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Jan. 18, 2001
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#13 / #13 Virginia (12-3, 2-3 ACC) vs.
#20 Missouri (12-4, 3-1 Big 12)
January 20, 2001 – 2:00 p.m.
University Hall
Charlottesville, Va.
The Series vs. Missouri
Virginia holds a 3-0 lead in the series with Missouri with all three games taking place at different venues (one game was played on each team’s home court and another game was played at a neutral site) in the 1980s. The Cavaliers won the initial meeting 68-53 on February 20, 1983 at the Continental Airlines Arena (then known as Brendan Bryne Arena) in East Rutherford, N.J. UVa won the second meeting 64-62 on February 9, 1986 in Columbia, Mo. Virginia improved to 3-0 versus the Tigers with a 66-50 win at University Hall on January 7, 1987.
Virginia vs. the Big 12 Conference
Given the geographic disparity of the Big 12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, it isn’t surprising that Virginia rarely plays schools from the Big 12.
Against the 12 current members of the Big 12, the Cavaliers are 5-7 all-time. The Cavaliers are 3-0 vs. Missouri, 1-1 vs. Oklahoma, 1-2 vs. Kansas, and 0-1 vs. Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
Virginia has played only one game against a team when they were a member of the Big 12 Conference (the Big 12 was formed in the 1996-97 season). In that game, the Cavaliers lost to Nebraska 80-65 in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 27, 1997.
UVa’s last win over one of the Big 12’s current teams was in the 1994-95 season. Virginia defeated Kansas 67-58 in the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament on March 24 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 319-159 record for a .667 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 45-31 record (.592 winning percentage). Gillen won the 300th game of his career when Virginia defeated then 21st-ranked North Carolina 87-85 on January 18, 2000 at University Hall.
Gillen has led his teams to postseason play 12 times in 15 seasons (eight NCAA, four NIT). He has been selected as the conference Coach of the Year five times – all while coaching Xavier (Midwestern Collegiate Conference).
ESPN2 Televising Today’s Game
Today’s game will be televised by ESPN2. The game was originally scheduled to be televised by ABC, but because of the Presidential Inauguration the game was moved to ESPN2. Tipoff is still scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Cavaliers 2-1 on Inauguration Day
Today’s game marks the fourth time in the history of the Virginia men’s basketball program that the Cavaliers have played on Inauguration Day. Virginia is 2-1 in Inauguration Day contests. The most recent game was on Bill Clinton’s inauguration on January 20, 1993 when UVa suffered its only Inauguration Day loss with an 80-58 setback to North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
On January 20, 1977, Jimmy Carter’s inauguration, the Cavaliers defeated Delaware 74-71 at University Hall. The first time UVa played on Inauguration Day was January 20, 1945, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for a record fourth term. That evening the Cavaliers down in-state rival Virginia Tech 44-34 in Blacksburg. Virginia was supposed to play Navy on January 20, 1937, but the game was moved to the following day due to the inauguration of FDR.
Good Start
Virginia began the 2000-2001 season with 10 consecutive wins before falling to Wake Forest (Jan. 2), marking its best start since the 1992-93 campaign. The 1992-93 team started the season with an 11-0 record. The 10 straight wins to start this season marked the eighth time in the 96-year history of the men’s basketball program UVa won 10 games to start a season.
The Cavaliers now stand at 12-3 on the season.
The AP and USA Today/ESPN Polls
The Cavaliers continue to be ranked highly in The Associated Press and USAToday/ESPN Top 25 polls. In the AP poll released January 15 Virginia is ranked 13th and the Cavaliers are also ranked 13th in the USAToday/ESPN poll released January 14. Virginia had been ranked as high as eighth in the AP poll (Dec. 25 and Jan. 1), which was UVa’s highest AP ranking since being ranked seventh in the poll on January 18, 1993. The Cavaliers’ ranking of ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll is their highest since earning the eighth spot in the final poll of the 1994-95 season (April 4, 1995).
