Home #1 Virginia suffocates Pitt, wins 66-37
Basketball

#1 Virginia suffocates Pitt, wins 66-37

Chris Graham

uva basketballTop-ranked Virginia held Pitt to one field goal and seven points in the first half en route to an easy 66-37 win on Saturday.

The ‘Hoos (26-2, 15-1 ACC) clinched the program’s third ACC regular-season title in the past five seasons with the win, and improved to 8-0 on the road in conference play this season.

Pitt (8-22, 0-17 ACC) was never in the game, not even getting into double-digits until a Shamiel Stevenson jumper with 16:11 to go.

UVA led 30-7 at the half after holding Pitt to 1-of-22 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

Coach Tony Bennett was able to limit his starters’ minutes with the big lead, with Devon Hall getting the most of any of the starting five, at 26.

De’Andre Hunter scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a team-best 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench to pace the Cavaliers. Ty Jerome had 13 points, and Nigel Johnson had 12 points and three assists in 23 bench minutes.

Virginia shot 51 percent (25-of-49) from the floor and 50 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range. Pitt hit just 23.9 percent of its shots (11-of-46) and was 7-of-25 (28 percent) from three-point range.

Team Notes

  • Virginia improved to 26-2 and 15-1 ACC
  • UVA clinched its fourth outright ACC title (3rd under head coach Tony Bennett & 8th overall league title)
  • UVA won its school-record ninth consecutive ACC road contest (8-0 in 2017-18)
  • UVA is 23-3 all-time in the 13 weeks as the top-ranked team
  • UVA has a three-game winning streak vs. Pitt and is 14-4 all-time against the Panthers
  • UVA has won nine or more road games for the fourth time in school history
  • UVA held its third opponent under 40 points (Wisconsin and Clemson) and is 21-0 under Bennett when holding foes under 40
  • UVA improved to 12-0 when holding its opponent to fewer than 50 points
  • UVA is an ACC-leading 34-19 (.642) on the road over the past six seasons
  • Virginia limited its 27th opponent to less than 50 percent shooting (Pitt – 23.9%)
  • UVA has held 22 opponents to 60 points or less
  • Pitt started the game 0 of 10 from the floor, before making its first field goal at the 10-minute mark of the first half
  • Pitt shot 1 of 22 from the field (4.5%) in the first half
  • Pitt’s one first-half field goal tied the NCAA record for fewest made field goals in a half in the shot clock era (Harvard vs. Virginia on Dec. 21, 2014 & Savannah State vs. Kansas State on Jan. 7, 2008)
  • The seven points scored by Pitt in the first half marked the lowest UVA has allowed in a half in the shot clock era (since 1986)

Player Notes

  • De’Andre Hunter had his first career double-double with 14 points and career-high 10 rebounds
  • Ty Jerome (13 points) reached double figures for the 13th time this season
  • Kyle Guy extended his made 3-pointer streak to 28 games, marking the third longest streak in UVA history
  • Nigel Johnson had 12 points off the bench, most since a season-high 22 vs. Davidson (12/16/17




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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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