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March 12, 2001
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The Series vs. Gonzaga
This is the first meeting between Virginia (20-8) and Gonzaga (23-6). It is also UVa’s first game against a current member of the West Coast Conference.
Virginia has played five games against teams that were one-time members of the WCC, going 3-2 all-time against San Jose State (0-1) and UNLV (3-1). Neither school was a member of the WCC when the games were played.
Virginia in the NCAA Tournament
Virginia returns to the NCAA Tournament after missing the tournament in each of the last three seasons. The Cavaliers are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their 14th appearance in the last 21 years.
Virginia lost to Iowa 73-60 in the West Region first round in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1997 in its most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
UVa’s last NCAA Tournament victory was a 67-58 upset of top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Region semifinals in 1995.
The Cavaliers have reached the Final Four twice — 1981 and 1984. Virginia has also won the NIT two times — 1980 and 1992.
Third-year head coach Pete Gillen is making his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Cavaliers’ mentor. This is the ninth Gillen-coached team to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Gillen led Xavier to seven NCAA berths and Providence to one NCAA appearance. With Virginia’s bid, Gillen becomes one of only 22 coaches to have taken three teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia is 21-14 (.600) in its 14 previous NCAA Tournament appearances.
Virginia in the South Region
This is Virginia’s fourth appearance in what is now called the South Region of the NCAA Tournament and its first since playing in Richmond in 1990. The South Region was formerly known as the Mideast Region through the 1984 NCAA Tournament, and the Southeast Region from 1985 through 1997. It has been called the South Region since 1998.
The Cavaliers are 5-3 in NCAA Tournament games played in the South Region. Virginia is a perfect 3-0 in first round games in the South Region and 1-2 in second round games. The Cavaliers are 1-0 in third round (Sweet 16) contests and 0-1 in fourth round games (Elite Eight).
UVa played in the South Region in 1982, 1989 and 1990. The Cavaliers went 1-1 in the South in 1982 and 3-1 in 1989. In 1990, UVa was 1-1 in South Region games.
The Cavaliers have appeared in the West (1983, 1987, 1991, 1994 and 1997) and East (1976, 1981, 1984, 1986 and 1993) Regions five times, the most of any region for Virginia. UVa has appeared in the Midwest Region once (1995).
Virginia vs. the Rest of the South Region-Memphis Field
The Cavaliers are in Memphis, Tenn., with seven other schools — Michigan State, Alabama State, California, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oklahoma, and Indiana State.
Should Virginia defeat Gonzaga, the Cavaliers would face the winner of the Oklahoma/Indiana State game on Sunday (March 18) in Memphis.
Virginia is 1-1 all-time against Oklahoma and the Cavaliers have never played Indiana State. UVa last faced the Sooners in the 1988-89 season. UVa defeated Oklahoma 86-80 in the third round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Ky. The Sooners won the first-ever meeting between the two teams in the 1987-88 season 109-61 in the Chaminade Christmas Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Looking down the road at potential opponents, the only other school in Memphis besides Oklahoma that UVa has played is Michigan State. Virginia is 0-2 all-time versus the Spartans. The Cavaliers fell to Michigan State 51-46 in the 1946-47 season and 62-43 in the 1948-49 season.
Virginia in the Volunteer State
The Cavaliers have played eight games in the state of Tennessee and are 2-6 overall. However, UVa is a perfect 2-0 in NCAA Tournament games in Tennessee. The Cavaliers defeated Providence 100-97 in Nashville in the first round of the 1989 tournament. In the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Virginia posted a 104-88 victory over Middle Tennessee State.
The Cavaliers’ six losses were on their opponents’ home floor. Virginia is 0-4 against Vanderbilt in Nashville, and 0-2 against Tennessee in Knoxville.
Virginia’s most recent game in Tennessee was a 70-65 setback to Vanderbilt in Nashville on December 5, 1994.
No Common Opponents in 2000-2001
Virginia and Gonzaga have no common opponents this season. Both teams played St. John’s during the 1999-2000 season. Virginia lost to St. John’s 85-63 at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 1999. Gonzaga defeated St. John’s 82-76 in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament in Tucson, Ariz., on March 18, 2000.
Cavaliers by Seed
Virginia enters the 2001 NCAA Tournament as the fifth seed in the South Region, the fourth time the Cavaliers have been the fifth seed. The last time Virginia was a number five seed was in the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Virginia played its first and second round games (victories over Providence – 100-97, and Middle Tennessee State – 104-88) in Nashville, Tenn. at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers advanced to the Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. where they defeated Oklahoma 86-80 before falling 102-65 to Michigan in the Elite Eight.
