Virginia Men's Basketball Weekly Release

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Feb. 13, 2001

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#12 / #12 Virginia (16-6, 5-6 ACC)
vs.
#3 / #3 Duke (22-2, 10-1 ACC)
February 14, 2001 – 7:00 p.m.
University Hall – Charlottesville, Va.

The Series vs. Duke
Duke leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 97-45 and won the first meeting of the season between the two teams 103-61 (Jan. 13). The Blue Devils have dominated the series in the last 18 years, winning 33 of the last 41 meetings since Ralph Sampson’s graduation from Virginia in 1983.

The Blue Devils have won 12 consecutive games in the series dating back to 1996, and have reached triple digits in six straight meetings. The Cavaliers’ last win over Duke was a 77-66 triumph in Charlottesville on January 13, 1996. That was the last of four consecutive wins for the Cavaliers. In last year’s meeting in Charlottesville, Duke pulled out a 109-100 overtime victory at University Hall (Jan. 5).

Not only has Duke won the last 12 games vs. Virginia, but the Blue Devils have done so in convincing fashion, winning by an average of 25.3 points per game. Duke has won by more than 40 points in four of the last nine meetings. Only three of the last 12 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points, including Duke’s nine-point overtime win (109-100) last season (Jan. 5). The Blue Devils also eked out a 62-61 win in Charlottesville on February 11, 1997 and a seven-point victory, 72-65, in Charlottesville on January 24, 1998.Virginia is 30-32 all-time against Duke on the Cavaliers’ various home floors throughout the years, including a 17-18 mark at University Hall.

Virginia vs. Ranked Duke Teams
Tonight’s contest is the 11th consecutive game in which the Blue Devils have been ranked in the top 10 when playing the Cavaliers, dating back to the 1996-97 season. UVa has dropped the 10 previous decisions. Duke is currently ranked third in both The Associated Press and USAToday/ESPN Coaches polls.

In the past four seasons, Virginia has played Duke when they were ranked as the nation’s top team five times. In 1997-98 Duke was ranked #1 at the time of all three meetings. (Virginia became the first team in NCAA history to play the nation’s #1 team five times in one season when, in addition to three games vs. Duke, UVa also played North Carolina twice when it was atop the polls). In 1998-99, the Blue Devils were ranked #1 when they defeated UVa 100-54 in Charlottesville (Feb. 11) and 104-67 in the ACC Tournament (Mar. 4).

Overall, Virginia hasn’t fared well against a nationally-ranked Duke squad. The Cavaliers are 12-50 against a ranked Duke team. Virginia has defeated the #3 team twice on the road, the highest ranked team the Cavaliers have ever beaten on the road, and both times Duke was the victim. The Cavaliers downed the #3 Blue Devils 90-84 on January 23, 1980, and 77-69 on January 17, 1993. UVa was unranked at the time of the victory in 1980 and ranked 14th in 1993.

Earlier This Season vs. Duke
In the first meeting of the season against Duke, the Blue Devils, ranked second at the time, used a 23-0 run midway through the first half to break open the game en route to a 103-61 victory (Jan. 13) at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Junior forward Chris Williams led UVa with 11 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson added 10 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward/guard Adam Hall chipped in with 10 points.

The Cavaliers struggled shooting the basketball in the game as they made just 26.8 percent (19-71) of their attempts from the field, including a 2-13 (15.4 percent) effort from beyond the three-point arc. Duke shot 58.5 percent (38-65) from the field. The Blue Devils held a slim 43-41 edge in rebounds, but Virginia led 22-12 on the offensive glass.

Williams made a layup at the 12:07 mark to pull the Cavaliers within seven, 16-9, but Duke went on a 23-0 run over the next 6:24 to take a commanding 39-9 lead. Williams halted the Blue Devil run with a three-point play at the 5:33 mark. Duke led 53-20 at the half. All five Blue Devil starters scored in double figures with Nate James leading the way with 19 points. Jason Williams recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 323-162 record for a .666 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 49-34 record (.590 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).

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 February 12, Virginia is ranked 12 and the Cavaliers are also 12th in the USAToday/ESPN poll released February 11. The Cavaliers had been ranked as high as sixth in the AP poll, their highest ranking since being ranked fourth in the final AP poll of the 1982-83 season (Mar. 15, 1983). Virginia had been ranked ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll (four times – Feb. 4, Dec. 25, Jan. 1 and Jan. 7) earlier this season. The ranking of ninth is UVa’s highest ranking 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).

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 16-6 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.

