Virginia Looks To Complete Clemson Sweep Wednesday

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Feb. 27, 2001

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#7 / #9 Virginia (19-6, 8-6 ACC)
vs.
Clemson (11-16, 2-12 ACC)
February 28, 2001 – 7:00 p.m.
University Hall – Charlottesville, Va.

The Series vs. Clemson
Virginia leads the all-time series with Clemson 57-43. The Cavaliers won the first meeting of the 2000-2001 season versus Clemson 104-76 (Jan. 27) at Littlejohn Coliseum. UVa has won three consecutive games against the Tigers and five of the last six.

The Cavaliers swept the season series last year, winning 98-91 in the first meeting in Clemson (Jan. 15) and completing the sweep with a 76-62 triumph in the second meeting in Charlottesville (Feb. 15).

Virginia has won the last three contests against Clemson at University Hall and the Cavaliers are 33-14 all-time at home against the Tigers, including 27-8 at U-Hall. The last UVa loss to the Tigers at University Hall was a 62-52 setback (Dec. 7, 1996).

Overall the Cavaliers have won 16 of the last 22 games in the series dating back to the 1989-90 season. Virginia’s last loss to Clemson was an 88-65 setback on February 17, 1999 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

With a win tonight, the Cavaliers will sweep the regular season series from Clemson for the second consecutive season and the fifth time in the last nine seasons.

Cavaliers and Tigers Play Nailbiters
In the 42 games between the two teams since the 1981-82 season, 23 have been decided by eight points or less. Virginia has won 17 of the 23 games. The largest margin of victory by either team in that time was Virginia’s 89-60 win at home in 1982. The Cavaliers won by 28 points (104-76 – Jan. 27) in the first meeting this season. Seven games during the period have been decided by one or two points and Virginia has won them all. UVa has won eight consecutive games decided by one or two points in the series going back to the 1972-73 season.

Prior to winning the last two games by a combined 42 points (76-62 – Feb. 15, 2000 and 104-76 – Jan. 27, 2001), Virginia’s previous three victories were by a combined 18 points. The Cavaliers gained a dramatic 78-74 overtime win in Charlottesville in the 1997-98 season and won again in Charlottesville 65-58 in the 1998-99 season. UVa also won by seven points (98-91) in the first meeting last season in Clemson (Jan. 15) before winning the 1999-2000 rematch 76-62 in Charlottesville (Feb. 15). By contrast, in the last two Virginia losses at Clemson, the Cavaliers have lost by a combined 40 points. UVa suffered a 69-52 setback in the first meeting of the 1997-98 season and then lost in the second meeting of the 1998-99 season at Littlejohn 88-65.

Earlier This Season vs. Clemson
In its first meeting of the season against Clemson, Virginia earned its first ACC road win with a 104-76 victory (Jan. 27) at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. The Cavaliers shot an impressive 57.4 percent (39-68) from the field while holding the Tigers to 39.1 percent (25-64) shooting from the floor.

Junior forward Chris Williams paced the Cavaliers with 22 points and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior guard Donald Hand scored 20 points and dished out nine assists for the second consecutive game. He also recorded three steals. Junior forward/guard Adam Hall registered a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson tallied 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Clemson took a 2-0 lead, but the Cavaliers tied the game on a pair of free throws by Hall and took the lead for good on a three-point field goal by Williams. UVa led 47-28 at halftime. Virginia shot a blistering 66.7 percent (22-33) from the floor in the second half while outscoring the Tigers 57-48.

The Cavaliers made a season-high 12 three-point field goals (in 24 attempts) while limiting Clemson to 28.6 percent (6-21) from long range. UVa also held a 43-32 edge on the boards, including a 31-20 advantage on the defensive glass. Chris Hobbs led Clemson with 28 points and nine rebounds.

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 326-162 record for a .668 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 52-34 record (.605 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).

Gillen Named Finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year
Virginia head coach Pete Gillen is one of 20 coaches who were recently named finalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Award. Gillen has led the Cavaliers to a 19-6 overall record and 8-6 conference mark this season, including wins over second-ranked North Carolina and third-ranked Duke. Gillen is one of four conference coaches among the finalists for the award. Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt, North Carolina’s Matt Doherty and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski join Gillen as finalists for the award, which will be presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on April 7, 2001.

Five Seniors to Play in Final Regular Season Home Game
Tonight’s game marks the last regular season home game in the careers of five Virginia seniors. Forward Stephane Dondon and guards Keith Friel, Donald Hand, Greg Lyons and Josh Hare will all be making their final regular season home appearance this evening. The seniors have been an integral part of the resurgence of Virginia basketball.