For the first time since the 1995-96 season, the Virginia men’s basketball team opened a season ranked in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls. Virginia was ranked 24th in the AP’s preseason poll and 25th in the preseason USAToday/ESPN poll.
Before the 1995-1996 season Virginia was ranked 19th in the AP and 14th in the USA Today/ESPN polls. The last time the Cavs appeared in any poll prior to this season came during the 1996-97 season when they were ranked 25th in the AP poll (12/3/96).
Non-Conference Schedule
The Cavaliers have won their first 10 non-conference games of the 2000-2001 season. Today’s game against Missouri is UVa’s last non-conference game of the regular season. A win over the Tigers would mark the first time since the 1981-82 season Virginia has gone undefeated in non-conference regular season play. In the 1981-82 season, UVa won all 15 of its regular season non-conference games and was 30-4 overall (12-2 in the ACC).
The 1999-2000 Season
Virginia finished the 1999-2000 season with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavs advanced to postseason play for the first time since receiving a bid to the 1997 NCAA Tournament, but fell to Georgetown in the first round of the 2000 National Invitation Tournament 115-111 in triple overtime.
A Top Five Win
The Cavaliers’ 107-89 win over fourth-ranked Tennessee (Dec. 19) at the Jimmy V Classic marked the first time since the 1995 season that Virginia defeated a top-five ranked team. UVa’s last win against a top five team prior to the Tennessee victory was a 67-58 win over Kansas in the Sweet 16 of the 1995 NCAA Tournament on March 24 in Kansas City, Mo. The Jayhawks were ranked fourth in the AP poll and fifth in the USAToday/ESPN poll at the time.
Getting the Lead…And Keeping it
Through 15 games and 600 minutes of the 2000-2001 season, the Cavaliers have trailed for 136:23 – and 96:45 of that came in the Cavaliers’ three losses – Wake Forest (Jan. 2), Georgia Tech (Jan. 9) and Duke (Jan. 13). In 12 wins, Virginia has trailed for only 47:12 and 31:55 of that came in UVa’s win over N.C. State (Jan. 6).
Virginia has not fallen behind in four of its 15 games this season.
A Rare Feat
Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,293 points, 347 rebounds, 453 assists and 158 steals in his career. Hand is just the third UVa player with at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 steals in a career. The other two UVa players to accomplish the feat are Othell Wilson (1981-84) – 1,469 points, 375 rebounds, 493 assists and 222 steals, and Harold Deane (1994-97) – 1,763 points, 440 rebounds, 468 assists and 179 steals.
Scoring Lots of Points
The Cavaliers are off to an excellent start offensively in the 2000-2001 season. Through the first 15 games of the season, UVa is averaging 88.4 points per game which is third among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools and fifth in the nation. The school record for the highest scoring average is 89.8 points per game in the 1954-55 season.
UVa is also shooting 46.4 percent (454-978) from the floor this season. The last time Virginia shot better than 46.4 percent from the floor in a season was in the 1986-87 season when it shot 49.6 percent (888-1789) from the floor. The last time UVa shot 50 percent from the field in a season was in the 1985-86 season when the Cavaliers connected on 50.1 percent (838-1672) from the floor.
Big Wins
Eleven of the Cavaliers 12 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Eight of the 12 wins have been by 19 or more points. UVa’s seven-point win (88-81) over N.C. State (Jan. 6) is its smallest margin of victory this season. Virginia is also outscoring its opponents by 16.2 points per game (88.4 to 72.2).
Big Leads
One of the reasons for Virginia’s early season success is its ability to build big leads. In nine of Virginia’s wins this season, it built leads of 20 or more points. In two Cavalier victories (VMI – Dec. 4 and UMBC – Dec. 23), they led by at least 18 points. UVa’s smallest lead in a win was 10 points (N.C. State – Jan. 6).
