Virginia's Cavaliers remain focused on the journey, not the destination, as the 2012 women's basketball season enters its make-or-break phase.
The Cavaliers (18-8, 6-6 ACC) appear in reasonably good shape for an NCAA at-large bid heading into tonight's home game against No. 8-ranked Maryland. Still, U.Va. coach Joanne Boyle and her players say they are taking nothing for granted.
"It's up to the (NCAA selection) committee to decide," Boyle said after Sunday's victory over Clemson. "We'll just do what we do (and) come out and play basketball every night. We have 18 wins, so we're right there. We just have to keep pushing. We have four conference games left and the ACC tournament. So there's a lot of basketball to be played. For us, all we can control is what we can control."
Said senior guard Ariana Moorer: "One game at a time, that's how we think every day. We're not looking down the stretch. We're just looking at our next opponent."
The identity of U.Va.'s next opponent creates an intriguing matchup. Maryland has the ACC's most prolific offense at 81 points per game against Virginia and the stingiest defense in the ACC at 52.9 ppg. Nineteen of U.Va.'s 26 opponents have failed to reach 60 points.
Moorer said the Cavaliers won't make wholesale alterations in their trademark zone defense in preparation for tonight's contest.
"We're not going to change anything," she said. "We're going to continue to work the way we do every day in practice. Sure, we might make a few adjustments here and there, but we are really worried just about us."
Tonight's game will be the second of the season between the teams. Maryland (21-4, 8-4) won 68-61 last month in College Park.
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