UVa. (9-3) concludes non-conference play at Tennessee (7-4) on Monday, Dec. 30. Tipoff at Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Broadcast Information
The Virginia-Tennessee game will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. Live statistics (GameTracker) are located on VirginiaSports.com, as well as the Virginia Sports app, which is available free of charge through iTunes. Fans can also follow the game via Twitter at @UVaMensHoops.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the Virginia-Tennessee game can be purchased online at uttix.com.
For Openers
• The Cavaliers rank second in the nation in scoring defense at 54.2 points per game.
• Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin served as an assistant coach for the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games National Team, while Virginia head coach Tony Bennett served as a court coach during that team’s training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• UVa’s Mike Tobey and Tony Bennett and Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes earned gold medals for USA Basketball’s U19 National Team this past summer.
• Virginia’s Akil Mitchell and Tennessee’s Jordan McRae attended the LeBron James Skills Academy this past summer.
The Head Coaches
Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 85-56 in five seasons at UVa and 154-89 in eight seasons overall.
Tennessee: Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000), 46-32 in three seasons at Tennessee and 107-73 in six seasons overall.
All-Time vs. Tennessee
• Virginia holds an 8-4 advantage vs. Tennessee in the series that dates back to 1917.
• The Cavaliers are 0-2 against the Volunteers in Knoxville and are meeting the Volunteers for the first time at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• UVa is 5-2 against Tennessee in the last seven meetings between the teams.
Last Time vs. Tennessee
• Virginia defeated Tennessee, 46-38, in a defensive battle on Dec. 5, 2012, in Charlottesville.
• Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 13 points each, while former Volunteer and current Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Trae Golden had 11 points for Tennessee.
• The Cavaliers held Tennessee to 16 points in the first half and 28.8 percent (15-of-52) shooting from the field for the game.
• Mitchell added 12 rebounds as UVa won the rebounding battle, 37-36.
About the Cavaliers
Virginia has a two-game winning streak and looks for its first true road win of the year. The Cavaliers are 3-1 away from John Paul Jones Arena, including a pair of wins in Corpus Christi, Texas (SMU and Missouri State) and a neutral-site win over Davidson in Charlotte.
The Cavaliers’ success has been highlighted by their second-ranked defense, rebounding and balanced scoring. The Cavaliers are yielding 54.2 points per game and grabbing 55.8 percent of the rebounds, ruling the glass in 10 of 12 games and enjoying a +9.4 average rebound margin per game. UVa also ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 37 percent.
The Cavaliers are averaging 65.8 points per game, marking their highest total under head coach Tony Bennett. Virginia is averaging 26.1 bench points and has outscored its opponents 342-244 in the paint. UVa sports a balanced scoring attack, led by All-ACC performer Joe Harris at 11.4 points per game. Malcolm Brogdon is second at 10.3 points and has added a team-leading 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Versatile performer Justin Anderson has recorded 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Anthony Gill, who has led the team in scoring in four games, has registered 9.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Mike Tobey has chipped in 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Akil Mitchell has added 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Freshman London Perrantes leads the Cavaliers with 3.3 assists per game.
Virginia started four guards (Perrantes, Brogdon, Harris and Anderson) and forward (Darion Atkins) in its 66-56 win over Norfolk State. Since being re-inserted into the starting lineup against Northern Iowa, Anderson has led Virginia in scoring in each of the last two contests. Atkins has also started the last two games and had a career-high five blocks in the 57-43 win over Northern Iowa.
Up Next
Virginia opens ACC action at Florida State on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tipoff at Donald L. Tucker Center is set for5 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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Chris Graham
