Bewerbung » week and I thought he was very effective today both runni

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - No McDonalds All-Americans. No top-50 recruits. And no projected future first-round NBA draft picks. Virginia does have a successful system, however. Its one that isnt going to win any beauty pageants, but it may be good enough to cut down the nets in Indianapolis come April. Welcome to Tony Bennetts world. The Cavaliers (19-0) and their vaunted Pack-Line defense are just four wins away from matching the 1980-81 team for the best start in school history. Virginia, which has kept 44 straight ACC opponents under 50 percent shooting, is holding its adversaries to just 34.1 percent from the floor on the season. And this has come a year following the departures of Joe Harris -- Virginias No. 11 all-time leading scorer -- and Akil Mitchell -- the schools No. 7 rebounder. The improvements of Justin Anderson and Anthony Gill have picked up their slack. But its the system thats most responsible for the Wahoos prosperity. The main tenet of the Pack-Line is the defensive shape, with four defenders forming an imaginary arch several feet inside of the 3-point line. Then theres an on-the-ball defender who pressures the ball handler. Basically, the defense is designed to force difficult, contested jumpers. And with four defenders sagging inside the Pack-Line, it eliminates dribble penetration. Due to the wall of defenders, the gaps for an offensive player to navigate through are minimal. The strategy also prevents backdoor cuts and players are always in position to clear the defensive glass. Bennett also wants all five of his players on the court to sprint back following an offensive possession to prevent the fastbreak. As good as the Cavaliers defensive statistics look, there are some disadvantages. The 3-point shot is an equalizer, although Virginias foes are shooting just 29.9 percent from long distance. Defenders are always playing off their man and in a help position so if they dont anticipate quick enough and close out on a shot, a team can get hot from beyond the arc. This was seen in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season when 16th-seeded Coastal Carolina led by as many as 10 in the opening half and was up five going into the break. The Chanticleers made 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes and finished 9-of-19 for the game. Looking back, some of the fans in Charlottesville werent enthused when Bennett was hired in 2009. Tubby Smith was the shiny glittering name that had won a national championship at Kentucky with ties to the Commonwealth. He was an assistant coach for VCU from 1979-86 when it won a trio of Sun Belt conference titles. Smith, though, decided to stay at Minnesota and Bennetts Pack-Line defense was brought in instead. Theres no second guessing the hiring of Bennett now. The Hoos had made just two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 12 years prior to Bennetts arrival -- in 2001 under Pete Gillen and 2007 with Dave Leitao. Only the 2007 team won a tournament game. But Bennett was used to turning programs around. Washington State hadnt been in the Big Dance since 1994 until Bennett led it there in his first season at Pullman. The Cougars went 26-8 in 2006-07, tying the school record for wins, and earned a No. 3 seed in the tourney. They won their first round game but lost to Vanderbilt in the second. But the team the following season reached the Sweet 16 before falling to North Carolina. The script has repeated itself in Charlottesville. Bennett guided the Cavaliers to a 22-10 mark in 2011-12. They reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons, but lost to Florida in the Round of 64. Last season, Virginia set a school record for victories, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and swept the ACC regular season and tournament titles for the first time in school history. And this year the Cavaliers are attempting to race off to their best start ever. Theyll have to get past highly-touted Duke to get there and a win over the Blue Devils should silence some doubters. As great as Bennetts current run at Virginia has been, it still doesnt match the Ralph Sampson era, at least not yet. The Cavaliers earned three straight No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament from 1981-83, Sampsons last seasons with the program. The 1980-81 squad was the best of the bunch, not only sporting Sampson but also Jeff Lamp, who was the 15th pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. They began 23-0 and reached the Final Four in Philadelphia before falling to North Carolina. Sampson never got back to the national semifinals. Virginia lost to fourth- seeded UAB on its home floor in Birmingham during the Sweet 16 of the 1982 NCAA Tournament and was upset by eventual national champion and No. 6 seed NC State in the Elite Eight of the 1983 tourney. Ironically, the Cavaliers reached the Final Four as a seventh seed the year after Sampson graduated in 1984. Kentucky, of course, is also unbeaten, but its gaining most of the national attention with its nine former McDonalds All-Americans. If there is a team that can clip the Cats, though, its Virginia. Its no secret that the Wildcats weakness is their outside shooting. Well, that plays right into Virginias advantage. Due to its length, UK snatches about 45 percent of offensive rebounds, which leads the country. The Cavs, however, grab 78.8 percent of defensive boards, which is third in the nation. Its a fascinating matchup that would savor the appetite of basketball junkies everywhere. We just might see it on April 6. PROJECTED BRACKET MIDWEST (Cleveland) 1. Kentucky* vs. 16. New Mexico State*/Alabama State* winner 8. Stanford vs. 9. Oklahoma State 4. Louisville vs. 13. Murray State* 5. Butler vs. 12. Stephen F. Austin* 6. Indiana vs. 11. Xavier 3. Notre Dame vs. 14. Kent State* 7. Northern Iowa vs. 10. Dayton 2. Kansas* vs. 15. Georgia Southern* SOUTH (Houston) 1. Duke vs. 16. Sacramento State* 8. Colorado State vs. 9. Ohio State 4. Wichita State* vs. 13. Western Kentucky* 5. VCU* vs. 12. Wofford* 