Virginia Hosts Wake Forest Saturday Night

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Feb. 2, 2001

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#11 / #11 Virginia (15-4, 4-4 ACC) vs.
#16 / #12 Wake Forest (15-5, 4-4 ACC)
February 3, 2001 – 8:00 p.m.
University Hall – Charlottesville, Va.

The Series vs. Wake Forest
Virginia led the all-time series with Wake Forest entering the 1990s, but the Demon Deacons have had the better of the Cavaliers the last decade and now lead the series 58-53. The Deacs have won 12 of the last 16 meetings and 17 of the 27 matchups since the 1989-90 season. Wake won the first meeting this season 96-73 (Jan. 2) in Winston-Salem, N.C. in a matchup of two top 10 teams (UVa was ranked eighth in the AP poll and Wake was fourth).

The Cavaliers have won 16 of the last 22 games played at University Hall. Wake Forest has won five of the last seven games in Charlottesville dating back to the 1992-93 season, including an 80-75 win last season (Mar. 2). UVa’s last home win over Wake was a 64-54 triumph (Feb. 3) in the 1998-99 season. Virginia leads 30-18 in games played in Charlottesville.

Tough to Shoot Well vs. Wake Forest
Virginia has had a rough time on the offensive end against Wake Forest since Dave Odom took over the Demon Deacons’ coaching reins in 1989-90. Odom has built Wake Forest into one of the toughest defensive squads in the nation and the Demon Deacons have been particularly effective against Virginia. The Cavaliers have shot 46 percent or better against Wake Forest just five times in the last 27 games. All five games resulted in Virginia wins. UVa is 10-17 vs. Wake Forest since 1989-90.

Virginia has shot 40.5 percent from the floor and averaged 64.0 points per game during Odom’s tenure at Wake Forest.

Similarly, the Cavalier defense has been almost as stingy as Wake’s. The Deacons have made 43.1 percent of their field goal attempts over the last 27 meetings and have averaged 66.9 points per game.

Wake Forest topped 50 percent shooting from the floor only three times since 1989-90 against Virginia and all three times it occurred in Winston-Salem. Those games are?52.1 percent (25-48) in a 74-66 win on February 10, 1991, 55.8 percent (29-52) in an 81-64 win on January 24, 1996, and 58.1 percent (36-62) in a 96-73 win earlier this season (Jan. 2).

A breakdown of both teams’ offensive performance since the 1989-90 season in wins and losses is below.

Free Throws Make the Difference
Virginia has made more field goals than Wake Forest in five of the last nine meetings. That hasn’t done much good as the Cavaliers have lost six of nine games with the Demon Deacons in the last five seasons.

One area that has been particularly evident in Wake Forest’s ability to offset field goal differential is the Demon Deacons’ propensity to get to the free throw line. UVa has attempted more free throws than Wake Forest in a game just three times in the last five seasons (nine games) – in two of those games, UVa attempted just one more free throw. In the first meeting this season it was a dead heat from the free throw line as UVa was 21-29 and Wake was 21-28. Last season, in an 80-75 loss at U-Hall (Mar. 2), UVa attempted one more free throw than Wake (27-26), but the Deacs made four more free throws (21-17). In Virginia’s 64-54 win over the Demon Deacons on February 3, 1999, the Cavaliers attempted 32 free throws (and made 26), while Wake was 12-13 from the line.

The Deacs have enjoyed a huge advantage in free throws in the last five seasons, especially in close games.

A look at the free throw differential is below.

Earlier This Season vs. Wake Forest
In the first meeting of the season against the Deacs, Virginia fell to then fourth-ranked Wake Forest 96-73 (Jan. 2) in the ACC opener for both schools at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. The loss snapped UVa’s 10-game season-opening winning streak.

Junior forward Chris Williams led Virginia with 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Senior guard Donald Hand added 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Graduate student guard Keith Friel tallied 10 points to round out the Cavaliers’ double figure scorers. Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson led UVa in rebounds with nine and also added nine points and two blocked shots.

The Demon Deacons shot 58.1 percent (36-62) from the field while holding Virginia to 40.7 percent (24-59) shooting. Wake Forest committed only nine turnovers in the game with the Cavaliers getting just one steal.

UVa held a 25-23 lead with 8:44 left in the first half, but the Deacs went on an 18-6 run over the next 5:34 to take a 41-31 advantage. Wake led 47-37 at the half. With Wake Forest leading by 22, 69-47, with 13:50 to go, the Cavaliers went on an 11-0 run to trim Wake’s lead in half. The Deacs responded with an 11-2 spurt. Darius Songaila led Wake Forest with 27 points and six rebounds.