Dondon, Hand, Hare and Lyons were all members of Pete Gillen’s first team in 1998-99, which finished 14-16 overall and 4-12 in the ACC. One year later, with Friel on board, the Cavaliers finished the season 19-12 overall and had a 9-7 conference record.

This year, Virginia has already won 19 games and is on the verge of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 1996-97 season. The Cavaliers also stand on the cusp of their first 20-win season since the 1994-95 campaign.

The AP and USA Today/ESPN Polls
This week the Cavaliers jumped back into the top 10 of both The Associated Press and USAToday/ESPN Top 25 polls. In the AP poll released February 26, Virginia is ranked seventh and the Cavaliers are ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll released February 25. 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 ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll five times this season – Feb. 4, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, Jan. 7 and Feb. 26, its highest ranking in the poll this season. The ranking of ninth is UVa’s highest ranking in the USAToday/ESPN poll 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).

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).

Buzzer Beaters
Prior to UVa’s 86-66 win over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25), the Cavaliers had won their previous 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 winning basket since February 22, 1990, when Bryant Stith scored on a last-second shot to cement a 73-71 Virginia win at Georgia Tech.

On the Verge of 20 Wins
With one more victory, the Cavaliers (19-6, 8-6 in the ACC) would have 20 wins on a season for the first time since the 1994-95 season. That year, UVa compiled a 25-9 overall record and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament where UVa lost to Arkansas. The Cavaliers had 20 or more wins for five consecutive seasons from 1988-89 through the 1992-93 season.

Looking for Back-to-Back Winning Seasons
With a win tonight against Clemson (or a win at Maryland on Saturday), the Cavaliers would finish ACC play with a better than .500 record in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the early 80s. UVa is currently 8-6 in the ACC and one more conference victory would clinch its second consecutive winning season in the ACC aftering finishing the 1999-2000 conference slate with a 9-7 record. The last time Virginia posted back-to-back winning seasons in the ACC was in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons when the Cavaliers were 12-2 in the ACC in both seasons (UVa was also 13-1 in the ACC in the previous season – 1980-81).

Three Top Five Wins
With its 86-66 victory over second-ranked North Carolina on February 25, Virginia captured its third win over a top five team this season, marking the first time in the program’s history the Cavaliers have had three top-five victories in the same season.

The Cavaliers’ first win against a top-five team came in a 107-89 win over fourth-ranked Tennessee (Dec. 19) at the Jimmy V Classic at Continental Airlines Arena. That win marked the first time since the 1995 season that Virginia defeated a top-five ranked team. Virginia accomplished the feat a second time with its 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) at University Hall. UVa completed the trifecta with an 86-66 win over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25) at U-Hall.

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.

Four Victories Over Top Ten Opponents
Virginia has defeated four top 10 teams this season for the first time since the 1979-80 season. The Cavaliers defeated fourth-ranked Tennessee 107-89 (Dec. 19), ninth-ranked Maryland 99-78 (Jan. 31), third-ranked Duke 91-89 (Feb. 14) and second-ranked North Carolina 86-66 (Feb. 25).

During the 1979-80 season, UVa beat sixth-ranked North Carolina 88-82 (Jan. 5, 1980), third-ranked Duke 90-84 (Jan. 23, 1980), 10th-ranked Duke 73-69 (Feb. 6, 1980) and 10th-ranked Clemson 89-87 (Feb. 13, 1980) for its four top-10 victories.

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 19-6 on the season.

Va Defeats Third-Ranked Duke
UVa’s 91-89 victory over Duke (Feb. 14) in Charlottesville 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.

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.

Three Consecutive ACC Victories
The Cavaliers have posted three consecutive ACC wins twice this season. The first streak (Clemson – Jan. 27, Maryland – Jan. 31 and Wake Forest – Feb. 3) ended in a 90-80 road loss against N.C. State (Feb. 7). It was one victory shy of matching UVa’s longest conference winning streak from last season. Virginia is currently in the midst of a second three-game winning streak. UVa has beaten Duke 91-89 (Feb. 14), Florida State 69-66 (Feb. 17) and North Carolina 86-66 (Feb. 25) in its last three ACC outings.

With a win over Clemson, the Cavaliers would match their longest ACC winning streakof 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).

The last time Virginia won more than four consecutive ACC games was in the 1994-95 season when it won six conecutive conference contests.

