Cavaliers Host No. 2 North Carolina Sunday Afternoon

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Feb. 23, 2001

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#9 / #11 Virginia (18-6, 7-6 ACC) vs.
#2 / #2 North Carolina (22-3, 12-1 ACC)
February 25, 2001 – 1:30 p.m.
University Hall – Charlottesville, Va.

The Series vs. North Carolina North Carolina leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 114-42 in a rivalry that dates back to the 1910-11 season. Virginia lost the first meeting of the 2000-2001 season 88-81 in Chapel Hill (Jan. 24) after sweeping the regular season series from the Tar Heels last year. Last year’s sweep by UVa of the regular season series marked the first time that has happened since the 1980-81 season. (UNC, however, won the meeting in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four that year).

Virginia has won seven of the last 12 games in Charlottesville (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000). Since University Hall opened for the 1965-66 season, North Carolina has won 22 of the 35 games between the two teams in the building. North Carolina leads the all-time series in games played in Charlottesville 40-25.

North Carolina has won nine of the last 12 games and 19 of the last 25 games between the two teams.

Shooting Lots of Three-Pointers Against the Tar Heels Since the 1989-90 season, the Cavaliers attempted an average of 21.3 three-point field goals (596 in 28 games) per game against North Carolina. Virginia made 192 of those 596 attempts (32.2 percent) for 6.9 made threes per game. Since the 1988-89 season, the Cavaliers have attempted 20 or more threes in a game against the Tar Heels 18 times.

Five of Virginia’s top eight games in terms of three-point field goals attempted have come against North Carolina (the other three are against Clemson). Prior to attempting a school-record 38 three-pointers against Clemson (Jan. 15, 2000), Virginia’s 32 attempts against UNC on February 14, 1990 and March 7, 1997 marked the Cavaliers’ all-time high for three-pointers attempted in a game.

Virginia also set its school record for most three-point field goals made in the February 14, 1990 game against UNC with 15. (Virginia equaled the mark of 15 threes made in a game against Hampton on November 25, 1998.)

Keys to the Game Virginia needs to shoot the ball well today to help its chances to win. Since the 1989-90 season, the Cavaliers are 8-20 against North Carolina, but are 5-2 when they out-shoot the Tar Heels. The Wahoos are 3-18 when the Tar Heels out-shoot them.

Earlier This Season vs. North Carolina After sweeping the season series last year, the Cavaliers fell to the then fifth-ranked Tar Heels 88-81 (Jan. 24) at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Virginia led 9-4 early in the game, but North Carolina used a 21-6 run to take a 10-point lead (25-15) midway through the first half. The Tar Heels led by as many as 16 points in the first half.

Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., led the Cavaliers with 17 points. Junior forward Chris Williams and sophomore forward/center Travis Watson each contributed double-doubles as Williams recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds and Watson had 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Donald Hand just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine assists. Junior forward/guard Adam Hall added 14 points and graduate student guard Keith Friel chipped in 10 points, as all of the Virginia players who scored in the game registered double figures.

The Cavaliers opened the second half with a 16-4 run to cut the Tar Heels’ 15-point halftime lead (50-35) down to three (54-51) with 15:30 left to play. The run was highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Hand and Williams. UVa was able to close within three on three occasions, but was unable to get any closer as North Carolina responded to each Virginia challenge.

UNC sophomore guard Joseph Forte led all scorers with 33 points, including 19 in the second half.

Head Coach Pete Gillen Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 325-162 record for a .667 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 51-34 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).

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 19, Virginia is ranked ninth and the Cavaliers are 11th in the USAToday/ESPN poll released February 18. The Cavaliers have 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 has been ranked as high as ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll four times this season – Feb. 4, Dec. 25, Jan. 1 and Jan. 7. 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).

UVa vs. Second-Ranked Teams UVa is 3-23 all time against teams ranked No. 2 in the AP poll. The Cavaliers are 3-5 against second-ranked teams at home. Virginia is 2-8 all-time against second-ranked North Carolina teams, with both of its wins coming at University Hall. The Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 73-71 on Feb. 19, 1995, in their last meeting with a second-ranked UNC team.

