16 before falling to North Carolina. The script has repeated itself in Charlottesville. Bennett guided the Cavaliers to a 22-10 mark in 2011-12. They reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons, but lost to Florida in the Round of 64. Last season, Virginia set a school record for victories, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and swept the ACC regular season and tournament titles for the first time in school history. And this year the Cavaliers are attempting to race off to their best start ever. Theyll have to get past highly-touted Duke to get there and a win over the Blue Devils should silence some doubters. As great as Bennetts current run at Virginia has been, it still doesnt match the Ralph Sampson era, at least not yet. The Cavaliers earned three straight No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament from 1981-83, Sampsons last seasons with the program. The 1980-81 squad was the best of the bunch, not only sporting Sampson but also Jeff Lamp, who was the 15th pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. They began 23-0 and reached the Final Four in Philadelphia before falling to North Carolina. Sampson never got back to the national semifinals. Virginia lost to fourth- seeded UAB on its home floor in Birmingham during the Sweet 16 of the 1982 NCAA Tournament and was upset by eventual national champion and No. 6 seed NC State in the Elite Eight of the 1983 tourney. Ironically, the Cavaliers reached the Final Four as a seventh seed the year after Sampson graduated in 1984. Kentucky, of course, is also unbeaten, but its gaining most of the national attention with its nine former McDonalds All-Americans. If there is a team that can clip the Cats, though, its Virginia. Its no secret that the Wildcats weakness is their outside shooting. Well, that plays right into Virginias advantage. Due to its length, UK snatches about 45 percent of offensive rebounds, which leads the country. The Cavs, however, grab 78.8 percent of defensive boards, which is third in the nation. Its a fascinating matchup that would savor the appetite of basketball junkies everywhere. We just might see it on April 6. PROJECTED BRACKET MIDWEST (Cleveland) 1. Kentucky* vs. 16. New Mexico State*/Alabama State* winner 8. Stanford vs. 9. Oklahoma State 4. Louisville vs. 13. Murray State* 5. Butler vs. 12. Stephen F. Austin* 6. Indiana vs. 11. Xavier 3. Notre Dame vs. 14. Kent State* 7. Northern Iowa vs. 10. Dayton 2. Kansas* vs. 15. Georgia Southern* SOUTH (Houston) 1. Duke vs. 16. Sacramento State* 8. Colorado State vs. 9. Ohio State 4. Wichita State* vs. 13. Western Kentucky* 5. VCU* vs. 12. Wofford* 6. Providence vs. 11. NC State/Tennessee winner 3. Iowa State vs. 14. Long Beach State* 7. SMU vs. 10. Iowa 2. Arizona* vs. 15. Albany* EAST (Syracuse) 1. Virginia* vs. 16. Bucknell*/Robert Morris* winner 8. Cincinnati vs. 9. LSU 4. Georgetown* vs. 13. Iona* 5. West Virginia vs. 12. Wyoming* 6. Oklahoma vs. 11. Georgia/Old Dominion winner 3. Utah vs. 14. Northeastern* 7. Miami-Florida vs. 10. St. Johns 2. Wisconsin* vs. 15. High Point* WEST (Los Angeles) 1. Gonzaga* vs. 16. North Florida* 8. Seton Hall vs. 9. San Diego State 4. North Carolina vs. 13. Yale* 5. Baylor vs. 12. Green Bay* 6. Arkansas vs. 11. Tulsa* 3. Maryland vs. 14. NC Central* 7. Texas vs. 10. Washington 2. Villanova vs. 15. South Dakota State* FIRST FOUR OUT Michigan State Syracuse George Washington Oregon State NEXT FOUR OUT Davidson Temple BYU Harvard * - denotes conference leader. In a result of a tie atop the standings, the team with the higher RPI was chosen. Wholesake Fake Air Jordan 1 . Left back Armero opened the scoring in the fifth minute when his deflected shot rolled past Greece goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis. Striker Teofilo Gutierrez poked in Colombias second goal from a deflected corner in the 58th and James Rodriguez capped it off with a low shot in stoppage time after a slick backheel flick from Juan Cuadrado. Fake Nike Shoes .Y. -- The "for sale" sign is up at the Buffalo Bills with the hiring of financial and legal advisers who may begin talking with prospective buyers within the next month. https://www.fakeshoes.net/.m. on Friday. Granger was acquired from the Indiana Pacers last Thursday for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen, but never played a minute for Philadelphia. The 76ers also received a 2015 second-round draft pick in the deal. Fake Shoes . MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives. Fake Yeezy . Jones took a beating, the worst one of his record reign, in a bout against Alexander Gustafsson