The exact opposite is true in UVa’s three losses this season. The Cavaliers’ biggest lead in a loss is five points (Georgia Tech – Jan. 9). In its loss to Wake Forest (Jan. 2), Virginia’s largest lead was two points. UVa never led in its loss to Duke (Jan. 13).
Overcoming a Deficit
In addition to being able to build big leads, Virginia showed its ability to overcome a deficit in its 88-81 victory over N.C. State (Jan. 6). The Cavaliers trailed by 11 points (55-44) with 15:54 to go in the game, but outscored the Wolfpack 44-26 the rest of the way to earn an 88-81 victory.
Only One Steal
The Cavaliers had just one steal in their 96-73 loss at Wake Forest (Jan. 2). The last time UVa had only one steal in a game was against Duke on March 5, 1998. It wasn’t the fewest steals ever in a game against the Deacs, as UVa went without a steal against Wake Forest on January 4, 1998.
Raining Threes
Virginia turned in one of its best long range shooting performances of the season against Florida State (Jan. 16). The Cavaliers converted 11 of 23 three-point attempts (47.8 percent) with the 11 threes setting a season high. The previous season high was 10 threes (Long Island University – Nov. 17 and Tennessee – Dec. 19). The 11 threes are the most since Virginia converted 12 three-pointers against Clemson last season (Jan. 15).
50 Point Halves
Virginia has put together 11 50-plus point halves this season in 15 games (30 halves) – that translates to 36.7 percent of the halves in which UVa has reached 50 points. Last season, the Cavaliers only had seven 50-plus point halves in 31 games (62 halves) – or 11.3 percent.
Finally 50 Percent
After shooting 26.8 percent (19-71) from the field against Duke (Jan. 13), the Cavaliers more than doubled their shooting percentage against Florida State (Jan. 16). In the win over the Seminoles, UVa shot an impressive 55.7 percent (34-61) from the field – that’s an increase of 28.9 percent. UVa’s 55.7 percent performance also snapped a streak of four consecutive games Virginia shot under 50 percent. During that span, UVa was 88-246 (35.8 percent) from the field.
50 Points
Virginia has held three of its opponents to 50 points or less this season. UVa limited Virginia Tech to 48 points in its 64-48 victory (Nov. 24) for its season low. Virginia held Bucknell to 49 points in a 99-49 victory (Dec. 28) and Long Island University to 50 points in a 96-50 triumph (Nov. 17).
When UVa limited Virginia Tech to 48 points, it marked the fewest points the Cavaliers have allowed in a game under head coach Pete Gillen. The previous record for fewest points allowed in a game under Gillen was 50 by Dartmouth last season (Jan. 2, 2000) and Long Island University earlier this season (Nov. 17).
Prior to holding Virginia Tech to 48 points, UVa’s opponents were averaging 75.8 points per game during Gillen’s tenure. Virginia held the Hokies nearly 28 points below that average.
This season, UVa has held its first 15 opponents to an average of 72.2 points per game. Last year, the Cavaliers gave up 75.4 points per game.
117
Virginia’s offense was rolling in its victory over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20). The Cavaliers lit up the scoreboard in the 117-78 victory with the 117 points tying for the fourth highest single game output in school history. UVa also scored 117 points against Baldwin-Wallace (117-83) in the 1972 season. The school record for points in a game is 128 vs. George Mason (128-98) in 1995. The second highest output is 124 points against Johns Hopkins (124-60) in the 1983 season, while the third highest point total is 118 vs. BYU-Hawaii (118-84) in the 1982 season.
The Cavaliers’ 117 points are the most the team has scored since a 115-111 triple overtime loss to Georgetown in last season’s NIT.
70
Virginia scored 70 points in the second half of its 117-78 victory over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20), which is believed to be a school record for points in a half. The previous known high for points in a half was 69 in the second half of UVa’s 128-98 victory over George Mason on January 28, 1995. Virginia scored 67 points in the second half of a 124-60 win against Johns Hopkins on November 26, 1982.
