CHARLOTTESVILLE — When Sean Singletary decided last June to return to Virginia for his senior season, Cavaliers fans exhaled in unison, thankful that the program didn’t have to plunge into what would surely have been a rebuilding phase.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Shortly after the last of his 27 points dropped in Bradley’s 96-85 win against Virginia in the College Basketball Invitational semifinals, guard Jeremy Crouch sat at the John Paul Jones Arena press room dais and spoke about how much of a matchup nightmare the Braves’ 3-point happy offense can be for an opposing defense.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — It’s trendy to bash the inaugural College Basketball Invitational as a watered-down postseason event. But even the CBI’s most ardent critics can’t deny that the tournament has had some exciting finishes.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The Cavaliers were thinking overtime at best. Get a defensive stop, secure the rebound, hear the horn and win it in the extra five minutes.
Sean Singletary didn’t want to wait that long.

Few fans — and for most of the game, few Cavaliers — appeared to have anything invested in Virginia’s opening-round matchup in the College Basketball Invitational last week.
Perhaps an opportunity to advance to the inaugural tournament’s final four will draw more interest from both parties.

For two months, the Virginia football team made news for all the wrong reasons.
Three starters — quarterback Jameel Sewell, cornerback Chris Cook and defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald — aren’t in school anymore for academic reasons. Another contributor, cornerback Mike Brown, was kicked off the team after being charged with grand larceny last month.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — As far as March basketball is concerned, it’s certainly not the NCAA Tournament. The NIT is a prize by comparison.
But the new College Basketball Invitational is still postseason play, and after Virginia’s 66-64 come-from-behind victory against Richmond in the first round at the John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday, it means one thing.

Dave Leitao was not one of the few people who stayed up until Monday’s early-morning hours to find out Virginia’s first-round opponent in the College Basketball Invitational.
“I don’t last that long,” UVa’s coach said.

The Virginia men’s basketball team will play in the inaugural 16-team College Basketball Invitational. That’s provided the National Invitation Tournament doesn’t come calling tonight.
On Saturday, the Cavaliers (15-15) accepted a bid to participate in the newly created CBI, two days after an opening round loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament. However, if the NIT extends an invitation to Virginia — an unlikely scenario considering UVa’s résumé — the school will accept that bid.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Possession after possession, Georgia Tech bombed away from the 3-point line, unchallenged in most cases and unbothered whenever the Cavaliers managed to get within an arm’s length.