that knocked the light heavyweight champion on the canvas for the first time in his career and put his belt in jeopardy. BARCELONA, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored deep in injury time to cap Real Madrids incredible 3-2 comeback victory at Levante on Saturday, when his team went from losing, to drawing, and finally to winning in the last five minutes. Spanish leader Barcelona, meanwhile, didnt miss the injured Lionel Messi as it cruised by Valladolid 4-1 at home with Neymar scoring once and setting up one of Alexis Sanchezs two goals. At 1-1, Levantes Nabil El Zhar grabbed what looked to be the winner in the 86th, but Madrid substitute Alvaro Morata stepped up to level in the 90th. Still facing what would have been a costly draw, Ronaldos last-gasp strike hit both a defender and the post before settling into the net to crush the hosts hopes of taking a point. "When Madrid plays football, it only needs five minutes to win a game," Madrid first-year coach Carlo Ancelotti said. This was Ronaldos second winner for Madrid on the last shot of the game in the last seven days after he netted a penalty six minutes after fulltime to grab a 2-1 win at Elche last Saturday. The Portugal forward has seven goals in league play - one less than Messi and Atletico Madrids Diego Costa - and 12 goals in 10 games in all competitions this season. The victory put Madrid back in third place, five points behind Barcelona and two points behind Atletico before it hosts Celta Vigo on Sunday. It also saved Ancelotti from even more pressure following the loss to Atletico last weekend. Although his teams lacklustre performance through most of the game will likely earn him more criticism. "People need to be patient," Morata said about the Madrid supporters who jeered Ancelotti in the last two home games. "There have been a lot of changes recently. We will play better, for sure." Barcelona extended its club record with an eighth win in as many games to start the league under new coach Gerardo Martino. Madrid holds the league milestone of nine wins to start the season in 1968. Alexis long blast in the 14th cancelled out Javi Guerras 10th-minute opener for Valladolid. Xavi Hernandez slotted in Barcelonas second in the 52nd before Neymar set up Alexis in the 64th. Alexis then returned the favour by generously passing back for Neymar to net his goal in the 70th. "Neymar didnt puut on a Messi mask, each one plays his own game," Alexis told GOL TV.dddddddddddd "I dont think that the fact Messi isnt here gives us more freedom. Without Leo we have more work because with him everything is easier." Elsewhere, Real Sociedad lost its second game this week in agonizing fashion, when Rayo Vallecano substitute Jonathan Viera won and converted an 89th-minute penalty. Sociedad lost in injury time at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday. Elche got its second straight victory thanks to forward Ferran "Coro" Corominas two goals in a 2-1 win over visiting Espanyol. Without the injured Gareth Bale, Madrid could do very little to disarm Levantes stingy defence in the first half at a Ciutat de Valencia Stadium where it had lost in two of its previous three visits. Since suffering a 7-0 thrashing at Barcelona in the league opener, new coach Joaquin Caparros - known for his focus on defence - had steered Levante to a six-game undefeated streak that it almost kept going considering it never trailed Madrid until stoppage time. "It hurts to lose like this," Caparros said. "Its a pity. We did everything we could to win and the game lasted four minutes too long. We should have known how to manage the situation. El Zhars goal should have given us more oxygen but that didnt happen. Some of my players showed their lack of experience." After a foul-ridden first 45 minutes, Levante opened through striker Babacar "Baba" Diawara in the 57th. Madrid was caught pressing forward when Levante got a three-on-two breakaway, and midfielder Jordi Xumetra floated a cross for Baba to beat goalkeeper Diego Lopez with a right-footed volley. Sergio Ramos levelled four minutes later when the Madrid centre back raced in at the second post and slammed in Angel Di Marias corner kick. Madrid was again caught looking to score late when El Zhar did well to fend off Ramos in the area before he spun and fired in the ball. But Morata, who scored a late winner for Madrid here last season, coolly drove in his goal to finish a move started by fellow youngster Jese Rodriguez before Ronaldo pulled out his late heroics. On Sunday, its: Sevilla vs. Almeria, Getafe vs. Real Betis, and Athletic Bilbao vs. Valencia. ' ' '