Consistency
Junior forward Chris Williams has quietly been UVa’s most consistent player this season. Williams has reached double figures in scoring in the last 12 games and in 13 of 15 this season (the two games he failed to reach double figures in scoring, he had nine points). In addition to his scoring, Williams has also been a consistent rebounder. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in 11 of 15 contests.
On the season, Williams is leading the team in scoring with an average of 14.9 points per game (ninth in the ACC). He is second in rebounds with 5.9 per game. Williams leads the team in field goal percentage at 52.6 percent (82-156) and is second in steals (24). Williams is also fifth in free throw percentage (78.0 percent, 46-59) and has made 34 of his last 41 free throws (82.9 percent).
Hand Equals Career High in Assists
Senior guard Donald Hand dished out 11 assists in the Cavaliers’ 117-78 win over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20) to tie his career high. He also recorded 11 assists last season against Hampton (Dec. 10, 1999).
Joining the Millennium Club
Virginia junior forward Chris Williams became UVa’s 34th player to score 1,000 career points when he drilled a three-point basket with 6:10 remaining in the first half against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20). Williams finished the game with 15 points and currently has 1,208 in his career. He is now 26th on UVa’s all-time scoring list. He needs 11 points to move ahead of Jim Miller (1982-85) into 25th place. Williams joins senior guard Donald Hand as current players reaching the 1,000-point plateau. Hand scored his 1,000th point on Feb. 5, 2000 versus Duke and currently has 1,293 points. Hand is 18th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list and needs 29 points to move into 17th place ahead of Norman Nolan (1995-98).
Hand and Williams are the first pair of UVa teammates to both have recorded 1,000 career points since Curtis Staples (1,757 points) and Norman Nolan (1,321) played together during the 1997-98 season.
Overcoming Great Shooting
The Cavaliers defeated N.C. State (Jan. 6) 88-81 despite the Wolfpack shooting 61.2 percent (30-49) in the game. Virginia opponents have shot better than 60 percent in a game 46 times through the years and UVa has won nine of those contests. The last time Virginia defeated an opponent that shot 60 percent or better in a game was Missouri (64-62) on February 9, 1986. The Tigers shot exactly 60 percent (30-50) from the field in the game. The previous ACC opponent UVa defeated that shot 60 percent or better in a game was Clemson (77-70) on February 21, 1984. Clemson shot 67.5 percent (27-40) in the game.
No Turnovers
In UVa’s 98-79 win over Purdue (Nov. 29), senior guard Donald Hand handed out eight assists and did not commit a turnover. It marked the third time in his career that he did not commit a turnover in a game. The other no turnover games came last season against Clemson (Jan. 15) – 5 assists, 0 turnovers, and Florida State (Jan. 26) – 3 assists, 0 turnovers.
NCAA Statistics
Virginia appears in several categories in the NCAA Division I statistics for games played through January 15.
Individually, guard Donald Hand is 17th in assists with 6.5 per game. Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson is 40th in rebounding with an average of 9.4 per game. Watson is presently averaging 9.3 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Cavaliers are fifth in scoring offense at 88.4 points per game. Virginia is 13th in the nation in scoring margin at plus 16.1 points per game (88.4 to 72.3). That margin is presently 16.2 points per game (88.4 to 72.2). UVa is 14th in rebound margin at plus 7.6 per game (40.4 to 32.8). The margin is currently 7.1 rebounds per game (39.4 to 32.3).
Shooting the Long Ball
Virginia’s current roster features four of the top 11 career three-point field goal leaders in school history. Senior guard Donald Hand currently ranks fifth with 136 three-pointers and needs seven threes to move into fourth place. Junior Chris Williams, graduate student Keith Friel and junior Adam Hall are also ranked in the top 11 of UVa’s three-point field goal list. Williams is currently eighth with 84, while Friel is in ninth place with 80 career threes in just two seasons. Hall is 11th all-time with 69 three-pointers.
