Why so glum? That's a question many University of Virginia fans have been asked over the past six weeks, and not because every team in Charlottesville is struggling.

Indeed, the men's tennis team is ranked No. 1 nationally. The wrestling team is 18-4, and the women's basketball team is 18-7. The baseball team is ranked in the preseason top 20, and the men's and women's lacrosse teams are expected to contend for NCAA titles.

But the news for the school's highest-profile teams -- football and men's basketball -- has not been as good lately. Those, of course, are the sports that inspire the most passion, and they're the source of the frustration shared by many U.Va. supporters these days.

"If our fans were happy about that, I'd be very concerned," Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said. "The fact that they're disappointed about that is a good thing. If they weren't disappointed, I'd be worried."

Heading into its game today at Boston College, Dave Leitao's basketball team is 1-9 in the ACC and has lost seven straight. Al Groh's football team has made headlines in 2008, but rarely for things considered positive for the program.

Both teams began the new year with reason for optimism. In basketball, U.Va. took a 10-2 record into its Jan. 3 game at Xavier. In football, U.Va. entered the Gator Bowl with a chance to become only the second team in program history to finish with 10 victories.

On New Year's Day, the Cavaliers came agonizingly close. But Texas Tech rallied for 17 points in the final 3:31 to stun U.Va. 31-28. That epic collapse was the first of many blows Groh's program has absorbed since the calendar turned.

After the team returned to Charlottesville, all-ACC offensive guard Branden Albert announced he was leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. Then Groh lost four players, including starters Jameel Sewell (quarterback) and Chris Cook (cornerback), to academic suspensions that are expected to sideline them this season.

Then Mike London, the Wahoos' highly regarded defensive coordinator, left to become head coach at the University of Richmond. Then came the reports that standout defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald had academic issues that may well prevent him from suiting up for the Cavaliers again.

Finally, Virginia Tech annihilated U.Va. in in-state recruiting. In the ACC, the class that signed with Virginia this month was rated ahead of only Duke's by many recruiting analysts.

All of which "was disconcerting to the point of almost being depressing," said Tom Baker, a 1979 graduate of U.Va. who lives in South Richmond.

Hoops offered no relief for fans, as U.Va.'s hopes of making a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament steadily evaporated in January. The Cavaliers lost by 38 points at Xavier. In their next outing, they lost by 22 at Duke. Leitao's team won only once last month, and its six defeats included two overtime losses to Virginia Tech.

"It was like, 'How bad can it get?'" said Baker, a former U.Va. basketball manager who later worked for the sports information department and in athletic fundraising at his alma mater.

Littlepage said he, too, found January difficult to endure. Still, he's confident that both of U.Va.'s revenue-producing programs will be fine in the long term.

"The reality is that every school at some point goes through a situation like this," Littlepage said. "Sometimes it's an isolated incident -- a thunderbolt, if you will -- and sometimes it lasts longer. . . . You've got to be prepared to pick yourself up and get yourself right back on track."