For Cavs, Cassell can be a hassle

-- From the last University of Virginia team to win in men's basketball at Virginia Tech, only two players remain: Mamadi Diane and Tunji Soroye.

Nearly three years have passed since that game, and three of U.Va.'s current starters never have played at Cassell Coliseum, an inhospitable place for any visiting team, but especially one from Charlottesville.

"You try to tell them as much as you can, but there's only so much you can," Diane, a senior swingman, said Tuesday night. "You can't really prepare them for that environment. You just tell them to stay strong, and hopefully they remember that throughout the game."

Don't expect the boos and jeers to rattle U.Va. swingman Sylven Landesberg today in Blacksburg. The 6-6 freshman from Queens, N.Y., has been remarkably poised -- and productive -- for a team that had to replace Sean Singletary, the heart of the Cavaliers for the previous three seasons.

Landesberg, at 18.3 points per game, is the ACC's third-leading scorer. Only one freshman in Division I has a higher average.

Landesberg, who was a McDonald's All-American at Holy Cross High, has scored at least 20 points seven times this season. He's also averaging 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

"He's magnificent," Hokies coach Seth Greenberg said. "He's a city guard. He understands how to play. He's got a great pace to his game."

Landesberg isn't the most athletic player on the court, but he has long arms and an uncanny ability to get into the lane and draw fouls. He's shot 96 free throws this season -- 58 more than sophomore forward Mike Scott, who's second among U.Va. players in attempts from the line.

"I kind of compare him to Paul Pierce," Scott said, "because he has that lazy change-of-pace game where it looks like he's going to slow up and then he just attacks the rim so well."

Rewind the tape to Dec. 28. It's Landesberg's first ACC game. He's on the road, against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He's nervous, right?

Maybe not. All Landesberg does that night is total 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, with only one turnover. U.Va. wins 88-84 in overtime.

Landesberg seriously considered Georgia Tech before committing to U.Va. Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt remembers Landesberg as a gym rat, a player determined to hone his skills at every opportunity.

The result is an old-school game built more on leaners and layups and mid-range shots than on dunks and 3-pointers. Landesberg is not a guy you'd want to play in H-O-R-S-E.

"His game has aged, if you will," Hewitt said. "If you put in that much time, it ages your game and you learn some little nuances that kids his age typically don't have, because they didn't spend as much time in the gym coming up."

Greenberg expects Landesberg to get his points today. A bigger concern for the Hokies may be junior forward Jamil Tucker (7.4 ppg), who's shooting 43 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

In four of the Cavaliers' five losses, Tucker has gone scoreless. In the victory at Georgia Tech, he sent the game into overtime with a trey and finished with 15 points, matching his career high.

"Their X factor is Tucker," Greenberg said. "When he scores, they win." Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or .

Staff writer Darryl Slater contributed to this article.