There comes a point in every season where a team plays a slew of tough games and then a less challenging opponent pops up on the schedule. Sometimes that moment comes at the beginning of the season. Sometimes it comes in the middle of conference play. Sometimes it is right after the exam break. The goal when that opponent rolls into ‘next game’ status? Win without much drama. With that in mind, let’s look at 5 ways to avoid a letdown against Longwood.

1. On your mark, get set, go! Using this track meet phrase as a reminder can help a team take care of business. First, on your mark – in other words, be prepared to play. The Cavaliers shouldn’t have any problem with this part because of the practice expectations set forth by Dave Leitao from day one.

Next, get set – in other words, make sure you’re ready to settle down and execute from the beginning. Against a less challenging opponent, the possibility exists of lapsing into a helter-skelter, unfocused effort both mentally and physically. The Cavs cannot afford to do that in this game because the ACC schedule ramps back up this weekend. Any loss of rhythm could be disastrous on the road at Florida State.

Finally, go – in other words, start fast in both halves and don’t look back. Letting them hang around is one danger against an underdog and the best way to combat that is by opening each half powerfully. You don’t want an underdog hanging around for any amount of time because that only leads to increased confidence, something that the favored team doesn’t want to deal with.

...