Three Consecutive ACC Victories
The Cavaliers posted three consecutive ACC wins (Clemson – Jan. 27, Maryland – Jan. 31 and Wake Forest – Feb. 3) earlier this season, which was one victory shy of matching UVa’s longest conference winning streak from last season. In 1999-00, UVa posted consecutive ACC wins over Clemson (Jan. 15), North Carolina (Jan. 18), Florida State (Jan. 26) and Wake Forest (Jan. 30).

Back-to-Back Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams
Virginia defeated a pair of ranked ACC teams January 31 and February 3, marking the first time since the 1994-95 season the Cavaliers defeated ranked conference opponents in consecutive games. UVa posted a 99-78 win over ninth-ranked Maryland (Jan. 31) and then defeated 16th-ranked Wake Forest (Feb. 3) 82-71.

The last time Virginia accomplished the feat was in 1995 when it defeated number two North Carolina 73-71 (Feb. 19, 1995) at home and 24th-ranked Georgia Tech 83-60 (Feb. 22, 1995) in Atlanta.

The last time UVa won three consecutive games against ranked ACC teams was back in the 1981-82 season. In 1982, Virginia defeated 18th-ranked Wake Forest 69-66 in Greensboro (Jan. 27), second-ranked North Carolina 74-58 in Charlottesville (Feb. 3) and 18th-ranked Wake Forest for the second time, 84-66 in Charlottesville (Feb. 18).

It Won’t Get Any Easier
The Cavaliers have already played five top 16 teams in conference play (and are 2-3), but still have three more ACC games against top 17 competition of which two are against top three teams. The good news, if there is any, is that Virginia played three of its top 16 conference matchups on the road and two of the three top 17 games that remain (including tonight’s game against Duke) will be played at University Hall where the Cavaliers are 11-1 this season.

Home Sweet Home
Virginia has found great success at home this season, but has struggled away from the friendly confines of University Hall. The Cavaliers are 11-1 at U-Hall (4-1 in ACC games) and 5-5 away from home. UVa won its only neutral site game (Tennessee – Dec. 19), and is 4-5 in away contests. The Cavaliers are 1-5 in away conference contests.

A Rare Feat
Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,415 points, 369 rebounds, 496 assists and 168 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 22 games of the season, UVa is averaging 87.0 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 46.3 percent (652-1409) from the floor this season. The last time Virginia shot better than 46.3 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 16 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Ten of the 16 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 24.1 points per game (93.4 to 69.3). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 13.4 points per game (87.0 to 73.6).

Big Leads
One of the reasons for Virginia’s 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 wins over Missouri (Jan. 20) and Wake Forest (Feb. 3), 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 six 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 at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11), Virginia’s largest lead was four points, while against N.C. State (Feb. 7), UVa’s largest lead was three points. Against 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 in January. 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 their win over Maryland (Jan. 31), the Cavaliers made 10 of 20 three-point attempts (50 percent).

After making a total of 22 threes in wins over Clemson and Maryland, UVa is just 12-51 (23.5 percent) from three-point range in its last three game (5-13 vs. Wake Forest – Feb. 3, 4-20 vs. N.C. State – Feb. 7, and 3-18 vs. Georgia Tech – Feb. 11).

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 12 games. UVa’s opponents have reached 50 percent shooting seven times this year and six times in the last 12 games. On the season, UVa is outshooting it opponents 46.3 percent to 45.9 percent in all games, but the Cavaliers are being outshot 50.2 percent to 43.8 percent in ACC contests.

The Cavaliers are 9-0 on the season when they shoot 50 percent or better in a game and 7-6 when they shoot below 50 percent.

Defense the Key
The Cavaliers got off to a slow start in ACC play as they won only one of their first four and two of six conference contests. Virginia has won three of its last five ACC games and much of the Cavaliers recent success can be attributed to better defense. In UVa’s last five ACC games (three wins), the Cavaliers have held their opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field four times. The only team to shoot 50 percent against UVa was N.C. State (Feb. 7) which shot 56.6 percent (30-53) from the floor.

In its five ACC wins, Virginia is holding its opponents to 47.1 percent shooting (138-293), while in six conference losses, the Cavaliers’ opponents are shooting 52.9 percent (184-348).

The Cavaliers are 4-0 when they outshoot their ACC opponent and just 1-6 when they are outshot by their conference foes.

On the season, UVa’s ACC opponents are shooting 50.2 percent (322-641) from the field, down from the 55.1 percent the Cavaliers’ first six conference opponents shot this season.

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 15 50-plus point halves this season in 22 games (44 halves) – that translates to 34.1 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 defeated both Clemson and Maryland 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 5-3 in their last eight games and a lot of that has to do with UVa’s shooting in the second half. In the last eight games, Virginia shot 55 percent (137-249) in the second half and averaged 49.4 points. In three of the eight 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).

