Game Notes: #5 Virginia hosts Notre Dame in ACC opener on Saturday

No. 5 Virginia (11-1) opens Atlantic Coast Conference play against Notre Dame (9-3) on Saturday, Jan. 2. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 5 p.m. The game is sold out.

 

Broadcast Information: Virginia vs. Notre Dame

• The Virginia-Notre Dame game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed online at WatchESPN.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.

 

For Openers

• UVA opens its 63rd season of ACC action.
• The two-time defending ACC regular-season champion Cavaliers look to become the first team since Duke (1997-2000) to claim three straight outright ACC regular-season championships.
• Virginia and Notre Dame meet for the lone time in 2015-16.
• As of Dec. 31, UVA ranks eighth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73), tied for eighth in scoring defense (59.1 ppg), 12th in free throw percentage (76.4%), 13th in turnover margin (4.8), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (41.4%) and tied for 16th in field goal percentage (50%).

 

ACC Openers

• The Cavaliers are 6-0 in ACC openers under head coach Tony Bennett and 27-35 all-time.
• Virginia looks to win its eighth consecutive ACC opener.
• The Cavaliers defeated Miami 89-80 in overtime behind London Perrantes’ career-high 26 points in last year’s ACC season opener in Coral Gables, Fla.

 

The Head Coaches

• Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 147-65 in seven seasons at UVA and 216-98 in 10 seasons overall.
• Notre Dame: Mike Brey (George Washington, 1978), 341-168 in 16 seasons at Notre Dame and 440-220 in 21 seasons overall.

 

All-Time vs. The Fighting Irish

• Virginia is 8-1 all-time vs. Notre Dame in the series that dates back to 1980-81.
• The Cavaliers’ eight-game winning steak against the Fighting Irish includes a 62-56 win at Notre Dame in 2014-15.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 4-0 all-time against Notre Dame, including 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 Charlottesville.

 

Last Time Out

• Anthony Gill scored a team-high 17 points and Mike Tobey added a season-high 16 points to lead Virginia to a 71-58 win over Oakland on Dec. 30.
• Malcolm Brogdon added 12 points and Isaiah Wilkins chipped in a team-high eight rebounds in Virginia’s 10th straight win.
• UVA trailed 29-28 at halftime, but shot 57.1 percent (16-28) in the second half en route to the win.
• Kay Felder led Oakland with a game-high 30 points.
• The Golden Grizzlies out-rebounded the Cavaliers, 36-31.

 

On The Horizon

• Virginia travels to in-state rival Virginia Tech on Monday, Jan. 4. Tipoff for the Commonwealth Clash contest is set for 9 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.