Cavs Crush No. 10 Wildcats, 78-60

Sean Singletary had 15 points, eight rebounds and six steals.

Making a powerful early-season statement, Virginia whipped No. 10 Arizona, 78-60, today with a performance that has to rate among the basketball team’s best in Pete Gillen’s seven years as head coach. Outplaying the talented Wildcats in every phase of the game, UVa improved to 2-0 and offered plenty of evidence that this season will be better than many expected.

Led by freshman point guard Sean Singletary and fueled by a University Hall crowd of 7,792, the Cavaliers made a strong case for inclusion in the national rankings. They shot 54 percent from the field, outrebounded Arizona by five and forced 21 turnovers.

Singetary finished with 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals in his second collegiate game. Devin Smith scored a team-high 17 points, while Elton Brown delivered 15 points and seven rebounds. Gary Forbes scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench. Channing Frye led the Wildcats with 17 points and 11 boards.

Devin Smith made three 3-pointers and scored 17 points.

“We had something to prove,” said Singletary, who thoroughly outplayed Arizona’s star point guard, Mustafa Shakur. “We had a lot of energy and they didn’t.”

Defense was a big factor. Using a matchup zone, the ‘Hoos held Arizona to 22 points in the first half and 39.7-percent shooting for the game. They pulled away in the final seven minutes of the first half, going on a 14-2 run to grab a 34-20 lead.

The Wildcats never got closer than eight points in the second half. After a three-point play by Frye made it 44-36 with just under 15 minutes remaining, Forbes drained a 3-pointer and Jason Clark made two straight putbacks to stretch the lead to 15.

Singletary controlled the ball and protected the lead down the stretch, then threw the ball in the air as the buzzer sounded and fans stormed the court.