Third-ranked UVA (14-0, 2-0 ACC) plays at No. 13 Notre Dame (15-1, 3-0 ACC) in a key ACC showdown on Saturday, Jan. 10. Tipoff at Purcell Pavilion is set for 6 p.m.
For Openers
- Virginia (14-0) is off to its best start since the 1980-81 season when that team led by legendary center Ralph Sampson started 23-0.
- The 1980-81 top-ranked Cavaliers’ 23-game winning streak to start the season ended with a 57-56 loss to then-No. 11 Notre Dame at the Rosemont Horizon on Feb. 22, 1981.
- UVa have a seven-game winning streak against Notre Dame.
- UVa ranks second in the nation in scoring defense at 50.8 points per game.
The Head Coaches
Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 120-60 in six seasons at UVa and 189-93 in nine seasons overall.
Notre Dame: Mike Brey (George Washington, 1982), 315-160 in 15 seasons at Notre Dame and 414-211 in 20 seasons overall.
UVa Ranked in Top 10 For 10 Straight Weeks
- UVa is ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls for the second straight week.
- The Cavaliers have been ranked in the top 10 for the first nine weeks of the season for the first time since 1982-83.
- The No. 9 AP preseason ranking was UVa’s best since a No. 1 ranking to start the 1982-83 season.
Virginia All-Time vs. Notre Dame
- Virginia is 7-1 all-time vs. Notre Dame in the series that dates back to 1980-81.
- The Cavaliers’ seven-game winning steak against the Fighting Irish includes a pair of wins last season (68-53 win in Notre Dame and 70-49 in Charlottesville).
- Head coach Tony Bennett is 3-0 all-time against Notre Dame, including both wins last season and a 61-41 win over the Fighting Irish as head coach at Washington State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
- The Cavaliers are 2-0 against the Fighting Irish in Notre Dame.
Last Time Out
- Justin Anderson had a game-high 16 points and matched a career high with nine rebounds as Virginia turned back NC State 61-51 in ACC action on Jan. 7.
- Malcolm Brogdon added 14 points, Anthony Gill had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Mike Tobey contributed 11 points off the bench.
- Virginia led 32-31 at the half and held NC State to 36 percent field goal shooting in the second stanza to secure the win.
- Virginia outrebounded NC State 39-30 and went 9-10 from the free-throw line in its 19th-straight home victory.
- Ralston Turner led the Wolfpack with 14 points and Kyle Washington added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Last Time vs. Notre Dame
- Akil Mitchell and Anthony Gill both had 15 points as Virginia used a 30-2 second-half run to defeat Notre Dame 70-49 on Feb. 22, 2014 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- UVa held a 48-43 lead when Justin Anderson blocked Zach Auguste’s dunk attempt, sending the Cavaliers on a fast break that Gill finished with a two-hand dunk.
- Pat Connaughton led the Fighting Irish with 11 points.
- Brogdon added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for UVa, which shot a season-high 63.6 percent (28-of-44) from the field.
On The Horizon
- Virginia hosts Clemson in ACC action on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.