Conversely, in the first half of the last eight games, UVa shot 39.1 percent (95-243) and averaged 36.4 points.

Power Outage
UVa scored a season-low 56 points in its 62-56 loss at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11), more than 32 points below its scoring average of 88.4 points per game entering the contest. The Cavaliers’ previous season-low for points was 61 vs. Duke (Jan. 13).

In two meetings against the Yellow Jackets, Virginia averaged just 62 points per game.

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).

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.

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.

Equalling a Foul Record
Virginia committed 35 personal fouls in its loss at N.C. State (Feb. 7) which ties the school record for most personal fouls committed in a game. The Cavaliers also committed 35 fouls against Duke on February 4, 1984. UVa’s previous 2000-01 season high for fouls was 28 vs. Tennessee (Dec. 19).

Consistency
Junior forward Chris Williams has quietly been UVa’s most consistent player this season. Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 18 of his last 19 games (the streak was snapped when he scored five points against Georgia Tech – Feb. 11) and in 19 of 22 this season. In addition to his scoring, Williams has also been a consistent rebounder. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in 17 of 22 contests. Williams registered double-doubles in consecutive contests (Missouri – Jan. 20 and North Carolina – Jan. 24).

On the season, Williams is leading the team (eighth in the ACC) in scoring with an average of 14.8 points per game and 15.0 points per game in ACC contests (10th in the ACC). He is second on the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game (10th in the ACC). Williams leads the team in field goal percentage (minimum of five made field goals per game) at 51.8 percent (114-220, fourth in the ACC) and is second in steals (30). Williams is also fifth in free throw percentage (76.0 percent, 73-96).

The Shooting Touch
Junior forward Chris Williams, who leads the team in field goal percentage this season at 51.8 percent (114-220), has been an excellent shooter throughout his career. He is shooting 51.2 percent (475-928) from the floor in his three years at UVa. Williams has shot better than 50 percent from the field in all three of his collegiate seasons.

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. He had 99 assists as a freshman in 1997-98 and 123 as a sophomore in 1998-99. As a junior in 1999-2000, Hand increased his single season high to 133. After only 22 games this season, Hand has already established a new single season best with 141 assists. With three more assists, Hand will move into UVa’s top 10 for single season assists. Cory Alexander holds the 10th spot with 144 assists in the 1992-93 season. Alexander and Jeff Jones share eighth place with 145 assists apiece in the 1991-92 and 1980-81 seasons, respectively.

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 1,309 in his career. He is now 19th on UVa’s all-time scoring list. He needs 13 points to move ahead of Norman Nolan (1995-98) into 18th 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 1,415 points. Hand is tied with Mel Kennedy (1985-88) for 16th place on Virginia’s all-time scoring list. With 12 more points, Hand would jump up to 14th place.

Hall Sets Rebounding Mark
Junior forward/guard Adam Hall grabbed 17 rebounds against Wake Forest (Feb. 3), including 11 in the second half. Hall’s 17 rebounds is not only a career best, but the most by a UVa player since Junior Burrough pulled down 19 rebounds against Florida State on February 4, 1995.

Hall’s previous career best was 12 rebounds against Clemson (Jan. 27) earlier this season. His 17 rebounds also ties for the second most by an ACC player this season. Over the last five games, Hall has pulled down 48 rebounds for an average of 9.6 per game.

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 shot better than 60 percent in a game 46 times through the years and UVa has won nine of those contests. The previous 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.

Mathis Named ACC Rookie of the Week
Freshman forward J.C. Mathis was selected as the ACC Co-Rookie of the Week for his play in UVa’s wins over ninth-ranked Maryland (99-78 – Jan. 31) and 16th-ranked Wake Forest (82-71 – Feb. 3). He shared the award with N.C. State’s Trey Guidry. Mathis, who played a career-high 22 minutes, played a crucial role in UVa’s win over Wake Forest (Feb. 3). He filled in very well for an injured Travis Watson, who missed the final six minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half before returning to the game. Mathis scored a career-high eight points on three of four shooting from the field and two for two from the free throw line against Wake. His previous career high was seven points versus VMI (Dec. 4). Mathis also equalled his career high with four rebounds.

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 Lamp’s 1979-80 school record of 48 consecutive made free throws. On the season, Mason has made 95-110 (86.4 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 sixth best performance in NCAA Division I this season.

With his 86.4 percent (95-110) accuracy from the free throw line this season, Mason is just behind 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 158-187 free throws in his career for a mark of 84.5 percent, which is also just shy of 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 14.7 points per game (10th in the ACC) and he is second in the ACC in free throw percentage at 86.4 percent (95-110).