6. Providence vs. 11. NC State/Tennessee winner 3. Iowa State vs. 14. Long Beach State* 7. SMU vs. 10. Iowa 2. Arizona* vs. 15. Albany* EAST (Syracuse) 1. Virginia* vs. 16. Bucknell*/Robert Morris* winner 8. Cincinnati vs. 9. LSU 4. Georgetown* vs. 13. Iona* 5. West Virginia vs. 12. Wyoming* 6. Oklahoma vs. 11. Georgia/Old Dominion winner 3. Utah vs. 14. Northeastern* 7. Miami-Florida vs. 10. St. Johns 2. Wisconsin* vs. 15. High Point* WEST (Los Angeles) 1. Gonzaga* vs. 16. North Florida* 8. Seton Hall vs. 9. San Diego State 4. North Carolina vs. 13. Yale* 5. Baylor vs. 12. Green Bay* 6. Arkansas vs. 11. Tulsa* 3. Maryland vs. 14. NC Central* 7. Texas vs. 10. Washington 2. Villanova vs. 15. South Dakota State* FIRST FOUR OUT Michigan State Syracuse George Washington Oregon State NEXT FOUR OUT Davidson Temple BYU Harvard * - denotes conference leader. In a result of a tie atop the standings, the team with the higher RPI was chosen. Jan Vertonghen Belgium Jersey . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. Kevin De Bruyne Jersey . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Thomas-Vermaelen-Belgium-Jersey/ . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. Toby Alderweireld Belgium Jersey . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun the international tournament will likely return in September 2016 rather than 2015. Thomas Meunier Belgium Jersey . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. NASHVILLE -- The San Francisco 49ers know how to start a very long road trip in winning style. Colin Kaepernick threw for 199 yards and ran for 68 and a touchdown, helping the 49ers start a two-game road swing by beating the Tennessee Titans 31-17 Sunday. The 49ers (5-2) won their fourth straight before heading to London for a game with winless Jacksonville by jumping to a 17-0 halftime lead. Frank Gore also ran for a pair of 1-yard TDs as San Francisco cruised. "This was a big game, and we were treating it like the biggest game of the season," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "It was our next game. This was Game 7 for us, and we were treating it like Game 7 for us, and we were treating it like Game 7 of the World Series or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Now the next game will be Game 8." Tramaine Brock also intercepted a pass, Justin Smith had two of the 49ers three sacks and Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt for a TD. The Titans (3-4) lost their third straight even with Jake Locker starting after missing two games with a sprained right hip and knee. Locker threw for 326 yards, with two TD passes in a fourth-quarter spurt that came up short. Coach Mike Munchak defended the decision to start Locker, saying the quarterback was ready. Locker also ran three times for 29 yards. "We felt comfortable hed be able to protect himself," Munchak said. "I think he showed he could do that." The Titans outgained the 49ers 368-349 in total offence only because of a frantic fourth quarter as they tried to rally. San Francisco still had a big edge in time of possession, holding the ball for more than 35 minutes, including the third quarter when the 49ers played keepaway for more than 11 minutes. Gore capped the opening drive of the third with his second TD for a 24-0 lead. "I dont know how you define midseason form, but we have strung together a few wins and we feel pretty good about what were doing right now," Kaepernick said. Tennessee tried to make it interesting late in a finish that featured plenty of pushing and shoving. Even Harbaugh got an arm caught up in a scrum on the San Francisco sideline after Kaepernick dived in trying to recover what he and the Titans thought was a fumble. "I was just trying to get them apart," Harbaugh said. Locker tossed a short pass to Chris Johnson for a 666-yard TD, pulling Tennessee within 24-10 with 7:07 left, and the Titans forced the 49ers to punt.dddddddddddd But Tommie Campbell blocked Darryl Morris into Darius Reynaud, who muffed the punt. Osgood recovered in the end zone for the clinching TD. Locker found former 49ers tight end Delanie Walker on a 26-yard TD with 3:17 left. The Titans were offside on the ensuing onside kick, and the 49ers recovered to run out the clock. The 49ers were in control from the start with plenty of fans on hand, and they took advantage of Tennessees 10 penalties for 100 yards. The most costly came when linebacker Akeem Ayers hit Kaepernick at the knees for an unnecessary roughness flag that wiped out an interception by safety Bernard Pollard. Three plays later, Kaepernick ran 20 yards for a TD and a 10-0 lead. The Titans held Gore to 70 yards rushing on 24 carries, but he got into the end zone twice. They could not stop Kaepernick, who repeatedly kept drives alive in improving to 12-5 as a starter. "He continues to get better every game since hes been playing," Harbaugh said. "He got a game ball last week and I thought he was very effective today both running and throwing. I cant say enough good things about him." Locker hadnt been expected back before Nov. 3, when the Titans visit St. Louis after their bye. Playing with a knee brace, he hit seven of his first 10 passes for 80 yards. His best run was 16-yarder giving the Titans first-and-goal early in the fourth quarter when Locker put his head down diving forward. They wound up settling for a field goal. "We found ways to stall drives out," Locker said. "I didnt think it was really us getting going. Weve got to find ways to do that." But Brock picked off an underthrown ball for the quarterbacks first interception this season. The 49ers quickly converted that into a 1-yard TD run by Gore for a 17-0 lead just before halftime. Notes: Brock now has three interceptions in three games. ... The 49ers now lead this series 8-5. ... The Titans had a video tribute to the late Bum Phillips and a moment of silence before the coin toss. Phillips coached this franchise to two AFC championship game appearances in the late 1970s as the then-Houston Oilers. ... Johnson now has three TD catches of 66 yards or longer and 11 TDs of 66 yards or longer in his career. ' ' '