Four Straight Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams
Virginia has won its last four games against ranked ACC teams, marking the first time the Cavaliers have defeated four ranked ACC opponents in succession. The longest previous streak of three straight wins over ranked conference teams came during the 1981-82 season.

This season, UVa posted a 99-78 win over ninth-ranked Maryland (Jan. 31), an 82-71 triumph over 16th-ranked Wake Forest (Feb. 3), a 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) and an 86-66 victory over North Carolina (Feb. 25). 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).

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 13-1 at U-Hall (6-1 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 13 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 1,441 points, 381 rebounds, 508 assists and 173 steals in his career. Hand is the first UVa player with at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 500 assists and 150 steals in a career.

The two players who have come closest to accomplishing 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 25 games, UVa is averaging 86.4 points per game which is second among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools and 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 46.6 percent (743-1596) from the floor this season. The last time Virginia shot better than 46.6 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
Fourteen of the Cavaliers’ 19 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Eleven of the 19 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 (91.6 to 69.9). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 12.8 points per game (86.4 to 73.6).

Big Leads
One of the reasons for Virginia’s success is its ability to build big leads. In 12 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 14 attempts from three-point range (50 percent). Virginia turned in another impressive three-point performance against North Carolina (Feb. 25), making 11 of 22 attempts.

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 15 games. UVa’s opponents have reached 50 percent shooting seven times this year and six times in the last 15 games. On the season, UVa is outshooting its opponents 46.6 percent to 45.9 percent in all games, but the Cavaliers are being outshot 49.3 percent to 44.9 percent in ACC contests.

The Cavaliers are 10-0 on the season when they shoot 50 percent or better in a game and 9-6 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 six of its last eight ACC games and much of the Cavaliers’ recent success can be attributed to better defense. In UVa’s last eight ACC games (six wins), the Cavaliers have held their opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field seven 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 eight ACC wins, Virginia is holding its opponents to 46.8 percent shooting (223-477), while in six conference losses, the Cavaliers’ opponents are shooting 52.9 percent (184-348).

The Cavaliers are 6-0 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 49.3 percent (407-825) 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 16 50-plus point halves this season in 25 games (50 halves) – that translates to 32 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 8-3 in their last 11 games and a lot of that has to do with UVa’s shooting in the second half. In the last 11 games, Virginia shot 54.1 percent (179-331) in the second half and averaged 46.4 points. In three of the 11 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 11 games, UVa shot 41.4 percent (144-348) and averaged 37.5 points.

Making Free Throws
Virginia has made the most of its opportunities from the free throw line this season as the Cavaliers are shooting an impressive 74.3 percent (503-677) overall and 75.4 percent (254-337) in ACC play. UVa leads the ACC in accuracy from the charity stripe both overall and in ACC games.

UVa has shot 75 percent or better from the free throw line 15 times in 25 games. The Cavaliers’ best performance from the free throw line is 88.6 percent (31-35) against N.C. State (Jan. 6). UVa’s lowest effort from the foul line is 46.4 percent (13-28) versus Bucknell (Dec. 28).

The Cavaliers have four players who are shooting 80 percent or better from the free throw line. Here is a list of UVa’s 80 percent or better free throw shooters:

Friel had his streak of 17 consecutive made free throws snapped when he missed his second attempt versus North Carolina (Jan. 24). Hand had streaks of 33 and 21 consecutive made free throws earlier this season. Mason had a streak of 45 straight made free throws, while Dondon made 16 foul shots in a row at one point this season.

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.

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 21 of his last 22 games (the streak was snapped when he scored five points against Georgia Tech – Feb. 11) and in 22 of 25 this season. In addition to his scoring, Williams has also been a consistent rebounder. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in 20 of 25 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 (ninth in the ACC) and he averages 15.3 points per game in ACC contests (sixth in the ACC). He is second on the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game (ninth in the ACC). Williams leads the team in field goal percentage (minimum of five made field goals per game) at 51.6 percent (130-252, fourth in the ACC) and is second in steals (38). Williams is also fifth on the team in free throw percentage (77.0 percent, 87-113).

The Shooting Touch
Junior forward Chris Williams, who is shooting 51.6 percent (130-252) from the field this season, has been an excellent shooter throughout his career. He is shooting 51.1 percent (491-960) 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 25 games this season, Hand has established a new personal single season best with 153 assists which is sixth on UVa’s single season assists list. Hand needs 17 more assists to overtake John Crotty for fifth place. Crotty had 169 assists in the 1990-91 season.