With the economy struggling, numerous classmates of Virginia forward Lyndra Littles will be envious today.

It only took 20 minutes and a rebounding clinic for Virginia to dispatch that theory on the opening day of the ACC tournament.

After they were snubbed in the past from the ACC’s ultimate award, the voting panel rewarded Lyndra Littles and Monica Wright.

Virginia, down as many as 11 points in the first half, mounted a late charge to upend No. 11 Florida State 68-63 at the Tucker Center.

Long before games begin, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan knows what she will get from veterans Lyndra Littles and Monica Wright on the offensive end.

During the good times and the bad, Virginia coach Debbie Ryan has always leaned on a passionate fanbase.

Despite 16 turnovers and a woeful shooting performance from the field against yet another zone-based defense, the 15th-ranked Cavaliers outlasted the Red Flash 82-66 in front of 2,478 fans at the JPJ.

Ryan got enough in the waning minutes and the Cavaliers claimed an 80-67 victory over East Carolina at John Paul Jones Arena.

Common sense would indicate that Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller, a 1989 graduate of Virginia, would steal a page from Old Dominion’s cheat sheet in her return trip to Charlottesville tonight.

A former basketball player at Maryland and later at Purdue, France has seen her share of quality programs and was certainly drinking the Cavalier Kool-Aid moments after her DT3 squad dropped an exhibition game to Virginia 91-77.

Tonight in an exhibition against DT3 at John Paul Jones at 7 p.m., the new and improved Mohammed and the 15th-ranked Cavaliers will be on display.

In the blink of an eye, Debbie Ryan watched as 10 players raced from one end of the practice court to the other and back.

For Virginia women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan, it was a season of returns.

Lyndra Littles awoke Monday around 7 a.m. — far earlier than she expected or preferred — to a chipper voice in her hotel room.