Reeling Cavs host Eagles

One of the toughest parts of a long losing streak can be the snowball effect.

After a team has been non-competitive in a certain number of games, it can develop bad habits. Literally, it can forget how to win. When it finally puts itself in a position to break the slide, it has no idea how.

This is one of many dilemmas facing Virginia as it hosts Boston College tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.

For a second, forget about the fact that UVa is the worst defensive team in the ACC and the second-worst shooting outfit. Right now, the most glaring stat is that the Wahoos have won just once in 2009 — and that came against an opponent from the Ivy League (Brown).

Virginia, which has lost five straight ACC games after winning its opener on the road at Georgia Tech, desperately needs a victory.

“Must-win,” said Virginia freshman Sammy Zeglinski. “We’re 1-5 coming back home and coming off five losses in a row. It’s definitely a must-win.

“We’ve got to get this one.”

If Virginia (7-10, 1-5 ACC) doesn’t find a way, things only get tougher. Games versus North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson (twice) and Wake Forest loom. All except FSU are ranked in the top 25.

That’s not to say beating Boston College will be easy. The Eagles (17-6, 5-3) have won four straight, including a 67-66 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

“They’re a very good team that plays very well on the road,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “After going through a little bit of a stretch of losing, they’ve turned it around.”

BC is led by senior Tyrese Rice. The former L.C. Bird (Richmond) High standout is seventh in the league in scoring (17.9) and second in assists (5.7).

“Most teams in this league have trouble with him,” Leitao said. “He’s very experienced, very good. He’s multi-dimensional and is playing very, very well right now — not just scoring the basketball, but leading his team and getting other guys involved and making them better.”

Leitao called Rice’s supporting cast “vastly improved.” It’s a young one that features four sophomores and a freshman.

Sophomore Joe Trapani, a transfer from Vermont, is averaging 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, while fellow classmates Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji are also putting up nice numbers, averaging 12.2 and 10.9 points, respectively. It was Sanders’ put-back that led to the Eagles’ victory over Virginia Tech.

Meanwhile, freshman Reggie Jackson has had a nice first year. The athletic guard from Colorado is averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds.

For Virginia, getting off to a good start will once again be a key. In its last six losses, UVa has gotten down by double-digit deficits in the first half.

“We just have to bring the intensity in the second half that we bring in the first half,” said Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg, who had a game-high 20 points in Sunday’s loss at Duke. “The scores in the second half are pretty even with every team we’ve played.”

Virginia sophomore Mike Scott has been extremely frustrated by the team’s slide.

“We practice harder than it shows in the games,” Scott said. “We just need to have carryover.”

Leitao disagreed with Zeglinski’s notion that tonight is, in fact, a ‘must-win.’

“My view is probably a little bit different than everybody else’s in that I think when you play 16 of these games, they’re all very, very important and very difficult,” he said. “When you use the term ‘Must-win,’ I only use it [in the sense] that if you don’t win, you don’t get to practice or play the next day. Then you must win.

“As long as you still have games on the schedule, I think you have to continue to look at it as you do everything humanly possible to prepare and to go out and win basketball games because they’re so precious. If you start weighing the importance of games over a 16-game stretch, then that becomes a very dangerous proposition.”

Dunks

Virginia leads the all-time series with BC, 6-1. UVa won both meetings last season. … Scott scored in double figures for the 11th time and the eighth time in the last nine games after his 10-point outing against Duke. … Mustapha Farrakhan is perfect from the line this season (18 for 18). It’s the second longest streak to open a season. Jeff Lamp made 32 consecutive free throws to open the 1980-81 season.