Buzzer Beaters The Cavaliers have won their last two games on last-second, buzzer-beating shots. In Virginia’s 69-66 victory at Florida State (Feb. 17), sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., buried a three-pointer with one second left in the game to give UVa its seventh ACC victory and second league win on the road. Mason’s game-winning shot came just three days after junior forward/ guard Adam Hall laid the ball in with 0.9 second left against third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) to clinch a 91-89 win in Charlottesville.

Prior to Hall’s heroics, the Cavaliers had not scored a buzzer-beating basket since February 22, 1990, when Bryant Stith scored on a last-second shot to cement a 73-71 Virginia win at Georgia Tech.

Three Victories Over Top Ten Opponents Virginia has defeated three top 10 teams this season for the first time since 1995. The Cavaliers defeated fourth-ranked Tennesse 107-89 on Dec. 19, ninth-ranked Maryland 99-78 on Jan. 31 and third-ranked Duke 91-89 on Feb. 14. In 1995, UVa beat second-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 19, 73-71 in Charlottesville, sixth-ranked Maryland 92-67 on March 5, also in Charlottesville, and fifth-ranked Kansas 67-58 on March 24 in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

UVa last defeated four top 10 teams during the 1979-80 season.

UVa Posts Win Over Third-Ranked Duke UVa beat third-ranked Duke, 91-89, on Feb. 14 in Charlottesville. It’s the highest-ranked opponent Virginia has beaten since toppling second-ranked North Carolina, 73-71, on Feb. 19, 1995 at University Hall.

The victory snapped a number of Duke winning streaks, including the Blue Devils’ ACC-record 24-game road winning streak. The win also brought an end to Duke’s 12-game winning streak over the Cavaliers, which dated back to Jan. 13, 1996 (the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 10 for the last 11 of those games).

In addition, Virginia held the Blue Devils to less than 100 points for the first time in seven games.

Aside from the broken streaks, Virginia’s 91-89 win marked a school-record 44-point turnaround from its earlier 103-61 loss at Duke on Jan. 13. The 44-point turnaround ties for the eighth-largest point turnaround in ACC history. The Cavaliers also became just the second team in ACC history to win the second regular season game after losing the first regular season contest by 40 or more points.

Virginia is now 13-50 all time against ranked Duke teams.

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 18-6 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.

Two Top Five Wins 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. Virginia accomplished the feat again with its 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Prior to this season, the Cavaliers had not defeated two top five teams in the same season since the 1994-1995 campaign. That year, UVa posted a 67-58 win over Kansas in the Sweet 16 of the 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 Cavaliers’ first top five win of the 1994-95 season was against second-ranked North Carolina (73-71) on February 19 in Charlottesville.

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-to-Back Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams Virginia defeated three ranked ACC teams January 31, February 3, and February 14, marking the first time since the 1981-82 season the Cavaliers defeated ranked conference opponents in three consecutive games. UVa posted a 99-78 win over ninth-ranked Maryland (Jan. 31), an 82-71 triumph over 16th-ranked Wake Forest (Feb. 3) and a 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14). The last time Virginia accomplished the feat was in 1982 when it 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 six top 16 teams in conference play (and are 3-3), but still have two more ACC games against top 20 competition, including Sunday’s (Feb. 25) game against second-ranked North Carolina at University Hall. The Cavaliers travel to Maryland for their other top 20 matchup on March 3.

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 12-1 at U-Hall (5-1 in ACC games) and 6-5 away from home. UVa won its only neutral site game (Tennessee – Dec. 19), and is 5-5 in away contests. The Cavaliers are 2-5 in away conference contests.

The last time the Cavaliers won more than 12 home contests was during the 1994-95 season when UVa had 14 home wins, including a 73-71 win over then-second-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 19, 1995.

A Rare Feat Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,424 points, 378 rebounds, 502 assists and 171 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 24 games of the season, UVa is averaging 86.4 points per game which is second among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools. As of Feb. 19, Virginia ranked third in the nation in scoring offense. The school record for the highest scoring average is 89.8 points per game in the 1954-55 season.

UVa is also shooting 46.5 percent (712-1530) from the floor this season. The last time Virginia shot better than 46.5 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’ 18 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Ten of the 18 wins have been by 19 or more points. UVa’s two-point win (91-89) over Duke (Feb. 14) is its smallest margin of victory this season. Virginia is outscoring its opponents in its wins by 21.7 points per game (91.9 to 70.2). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 12.4 points per game (86.4 to 74.0).

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 six points (Florida State – Feb. 17).