The Cavaliers were a ninth seed in the West Region in 1997 in their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
Virginia’s record by seed is below.
(Virginia was not seeded in its 1976 NCAA Tournament appearance.)
In regionals the Cavaliers are 14-5 against teams seeded lower and 6-6 vs. higher seeds. At the Final Four (1981, 1984), Virginia is 0-1 vs. higher seeds, 0-1 against lower seeds and 1-0 against teams seeded the same.
Virginia in the Postseason
This is Virginia’s 23rd postseason appearance all-time. The first appearance was in the 1941 NIT and the most recent appearance was in the 2000 NIT.
The Cavaliers are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament (1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 2001). They have played in the NIT eight times (1941, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1992, and 2000).
Virginia is 34-20 (.630) in the postseason all-time. The Cavaliers’ record in the NCAA Tournament is 21-14 (.600). UVa is 13-6 (.684) in the NIT.
UVa Faced Seven NCAA Tournament Teams
The Cavaliers played 13 games in the 2000-2001 season against seven teams that were selected to play in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Those teams and Virginia’s record against them are: Duke (1-1), Georgia Tech (0-3), Maryland (1-1), Missouri (1-0), North Carolina (1-1), Tennessee (1-0), and Wake Forest (1-1).
UVa is 6-7 overall this season against teams in the NCAA Tournament.
All-ACC Selections
Five Virginia players were selected to All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams for the 2000-01 season by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association for the Associated Press. UVa sophomore forward/center Travis Watson is a second-team selection, and sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., an junior forward Chris Williams are third-team selections to the 2001 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Team. In addition, senior guard Donald Hand is and honorable mention All-ACC selection and junior guard/forward Adam Hall is a member of the All-ACC Defensive Team.
Virginia in the 2001 ACC Tournament
Virginia lost its quarterfinal game in the 2001 ACC Tournament 74-69 to Georgia Tech (Mar. 9) at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Cavaliers have lost their last six ACC Tournament games.
Picked Fifth, Finish Fourth
Virginia was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2000-2001 by media attending the annual Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball event in Greensboro, N.C., in October. The Cavaliers did slightly better than predicted as they finished fourth in the conference standings with a 9-7 record. UVa finished fourth in the conference standings this season after tying for third in 1999-2000. The previous two seasons, Virginia finished ninth in regular season ACC play.
20 Wins
With its 84-65 victory over Clemson February 28, Virginia (20-8, 9-7 in the ACC) clinched its first 20-win season since 1994-95. That year, UVa compiled a 25-9 overall record and advanced to the Midwest 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.
Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 327-164 record for a .666 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 53-36 record (.596 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.
Including this season, Gillen has led his teams to postseason play 13 times in 16 seasons (nine NCAA, four NIT).
Gillen has an 8-8 record in the NCAA Tournament. He led Xavier to seven NCAA Tournament appearances (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1993) and compiled a 5-7 record. Gillen also led Providence to the championship game of the NCAA Southeast Region in 1997 in the Friars’ only NCAA Tournament appearance during his tenure. His Providence squad was 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament in 1997.
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 20-8 overall record and 9-7 conference mark this season, including wins over second-ranked North Carolina and third-ranked Duke. Gillen is one of four ACC 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.
Back-to-Back Winning Seasons
Virginia’s 84-65 win over Clemson (Feb. 28) pushed UVa’s record to 9-6 in the ACC and clinched a second consecutive winning season in the conference for the Cavaliers. Virginia finished conference play with a 9-7 record, which is identical to the 9-7 record UVa posted in 1999-2000 ACC regular season play. 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).
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).
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 victory 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 20-8 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.
Buzzer Beaters
In February, the Cavaliers won back-to-back games on last-second, buzzer-beating shots, marking the first time since 1990 the Cavaliers won a game with a buzzer-beating basket.
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.
UVa Snaps Various Streaks Against Duke
Virginia’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.
UVa is now 13-50 all-time against ranked Duke teams.
Four Consecutive ACC Victories
Virginia won four straight games over ACC opponents from February 14 to February 28. UVa defeated Duke 91-89 (Feb. 14), Florida State 69-66 (Feb. 17), North Carolina 86-66 (Feb. 25) and Clemson 84-65 (Feb. 28) in the streak.
The four straight wins matched the Cavaliers’ longest ACC winning streak of 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). Virginia has posted at least three consecutive ACC wins twice this season.
The last time Virginia won more than four consecutive ACC games was in the 1994-95 season when it won six consecutive conference contests. The streak started with a 76-63 overtime win over Florida State and continued with wins over NC State, Clemson, Duke, UNC and Georgia Tech. The winning streak was snapped with a 66-63 loss at Wake Forest.