Friel has opened the 2000-2001 season by making 35 of 74 (47.3 percent) three-point field goal attempts. In the 1999-2000 season, Friel’s first at UVa, he hit 45-109 (.413) three-pointers. Friel’s 41.3 percent accuracy from behind the line last season ranks as the fifth best performance by a Cavalier in that category. In addition to his 80 career threes at Virginia, Friel also made 60 three-pointers in two seasons at Notre Dame and has a total of 140 career threes.
Truly a Charity Stripe
Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., has made the most of his free throw attempts this season. Mason had made his last 45 consecutive free throw attempts before missing his third attempt against N.C. State (Jan. 6). Mason was just three free throws shy of equalling Jeff Lamps’ 1979-80 school record of 48 consecutive made free throws. On the season, Mason has made 74-84 (88.1 percent) free throw attempts, which is second in the ACC.
Against UMBC (Dec. 23), Mason made all 14 of his free throw attempts and his perfect effort tied the second best free throw performance by a UVa player in a game. Bryant Stith made all 14 of his free throws against Georgia Tech on January 21, 1990. Buzzy Wilkinson holds the school record with a perfect 17 for 17 effort against Washington & Lee on January 14, 1955. Mason’s 14-14 effort against UMBC ties for the third best performance in NCAA Division I this season.
With his 88.1 percent (74-84) accuracy from the free throw line this season, Mason is ahead of Jeff Lamp’s school record for free throw percentage in a single season. Lamp made 154-178 free throws for 86.5 percent in the 1980-81 season. Mason has made 137-161 free throws in his career for a mark of 85.1 percent, which surpasses Lamp’s UVa career free throw percentage of 84.9 percent (635-748).
Mason’s streak of 45 consecutive free throws made began against Purdue (Nov. 29) when he made his last four free throws (he was five for six in the game). Mason was two for two against VMI (Dec. 4), four for four versus Ohio (Dec. 6), and nine for nine against Tennessee (Dec. 19). He was 14-14 against UMBC (Dec. 23), before going three for three against Bucknell (Dec. 28). Against Dartmouth (Dec. 30), Mason was four for four from the line and made three free throws versus Wake Forest (Jan. 2). He made his first two free throws against N.C. State (Jan. 6) before seeing his streak end at 45.
Mason Sets Career Highs
Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., set career highs for points and assists in a game in UVa’s 117-78 win over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20). Mason tallied 28 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the field, including a two-for-three effort from three-point range, and he also made six of seven free throws. His former career best was 22 points against Duke (Jan. 5, 2000). With seven assists against the Chanticleers, Mason surpassed his previous career best of four assists on three different occasions.
Mason is currently the Cavaliers’ second leading scorer with an average of 14.5 points per game (13th in the ACC) and is second the ACC in free throw percentage at 88.1 percent (74-84).
No Blocks For and Against
The Cavaliers have failed to block an opponent’s’ shot in the past two games – Duke (Jan. 13) and Florida State (Jan. 16), marking the eighth time in school history UVa has not blocked a shot in consecutive games. The last time UVa failed to block a shot in consecutive games was in the 1988-89 season (Georgia Tech – Feb. 6 and Duke – Feb. 8). In the 1986-87 season, the Cavaliers had a streak of three consecutive games in which they failed to block a shot (Rutgers – Dec. 29, Duke – Jan. 3, and Brown – Jan. 5).
N.C. State (Jan. 6) did not block a Virginia shot, marking the first time this season and third in the past two years, a UVa opponent failed to block a shot in a game.
The last Virginia ACC opponent prior to N.C. State that failed to block a UVa shot was Clemson (Jan. 17, 1999).
Against Duke (Jan. 13), Virginia failed to block a Blue Devil shot. It is the first time in 2000-2001 UVa did not block a shot in a game. Last season, the Cavaliers failed to block a shot in three games and the last time that occurred was against Wake Forest (Mar. 2).