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 was just 12-51 (23.5 percent) from three-point range in its next three games (5-13 vs. Wake Forest – Feb. 3, 4-20 vs. N.C. State – Feb. 7, and 3-18 vs. Georgia Tech – Feb. 11). The Cavaliers broke out of their long-range shooting slump against Duke, going 7-16 from behind the arc (43.8 percent), and continued their hot shooting from long range against Florida State (Feb. 17), making seven of their 14 attempts from three-point range (50 percent).

Being Outshot Virginia got off to a great start shooting the basketball this season, but has managed to shoot 50 percent only four times in its last 14 games. UVa’s opponents have reached 50 percent shooting seven times this year and six times in the last 14 games. On the season, UVa is outshooting its opponents 46.5 percent to 46.0 percent in all games, but the Cavaliers are being outshot 49.8 percent to 44.7 percent in ACC contests.

The Cavaliers are 10-0 on the season when they shoot 50 percent or better in a game and 8-6 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 five of its last seven ACC games and much of the Cavaliers’ recent success can be attributed to better defense. In UVa’s last seven ACC games (five wins), the Cavaliers have held their opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field six 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 seven ACC wins, Virginia is holding its opponents to 47.2 percent shooting (195-413), while in six conference losses, the Cavaliers’ opponents are shooting 52.9 percent (184-348).

The Cavaliers are 5-0 when they outshoot their ACC opponent and just 2-6 when they are outshot by their conference foes.

On the season, UVa’s ACC opponents are shooting 49.8 percent (379-761) 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 24 games (48 halves) – that translates to 31.3 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.

50 Percent Shooting After shooting 26.8 percent (19-71) from the field against Duke (Jan. 13) in the teams’ first meeting, the Cavaliers more than doubled their shooting percentage against the Blue Devils in their second meeting (Feb. 14). In that game, Virginia shot 53.8 percent from the field, which is a 27 percent increase.

UVa has shot 53.8 percent or better in ACC games three times this year. The first time was against Florida State (Jan. 16). In the win over the Seminoles, UVa shot an impressive 55.7 percent (34-61) from the field – an increase of 28.9 percent from their 26.8 percent showing against Duke in the team’s previous game. 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.

Virginia has shot better than 50 percent in four ACC games this season and the Cavaliers won all of those games.

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 7-3 in their last 10 games and a lot of that has to do with UVa’s shooting in the second half. In the last 10 games, Virginia shot 55.3 percent (167-302) in the second half and averaged 48 points. In three of the 10 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 10 games, UVa shot 40.2 percent (125-311) and averaged 35.6 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 this season, 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 20 of his last 21 games (the streak was snapped when he scored five points against Georgia Tech – Feb. 11) and in 21 of 24 this season. In addition to his scoring, Williams has also been a consistent rebounder. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in 19 of 24 contests. Williams registered double-doubles in consecutive contests (Missouri – Jan. 20 and North Carolina – Jan. 24). He also had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in UVa’s victory over Duke on February 14.

On the season, Williams is second on the team in scoring with an average of 15.0 points per game (eighth in the ACC) and he averages 15.5 points per game in ACC contests (seventh in the ACC). He is second on the team in rebounds with 6.6 per game (ninth in the ACC). Williams leads the team in field goal percentage (minimum of five made field goals per game) at 52.1 percent (126-242, fourth in the ACC) and is second in steals (34). Williams is also fifth on the team in free throw percentage (76.9 percent, 83-108).

The Shooting TouchJunior forward Chris Williams, who is shooting 52.1 percent (126-242) from the field this season, has been an excellent shooter throughout his career. He is shooting 51.3 percent (487-950) 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 AssistsSenior 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 AgeEach 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 24 games this season, Hand has established a new personal single season best with 147 assists which ties for seventh on UVa’s single season assists list. Harold Deane had 147 assists during the 1994-95 season. Hand needs just six more assists to overtake Othell Wilson for sixth place. Wilson had 152 assists during the 1982-83 season.

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 1,345 in his career. He is now 18th on UVa’s all-time scoring list. 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 1,424 points. Hand is in 15th place on Virginia’s all-time scoring list. With three more points, Hand will move into 14th place and with 14 he will be 13th.

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.

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 set not only a career best, but is 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 seven games, Hall has pulled down 58 rebounds for an average of 8.3 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.