By Andy Bitter

Published: March 23, 2008

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.
The Cavaliers (16-15) host Old Dominion in the second round of the CBI at 7 tonight, nearly a week after a come-from-behind victory against Richmond.
Only 4,022 fans showed up for that game, by far the lowest attendance for a men’s contest in the two-year history of the John Paul Jones Arena. For 28 minutes neither did a listless UVa, which fell behind by 12 only to out-score the Spiders 17-3 in the final 8 1/2 minutes to pull out the win.
“If you’re going to play a basketball game, you just have to play like you normally do, whether the crowd is there or not,” UVa forward Adrian Joseph said. “As a player, you have to deal with it.”
A similar lackluster effort could mean a quick exit. The Monarchs (18-15), who beat Rider in their opening-round game, have some impressive notches on their belt this season, with wins against Virginia Tech, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth.
ODU employs a balanced attack, with eight players averaging more than five points a game. Only 6-foot-10 forward Gerald Lee (12.8 ppg) is in double figures.
“There’s not just one guy that you can zero in on,” UVa coach Dave Leitao said. “You have to focus in on the whole team.”
That hasn’t been the case with the Cavaliers lately. Against Richmond, Sean Singletary, Mamadi Diane and Jamil Tucker combined for 43 of the team’s 66 points.
It was Diane’s fifth straight game in double figures. The junior, who started the season’s first 21 games before being relegated to the bench, has averaged 13.4 points a game since March 3.
The run comes on the heels of what Leitao termed a “tête-à-tête” the two had during one game, when the coach gave Diane a few choice words about his play.
“I was very happy that he gave me a few back,” Leitao said. “I think since that point, he’s been more aggressive.”
Diane made his first seven shots en route to an 18-point effort in UVa’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Georgia Tech. Against Richmond, he scored 10 second-half points, helping dig the Cavaliers out of a hole.
“The only way you have a better chance of playing consistently is if you’re focused,” Leitao said. “And I think he’s just a little more focused. As a result, when you get an open shot, you tend to make them more.”