ORLANDO, Fla. _ Even before tipoff of their game against UNC-Wilmington, Virginia coach Tony Bennett knew his guards would have to play a huge role to help the Cavaliers avoid falling to the fan favorite No. 12 seed.
"I teased our guys, I'm glad we worked on our five-guard lineup all week in practice," Bennett said with a smile.
Bennett could afford a smile after the fifth-seeded Cavaliers (22-10) survived an early scare and pulled out a 76-71 win over No. 12 UNC-Wilmington during their first-round matchup Saturday at Amway Center.
"We knew we were going to have to play four guards, and we did talk about it as a staff," Bennett said of the choice to go with a guard-heavy lineup.
Forward London Perrantes scored a team-high 24 points, while guard Marial Shayok added 23 points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the 3-point line.
The Cavaliers (22-10) will play Florida on Saturday.
Chris Flemmings led the Seahawks (29-6) with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Early on at least, Virginia appeared flummoxed by the play of UNC-Wilmington. The Seahawks jumped out to an early 26-11 lead _ the largest advantage by either team _ with 7:25 left in the first half. At that point, the Cavaliers made the shift to the five guard lineup and it would pay off immediately.
Virginia would go on a 19-3 run _ highlighted by nine points from Shayok _ as UNCW went ice cold from the floor in the final 3:20, eventually giving up the lead at the half 30-29.
"We made an adjustment to go five guards _ something we have never done before," Perrantes said. "That's why we were going to go four guards from the jump even if Isaiah [Wilkins] was available. That allows us to spread the floor and get to the lane and when we added the fifth guard it was a lot easier."
Wilkins was a game-time decision after struggling to get over a nasty case of strep throat. The junior didn't start, he checked in at the 15:57 mark in the first half but was limited. He played just five minutes _ all in the first half.
The Seahawks put together a strong showing after intermission, tying the game at 42 with 13:39 to go, but Virginia went on an 18-9 run to build up its largest lead of the day at 61-51 with less than eight minutes left to play.
UNC-Wilmington would make another run _ this time led by Flemmings and Denzel Ingram _ cutting the UVA lead to two points at 73-71 with 53 seconds left, but a Shayok jumper and a Perrantes' free throw sealed the win.
"Basketball is game of runs, and I thought we made a great run early in the first half, and I thought they did a great job answering the game," UNCW coach Kevin Keatts said after the loss. "Our guys expected to win the game. They played well in the second half, so did we."