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 322-160 record for a .668 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 48-32 record (.600 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).

Undefeated in Non-Conference Action
The Cavaliers won all 11 of their non-conference games this season, marking 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).

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 15-4 on the season.

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.

The 1994-95 season was also the last time Virginia defeated two top five teams in the same season. The Cavaliers’ first top five win of the 1994-95 season was against second-ranked North Carolina (73-71) on February 19 in Charlottesville. UVa beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament for its second top five win of the year.

The last time Virginia defeated a top five team on the road was on January 17, 1993 when UVa defeated third-ranked Duke 77-69 in Durham, N.C.

It Won’t Get Any Easier
The Cavaliers have already played four top 10 teams in conference play (and are 1-3), but still have four more ACC games against top 16 competition of which three are against top 10 teams. The good news, if there is any, is that Virginia played three of its top 10 conference matchups on the road and three of the four top 16 games that remain (including tonight’s game against Wake Forest) will be played at University Hall where the Cavaliers are 10-1 this season.

A Rare Feat
Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,363 points, 360 rebounds, 484 assists and 165 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 having an excellent season offensively. Through the first 19 games of the season, UVa is averaging 89.2 points per game which is third among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools and fourth 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 46.8 percent (581-1242) from the floor this season. The last time Virginia shot better than 46.8 percent from the field 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
Thirteen of the Cavaliers 15 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Ten of the 15 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 outscoring its opponents in its wins by 25.0 points per game (94.1 to 69.1). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 15.7 points per game (89.2 to 73.5).

Big Leads
One of the reasons for Virginia’s early season success is its ability to build big leads. In 11 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. In its win over Missouri (Jan. 20), Virginia led by as many as 15 points. UVa’s smallest lead in a win was 10 points (N.C. State – Jan. 6).

The exact opposite is true in UVa’s four losses this season. The Cavaliers’ biggest lead in a loss is five points (Georgia Tech – Jan. 9 and North Carolina – Jan. 24). 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).

Raining Threes
Virginia turned in three of its best long range shooting performances of the season over the last five games. 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 at the time. Against Clemson (Jan. 27), UVa made a season-best 12 three-point field goals on 24 attempts (50 percent). In its last outing against Maryland (Jan. 31), the Cavaliers made 10 of 20 three-point attempts (50 percent).

Being Outshot
Virginia got off to a great start shooting the basketball this season, but has managed to shoot 50 percent only three times in its last nine games. UVa’s opponents have reached 50 percent shooting six times this year and five times in the last nine games. On the season, UVa is outshooting it opponents 46.8 percent to 45.9 percent in all games, but the Cavaliers are being outshot 51.9 percent to 44.2 percent in ACC contests.

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.

50 Point Halves
Virginia has put together 14 50-plus point halves this season in 19 games (38 halves) – that translates to 36.8 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.

Against Clemson (Jan. 27), the Cavaliers shot 57.4 percent (39-68), marking the first time since February 14, 1998, UVa has shot better than 50 percent in an ACC contest on the road. In that game, UVa shot 52.2 percent (36-69) but lost to Georgia Tech 105-86 in Atlanta, Ga.

50 Percent in Back-to-Back ACC Games
In addition to shooting 57.4 percent (39-68) against Clemson (Jan. 27), the Cavaliers shot 52.9 percent (36-68) against Maryland (Jan. 31). It marked the first time in 11 years (almost to the day) that Virginia shot 50 percent or better in back-to-back ACC games. In the 1990-91 season, UVa shot 56.6 percent (43-76) in a 104-72 win over N.C. State (Jan. 29), and then shot exactly 50 percent (33-66) in an 83-80 win over Wake Forest (Feb. 2). Both games were played in Charlottesville.

20/20
The Cavaliers have won their last two ACC games by more than 20 points (UVa won at Clemson 104-76 – Jan. 27, and defeated Maryland 99-78 at University Hall – Jan. 31). The last time Virginia posted back-to-back 20-plus point ACC wins was in the 1993-94 season. In the 1993-94 season, the Cavaliers defeated Florida State 84-64 (Jan. 6, 1994) and then beat N.C. State 79-58 (Jan. 9, 1994). Both games were played in Charlottesville.

