PersonalizeThe Washington PostRedskins/NFLCapitals/NHLWizards/NBANationals/MLBDC United/SoccerCollegesAllMetSportsOther SportsBlogs & ColumnsPost TicketsIn the NewsJoe Paterno Prince Fielder U-Md.-Temple Georgetown-Rutgers Clint Dempsey Vernon Davis ???initialComments:true! pubdate:01/21/2012 18:19 EST! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:2/4/12 6:19 EST! currentDate:1/22/12 5:0 EST! allowComments:true! displayComments:true!Virginia vs. Virginia Tech: Cavs, Hokies both have questions to answer 
Gerry Broome/AP - Virginia Coach Tony Bennett, left, will be without center Assane Sene for approximately six weeks after Sene had surgery on his ankle.
Text SizePrintE-mailReprints By Steve Yanda and and Mark Giannotto, In the span of roughly 12 hours this past week, Virginia senior center Assane Sene went from hoping to play Sunday against Virginia Tech to optimistically aiming to return by regular season’s end, his injured ankle needing surgery that will require approximately six weeks of recovery time.
And Virginia Coach Tony Bennett’s team shifted from a squad with a clear-cut identity to one that has at least one critical question to answer as it attempts to build on the Cavaliers’ best start to a season (15-2, 2-1 ACC) in three decades: How challenging will it be to fill a 7-footer’s shoes?
Loading...CommentsWeigh InCorrections?This was not the context under which most observers expected Sunday’s contest to be played. Virginia Tech (11-7, 0-4 ACC) was supposed to be the team that entered John Paul Jones Arena with unanswered questions about its collective makeup. But in the wake of Sene’s injury, both teams have critical issues to address.
“They’re the antithesis of our team,” Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg said this past week in reference to the Cavaliers, and at the time, that statement was true.
Whether it remains true will become evident Sunday, when Virginia’s adherence to the principles of Bennett’s system will be tested more than at any point this season. Sene did not produce significantly on offense or, somewhat surprisingly given his size, on the boards. But he was a key and experienced cog on a Virginia defense that has been one of the stingiest in the nation.
At the very least, Sene represented another big body, and the Cavaliers do not possess those in large supply. Taking into account Sene’s injury — he underwent surgery Friday morning to repair a fractured right ankle — and the late-December transfers of redshirt freshman forward James Johnson and sophomore guard KT Harrell, Virginia is down to eight scholarship players, only three of whom stand taller than 6 feet 6.
The onus will be placed on sophomore forward Akil Mitchell and freshman forward Darion Atkins in the coming weeks. They must serve as capable interior complements to fifth-year senior forward Mike Scott, be disciplined on defense and stay out of foul trouble.
During Thursday’s 70-38 win at Georgia Tech, Mitchell — who likely will replace Sene in the starting lineup — tied for the team high with seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Atkins recorded two blocks and a steal in 17 minutes. They contributed to Virginia’s most lopsided road victory over an ACC opponent since 1983, a margin that surprised Bennett given the team’s shaky practice session a day earlier.
When asked afterward for comment on Virginia Tech, Bennett said: “They’re a different team, but they certainly have some talent. We’ll have to be ready. .?.?. This league, if you’re not right, anybody beats you, and you have a chance to beat anybody. You wouldn’t have seen [Thursday’s result against Georgia Tech] coming.”
The Hokies have been somewhat predictable, though that’s not to say they have a shortage of issues in need of solution. Virginia Tech has yet to shoot better than 40 percent in an ACC game this season and has struggled to hold its own in the paint. Greenberg’s squad has held second-half leads in five of its seven losses.
“People think we’re a bad team, but we’re really not,” Virginia Tech junior guard Erick Green said. “We’re a great team. We just don’t do the little things like give it our all for 40 minutes instead of playing for just 20 minutes.”
Sunday will mark the first time since December 2001 that these two programs will meet with Virginia ranked and Virginia Tech not. The Cavaliers have climbed to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll, but they understand that taking the slumping Hokies lightly would be a mistake. They’ve learned a lot in recent days about how much can change in a short period of time.
“People are going to be on our side because we’re good, because we’re playing well right now,” Virginia junior guard Jontel Evans said. “But we can’t get into that. We just have to continue to do the things that got us here, just continue to get wins.”
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