Hand’s Free Throw Streak Ends at 33
Senior guard Donald Hand had his impressive streak of consecutive made free throws end at 33 against Wake Forest (Jan. 2). Hand converted his first eight attempts from the line in the game before missing his next two free throws with 5:53 remaining in the contest. Hand’s streak dated back to the Purdue game (Nov. 29) when he made his final six attempts (he was nine of 11 in the game).
On the season, Hand has made 54 of 62 free throw attempts for an impressive 87.1 percent, which is third in the ACC. He is also on pace to break Jeff Lamp’s UVa single season free throw percentage record (154-178 – 86.5%).
Taking Care of the Basketball
In 15 games this season, the Cavaliers have committed 210 turnovers for an average of 14.0 per game. UVa has committed more than 15 turnovers in a game only four times this season – 21 vs. Duke (Jan. 13), 23 vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 9), 17 vs. Tennessee (Dec. 19) and 17 vs. Virginia Tech (Nov. 24). On the other hand, Virginia’s opponents have committed 298 turnovers for an average of 19.9 per game. The fewest turnovers a UVa opponent has committed in a game this season is nine by Wake Forest (Jan. 2).
The Cavaliers have committed more turnovers than their opponent in a game just three times this season – and all three times UVa has lost.
Hand Among Assists and Steals Leaders
In addition to holding the fifth spot on UVa’s career three-point field goal list (136 three-pointers), senior guard Donald Hand ranks in Virginia’s top 10 in both career assists and steals. Hand is fifth on the Cavaliers’ all-time assists list with 453. He needs 16 assists to move past Harold Deane’s (1994-97) fourth place total of 468. Hand is also sixth in career steals with 158. He needs two more to tie Richard Morgan (1986-89) for fifth place. In addition, Hand is 18th on UVa’s career scoring list with 1,293 points. With 29 more points, Hand will move into 17th place all-time.
Good Ratio
On the season, senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 98 assists (6.5 assists per game) while committing 48 turnovers for a 2.0 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.
Hand is second among all ACC players with 6.5 assists per game. He is fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 11.4 points per game. He also leads the team with 26 steals.
Watson Ties Career High in Rebounds
Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson tied his career high by pulling down 16 rebounds against UMBC (Dec. 23). His 16 rebounds equalled his career high set against Duke on January 5, 2000.
Watson also scored 19 points against the Retrievers (just one point shy of his career high) for his third double-double of the season and 11th of his career. Against Bucknell (Dec. 28), Watson posted 14 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds against N.C. State (Jan. 6). Watson added his sixth double-double of the season and 14th of his career with 11 points and 11 rebounds versus Georgia Tech (Jan. 9).
Watson is third on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game and leads the team with 9.3 rebounds per game. He has led the team in rebounding in eight consecutive games and 13 times (in 15 games) this season. He is first in the ACC in rebounding and is tied for first in double-doubles (6).
Rebounding
The undersized Cavaliers have been rebounding the basketball very well this season and hold an ACC leading plus 7.1 margin (39.4-32.3) over their opponents. Through 15 games, Virginia has only been outrebounded twice (VMI 41-39 on Dec. 4 and Duke 43-41 on Jan. 13). In six games, UVa has outrebounded its opponent by 11 or more rebounds. Last season, UVa averaged 36.3 rebounds per game compared to 39.4 this year. On the offensive glass, the Cavaliers are averaging 16.1 per game this year compared to 12.7 per game last season.
Back on Track
After making only two of his last nine three-point attempts, graduate student guard Keith Friel found his shooting touch against Florida State (Jan. 16). Friel connected on five of nine three-point attempts (seven of 11 field goal attempts overall) and scored a UVa career-high 22 points against the Seminoles. He scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half. In his previous three games, Friel scored only eight points.
In addition to the 22 points, Friel also set personal Virginia career highs in field goal made (7) and attempted (11) and minutes played (25).