Second Half Shooting Surge
The Cavaliers are 4-1 in their last five games and a lot of that has to do with UVa’s shooting in the second half. In the last five games, Virginia shot 59.5 percent (94-158) in the second half and averaged 51.6 points. In three of the five games, UVa has shot better than 60 percent in the second half – Florida State (Jan. 16) – 64.5 percent (20-31), Clemson (Jan. 27) – 66.7 percent (22-33), and Maryland (Jan. 31) – 64.5 percent (20-31).

Over the last three games (North Carolina, Clemson, and Maryland), the Cavaliers shot 62.1 percent (59-95) in the second half.

Conversely, in the first half of the last five games, UVa shot 40.1 percent (67-167) and averaged 40 points.

100 Points on the Road
Virginia scored 104 points in its victory over Clemson (Jan. 27) and it marked the first time since the 1982-83 season the Cavaliers reached the century mark in an ACC road game. The last time Virginia scored 100 points in an ACC away game was on March 2, 1983 when the Cavaliers defeated Wake Forest 107-74 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum and Memorial Coliseum both served as home courts for the Deacs).

Plus 11
Virginia is 11 games over .500 through 19 games this season. It marks the first time since the 1994-95 season UVa has been 11 games over .500. In 1994-95, Virginia was 17-6 after 23 games.

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 19 opponents to an average of 73.5 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.

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.

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 16 games and in 17 of 19 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 15 of 19 contests. Williams registered double-doubles in consecutive contests (Missouri – Jan. 20 and North Carolina – Jan. 24).

On the season, Williams is leading the team in scoring with an average of 15.6 points per game (eighth in the ACC) and 17.0 points per game in ACC contests (eighth in the ACC). He is second on the team in rebounds with 6.6 per game (7.1 in ACC play). Williams leads the team in field goal percentage (minimum of five made field goals per game) at 53.1 percent (104-196) and is second in steals (28). Williams is also fifth in free throw percentage (79.5 percent, 66-83) and has made 54 of his last 65 free throws (83.1 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).

Getting Better With Age
Each year senior guard Donald Hand has increased his single season high in assists from 99 as a freshman in 1997-98 to 133 as a junior in 1999-2000. After only 19 games this season, Hand has already dished out 129 assists and is just five assists shy of setting a personal single season best. With 15 more assists, Hand will move into UVa’s top 10 for single season assists.

Over the last three games, Hand has dished out 25 assists (8.3 per game) and only committed five turnovers for a 5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. He is also averaging 16.7 points per game in the same span.

No Turnovers Times Two
In Virginia’s 88-81 loss to North Carolina (Jan. 24), senior guard Donald Hand did not commit a turnover while dishing out nine assists. It marks the second time this season Hand did not commit a turnover in a game and the fourth time in his career. In UVa’s 98-79 win over Purdue (Nov. 29), Hand handed out eight assists and did not commit a turnover. 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.

Truly a Charity Stripe
Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., has made the most of his free throw attempts this season. Mason made 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 86-97 (88.7 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 fifth best performance in NCAA Division I this season.

With his 88.7 percent (86-97) 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 149-174 free throws in his career for a mark of 85.6 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 he 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 (11th in the ACC) and he is second in the ACC in free throw percentage at 88.7 percent (86-97).

NCAA Statistics
Virginia appears in several categories in the NCAA Division I statistics for games played through January 29. The stats do not include UVa’s game against Maryland (Jan. 31).

Individually, guard Donald Hand is 13th in assists with 6.8 per game. Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., is tied for 28th in free throw percentage at 88.3 percent (83-94). He is presently shooting 88.7 percent (86-97) from the free throw line. Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson is tied for 32nd in rebounding with an average of 9.3 per game. He is currently averaging 9.5 rebounds per game.

As a team, the Cavaliers are fourth in scoring offense at 88.7 points per game. That average has increased to 89.2 points per game. Virginia is 12th in the nation in scoring margin at plus 15.4 points per game (88.7 to 73.3). The Cavaliers scoring margin is presently 15.7 points per game (89.2-73.5). UVa is 14th in rebound margin at plus 6.7 per game (39.4 to 32.7) and that margin is currently plus 6.6 per game (39.4-32.8).

No Blocks For and Against
The Cavaliers failed to block an opponent’s shot in consecutive games against 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).

The Duke (Jan. 13) and Florida State (Jan. 16) games are the only games this season in which Virginia has failed to block a shot. Last season, the Cavaliers failed to block a shot in three games and the last time that occurred was against Wake Forest (Mar. 2).

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).

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 77 of 91 free throw attempts for an impressive 84.6 percent, which is third in the ACC.

Hand has made 408 of 520 (78.5 percent)