Feb. 5
Talk about a game that featured two teams urgently needing a win -- that was the case when Missouri met Virginia on Sunday.

	Since starting the season 9-0, Pete Gillen and the Cavaliers have fallen to 16-9.

It turned out to be an outstanding intersectional battle. The Cavaliers (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) fell just short of a tough Missouri team in Columbia, Mo.

Each team started the season 9-0 before hitting rough spots.

This was an important win for coach Quin Snyder's Tigers, since they were coming off a blitz job by Kansas earlier in the week. Missouri (unranked ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) responded to the challenge, leaving Virginia with a three-game losing skid.

Think about what the Cavaliers have gone through. First off, it has been injuries, injuries, injuries. Adam Hall, Travis Watson ... we're talking about two very important starters, baby! Watson is still bothered by a foot injury.

Virginia hasn't been playing poorly by any stretch. The current losing streak includes defeats against three ranked teams: Duke, Maryland and Missouri.

Against the Blue Devils, coach Peter Gillen's Cavs played well for over a half. Duke went on a typical spurt to break the game open. Against Maryland, the Terps showed their experience and came back from a nine-point deficit in the final 3:22.

Coach Gary Williams' Terps earned the win, hitting 25-of-26 free throws. It should have been a Virginia victory, but take nothing away from Williams' squad. It was even more impressive because it was on the road.

The Cavaliers came ready to play against Missouri. But Kareem Rush and company made enough key shots down the stretch to hang on for the W. The fans at the Hearnes Center certainly helped the Tigers find a way to win. Free-throw shooting played a key part in the end.

Now Virginia has another tough assignment on Wednesday, going to N.C. State (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Wolfpack will be hungry after losing a one-point heartbreaker to Wake Forest and then a hard-fought showdown to Maryland.

Gillen's team will be motivated, looking for revenge after N.C. State won at Charlottesville earlier in the season. That was Virginia's first loss of the season. After the 9-0 start, the Cavs are 5-5 since and need a win to get back on track.