Home Game Notes: #12 UVA battles #1 Villanova on Sunday
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Game Notes: #12 UVA battles #1 Villanova on Sunday

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uva basketballNo. 12 UVA (16-3) plays at No. 1 Villanova (19-2) in ACC men’s basketball action on Sunday, Jan. 29. Tipoff at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., is set for 1 p.m. ET.

 

For Openers

  • UVA is 1-28 all-time vs. top-ranked foes, posting an 86-73 win against then-No. 1 North Carolina in Charlottesville on Jan. 30, 1986.
  • The Cavaliers are 2-2 vs. ranked opponents in 2016-17, defeating then-No. 6 Louisville and No. 14 Notre Dame and losing to then-No. 25 West Virginia and then-No. 20 Florida State.
  • UVA has the toughest remaining schedule according to ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index.
  • Virginia is 6-1 in true road games and has an ACC-leading 23-9 road record in the 15-team ACC era (since 2013-14).
  • UVA’s six true road wins ranks first among ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, BIG EAST and SEC schools.
  • UVA has a five-game winning streak, including ACC road wins at Clemson, Boston College and Notre Dame.
  • The Cavaliers rank first nationally in scoring defense (53.3 ppg) and second in turnovers per game (9.7).
  • London Perrantes leads UVA in scoring at 12.3 points per game, marking the lowest scoring average to lead any UVA team in a single season (Malcolm Brogdon 12.7 ppg in 2013-14).
  • UVA is playing back-to-back top 25 opponents (No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 1 Villanova) on the road for the first time since 2009 (No. 3 North Carolina and No. 25 Florida State).

 

Broadcast Information

  • The Virginia-Villanova game will be televised on Fox, streamed online on FoxSportsGo.com and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Athletics mobile app on iTunes or Android.
  • Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

 

The Head Coaches

  • Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 181-75 in eight seasons at UVA and 250-108 in 11 seasons overall.
  • Villanova: Jay Wright (Bucknell, 1983), 373-159 in 15 seasons at Villanova and 495-244 in 23 seasons overall.

 

Suits And Sneakers Week

  • The UVA-Villanova game is part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, celebrated Jan. 23-29.
  • The UVA and Villanova coaching staffs will wear sneakers with their suits as a visible reminder about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing cancer risk.

 

In The National Rankings

  • As of Jan. 27, UVA ranks first nationally in scoring defense (53.3 ppg), second in turnovers per game (9.7), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56), ninth in scoring margin (+16.4), 12th in field goal percentage defense (38.5%),13th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.4%), 14th in field goal percentage (49.6%), 16th in turnover margin (+3.9) and 20th in fouls per game (15.9).
  • UVA has held four opponents to fewer than 40 points and was the first team in Division I to hold three straight opponents (St. Francis Brooklyn, Yale and Grambling State) to fewer than 40 points in the last 20 years.
  • UVA was also the first team in ACC history (1953-present) to hold three straight opponents to fewer than 40 points.
  • The Cavaliers have held 13 of their opponents to 54 or fewer points and six opponents to 50 or fewer points.

 

UVA Ranked No. 12/13 In Latest Polls

  • UVA is ranked No. 12 in the latest AP poll and No. 13 in USA Today Coaches’ poll.
  • UVA has ranked in the top 15 in 55 of the last 57 AP polls.
  • UVA was ranked in top 10 in the preseason rankings (No. 8/7) for the third straight season, matching a school-best from 1981-83.
  • UVA has been ranked in 58 consecutive AP polls since Feb. 3, 2014.
  • UVA has finished in the top 10 (No. 3 in 2014 & No. 6 in 2015 and No. 4 in 2016) in the final AP rankings in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1981-83.

 

All-Time vs. Villanova

  • The Cavaliers own a 5-2 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series that dates back to 1981.
  • UVA topped the eventual national champion Villanova 86-75 in Charlottesville last season on Dec. 19, 2015.
  • The Cavaliers are 1-2 against the Wildcats in Pennsylvania, including a 73-63 loss in the 2004 NIT at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa.
  • UVA posted its lone win (83-80) against Villanova on the road in the first round of the 1992 NIT at The Pavilion.
  • UVA and Villanova meet for the first time at Wells Fargo Center, which also serves as the home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers.

 

Last Time Against Villanova

  • Anthony Gill tallied 22 points and Malcolm Brogdon had 20 to lead then-No. 8/9 Virginia to an 86-75 win over then-No. 12/13 Villanova on Dec. 19, 2015.
  • London Perrantes added 19 points as Virginia posted its second straight win against a ranked opponent.
  • UVA shot 55.6 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point range, and out-rebounded the Wildcats 31-19.
  • Kris Jenkins led Villanova with 23 points and Josh Hart added 12.

 

Last Time Out

  • No. 12 Virginia posted a 71-54 win at No. 14 Notre Dame on Jan. 24.
  • London Perrantes bagged a game-high 22 points and Isaiah Wilkins added 13 points, including a 9-10 effort from the free throw line.
  • Devon Hall added 11 points and nine rebounds as UVA owned a 38-22 rebounding advantage.
  • Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame with 20 points.
  • UVA led 27-26 at the half, but outscored the Irish 44-28 in the second half behind Ty Jerome’s career-high eight points.

 

Hoo Are These Wahoos?

  • UVA is led by senior point guard London Perrantes, who is averaging team highs in points (12.3 ppg) and assists (3.7 apg).
  • Isaiah Wilkins (6.8 ppg & 5.7 rpg) leads the team in rebounding, blocked shots (24) and steals (24).
  • Devon Hall is averaging 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Darius Thompson has added 7.2 points per game.
  • Marial Shayok is averaging 10 points and Kyle Guy is averaging 8.2 points on 46.4 percent 3-point shooting.
  • Jack Salt is averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game after averaging 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per game last season.
  • Mamadi Diakite, Jarred Reuter and Ty Jerome are role players off the bench.

 

On The Horizon

  • No. 12 Virginia hosts in-state rival Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

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