Four Straight Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams
Virginia won four straight games against ranked ACC opponents earlier this season, marking the first time the Cavaliers 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 second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25). The Cavaliers’ streak came to an end with a 102-67 loss to 16th-ranked Maryland (March 3). 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 found great success at home this season, but has struggled away from the friendly confines of University Hall. The Cavaliers finished their regular season home schedule with a 14-1 record at U-Hall (7-1 in ACC games), including wins over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25) and third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14). Virginia finished the regular season with just a 6-6 record in games away from home. UVa won its only neutral site game (Tennessee – Dec. 19) during the regular season and was 5-6 in away contests. The Cavaliers are 2-6 in away conference contests. Virginia lost to Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The last time the Cavaliers won as many as 14 home contests was during the 1994-95 season when UVa also had 14 home wins, including a 73-71 win over then-second-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 19, 1995.
Scoring Lots of Points
The Cavaliers are having an excellent season offensively. Through 28 games, UVa is averaging 85.0 points per game which is third among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools and fourth 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.
A Rare Feat
Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,472 points, 388 rebounds, 524 assists and 178 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.
Big Wins
Fifteen of the Cavaliers’ 20 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Twelve of the 20 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 21.5 points per game (91.2 to 69.7). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 10.6 points per game (85.0 to 74.4).
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 three Cavalier victories (VMI – Dec. 4, UMBC – Dec. 23 and Clemson – Feb. 28), 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 eight losses this season. The Cavaliers’ biggest lead in a loss is seven points (Georgia Tech – Mar. 9). Virginia led Georgia Tech (Feb. 9) and North Carolina (Jan. 24) by five points in losses to both teams. In its losses at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11) and Maryland (Mar. 3), 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 has made 10 or more three-point field goals in a game seven times this season, including a season-high 12 threes against Clemson (Jan. 27). UVa has won all seven games in which it made 10 or more three-pointers. In five of the games UVa has made at least 10 threes, the Cavaliers have shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc, including a season-high 55.6 percent (10-18) against Tennessee (Dec. 19). In their last six games, the Cavaliers are 48-118 (40.7 percent) from three-point range. Virginia made 11 threes apiece against UNC (Feb. 25) and Clemson (Feb. 28).
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 18 games. UVa’s opponents have reached 50 percent shooting eight times this year and seven times in the last 18 games. On the season, UVa’s opponents are outshooting Virginia 46.4 percent to 45.5 percent in all games. The Cavaliers were also outshot 49.8 percent to 44.0 percent in ACC contests during the regular season.
The Cavaliers are 10-0 on the season when they shoot 50 percent or better in a game and 10-8 when they shoot below 50 percent. UVa is 3-5 when its opponent shoots 50 percent or better.
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 seven of its last 11 games against ACC opponents (including the ACC Tournament) and much of the Cavaliers’ recent success can be attributed to better defense. In UVa’s last 11 games (seven wins) against ACC opponents, the Cavaliers have held their opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field nine times. The only teams to shoot 50 percent against UVa were N.C. State (Feb. 7) which shot 56.6 percent (30-53) from the floor and Maryland (Mar. 3) which made 62.3 percent (38-61) of its field goal attempts.
In its nine wins against ACC teams, Virginia is holding its opponents to 46.3 percent shooting (245-529), while in eight losses to ACC foes (including the ACC Tournament), the Cavaliers’ opponents are shooting 53.1 percent (250-471).
The Cavaliers are 6-0 when they outshoot their ACC opponent and just 3-8 when they are outshot by their conference foes.
On the season, UVa’s ACC opponents are shooting 49.5 percent (495-1000) 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 28 games (56 halves) – that translates to 28.6 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 9-5 in their last 14 games and a lot of that has to do with UVa’s shooting in the second half. In the last 14 games, Virginia shot 50.7 percent (219-432) in the second half and averaged 45 points. In three of the 14 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 14 games, UVa shot 40.1 percent (182-454) and averaged 37.2 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 73.4 percent (544-741) overall and 74.1 percent (280-378) in ACC regular season 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 28 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).
However, Virginia has struggled from the line of late. In its last three games, UVa is shooting only 64.1 percent (41-64) from the free throw line.
The Cavaliers have three 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:
| Keith Friel | 90.3 percent | 28-31 |
| Roger Mason, Jr. | 88.1 percent | 119-135 |
| Donald Hand | 81.0 percent | 111-137 |
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, while Mason had streaks of 45 and 25 straight made free throws. Senior forward Stephane Dondon made 16 foul shots in a row at one point this season.