On the season, Friel is averaging 9.3 points per game and is shooting 47.3 percent (35-74) from three-point range. He is also shooting 92.9 percent (13-14) from the free throw line and has made his last 13 free throw attempts.
Missing Friel
Graduate student guard Keith Friel did not play in UVa’s game against UMBC (Dec. 23) and consequently, the Cavaliers struggled from beyond the three-point arc. UVa made just one of 13 three-point attempts, marking the fewest three-pointers the Cavaliers have made in a game in the Pete Gillen era.
The Cavaliers entered the game against UMBC averaging 7.7 three-point field goals per game and 43.2 percent (54-125) from beyond the arc, but were just one of 13 against the Retrievers.
When Friel does not play in a game, Virginia is 1-13 (7.7 percent) from three-point range. When Friel plays, UVa shoots 37.7 percent (97-257) from beyond the arc.
Friel For Three
Guard Keith Friel is off to a fine shooting start this season. Friel has made 35 of 74 three-point attempts for an impressive .473 shooting percentage. He is third in the ACC in three-point field goal shooting. Friel made a UVa career-high five three-pointers on eight attempts against Virginia Tech (Nov. 24) and scored 15 points. Friel made four of five three-point attempts in scoring a then UVa career-high 16 points against Ohio (Dec. 6). He made four of six threes scoring 16 points against Tennessee (Dec. 19). Against Florida State (Jan. 16), Friel established a new UVa career high for points with 22 and equalled his Virginia career high with five threes (on nine attempts). His overall career best effort from beyond the arc is eight threes against Syracuse (Jan. 21, 1998) while playing for Notre Dame.
Guard Keith Friel is shooting better from three-point range than he is from inside the arc. Friel has connected on 35 of 74 three-point attempts for 47.3 percent, while his two-point field goal percentage is just 33.3 percent (6-18).
Great Second Half
Junior forward Chris Williams had a tremendous second half against N.C. State (Jan. 6) as he scored all 17 of his points, including an eight of eight effort from the free throw line, and added six of his seven rebounds. Williams played just three minutes of the first half and had one rebound and one assist after getting into early foul trouble. Just 21 seconds into the second half, Williams picked up his fourth foul, but stayed in the game.
That’s when Williams went to work. He scored seven-straight UVa points in a span of 2:15 and 10 of the next 12. Williams came out of the game at the 13:19 mark, but returned with 11:36 to play. He drained a three-point field goal at the 11:04 mark to pull UVa within two (60-58). Williams also made four free throws down the stretch.
Six in Double Figures
Virginia had six players reach double figures in scoring in its 107-89 win over Tennessee (Dec. 19). Donald Hand led the way with 21, while Roger Mason, Jr., added 18. Keith Friel and Stephane Dondon tallied 16 points apiece, while Chris Williams and Travis Watson both contributed 11 points.
It marked the first time UVa had six players score in double figures this season and the third straight game that at least five players reached double figures. The last time Virginia had six players score in double figures was December 10, 1999 when Chris Williams (18), Adam Hall (15), Donald Hand (15), Willie Dersch (11), Josh Hare (10) and Travis Watson (10) reached double digits in a 102-56 win at Hampton.
12 Different Scorers Times Three
The Cavaliers had 12 players score points in their 99-49 win over Bucknell (Dec. 28) with nine players scoring seven or more points. It marked the third time this season UVa had 12 players score in a game. The Cavaliers had 12 players score in the first two games of the 2000-2001 season. ln their season-opening 96-50 victory over Long Island University (Nov. 17), the Cavaliers had 12 different players score with eight players tallying seven or more points. In UVa’s 117-78 win over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20), nine of the 12 players who scored had six or more points.
Last season, Virginia had 12 players score in a game four times. UVa had 12 players score in wins over VMI (11/21/99), Loyola (12/8/99), Hampton (12/10/99), and Dartmouth (1/2/00).