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Virginia Advances to 2001 NCAA Tournament

Cavaliers Make Second Consecutive Postseason Appearance

Virginia Finishes 2000-01 Season With 20-9 Record Virginia finished the 2000-01 season with an overall record of 20-9 and a 9-7 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference (fourth place). UVa earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and finished with back-to-back winning seasons in the ACC (Virginia was also 9-7 in the 1999-2000 season) for the first time since the Cavaliers had three consecutive winning seasons in the conference from 1981-83. It’s the first 20-win season for Virginia since the 1994-95 season when the Cavaliers compiled an overall record of 25-9.

Virginia in the NCAA Tournament Virginia returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 after missing the tournament in each of the three previous seasons. It was the Cavaliers 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their 14th appearance in the last 21 years. UVa lost to Gonzaga 86-85 in the first round of the NCAA South Region Tournament in Memphis, Tenn.
Third-year head coach Pete Gillen made his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Cavaliers’ mentor. It was 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 became one of only 22 coaches to take three teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia is 21-15 (.583) in its 15 NCAA Tournamentappearances. The Cavaliers have reached the Final Four twice – 1981 and 1984. Virginia has also won the NIT two times – 1980 and 1992.

Virginia in the Postseason Virginia made its 23rd postseason appearance all-time in 2001. The first appearance was in the 1941 NIT.
The Cavaliers made 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 34-21 (.618) in the postseason all-time. The Cavaliers’ record in the NCAA Tournament is 21-15 (.583). UVa is 13-6 (.684) in the NIT.

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 was a second-team selection, and sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., and junior forward Chris Williams were third-team selections to the 2001 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Team. In addition, senior guard Donald Hand was an honorable mention All-ACC selection and junior guard/forward Adam Hall was a member of the All-ACC Defensive Team.

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 for the 2000-01 season after tying for third in 1999-2000. In 1999 and 1998, Virginia finished ninth in regular season ACC play.

20 Wins With its 84-65 victory over Clemson on February 28, Virginia 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. Virginia had 20 or more wins for five consecutive seasons from 1988-89 through the 1992-93 season.

Head Coach Pete Gillen Pete Gillen finished his 16th season as a collegiate head coach in 2000-01 with an overall coaching record of 327-165 for a .665 winning percentage. Gillen completed his third season at Virginia with a 53-37 record (.589 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 last season, Gillen has led his teams to postseason play 13 times in 16 seasons (nine NCAA, four NIT).
Gillen has an 8-9 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.
Gillen is one of just 22 coaches who have led teams at three different Division I schools to the NCAA Tournament.

Gillen Named Finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year Virginia head coach Pete Gillen was one of 20 coaches named finalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Award. Gillen led UVa to a 20-9 overall record and 9-7 conference mark last season, including wins over second-ranked North Carolina and third-ranked Duke. Gillen was 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 joined Gillen as finalists for the award. Mississippi men’s basketball head coach Rod Barnes was named the Naismith Coach of the Year 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 at the time 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 had 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 regular season non-conference games during the 2000-01 season, marking the first time since the 1981-82 season Virginia went 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 spent most of the 2000-01 season ranked in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls. The Cavaliers were 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).
In the final AP poll of the season, released on March 12, Virginia was ranked 16th. The Cavaliers finished the season ranked 21st in the final USA Today/ESPN poll, released on April 3. This marks the first time since the 1994-95 season Virginia finished a season ranked in both final polls (AP-13th, USA Today/ESPN-8th).

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 during the 2000-01 season, marking the first time in the program’s history the Cavaliers 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 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.

Four Victories Over Top Ten Opponents Virginia defeated four top 10 teams during the 2000-01 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).

Virginia vs. Ranked Teams UVa went 6-4 in 2000-01 against teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll at the time the game was played. The six wins over AP-ranked teams are the fourth most wins all-time for a Virginia team against opponents in the AP top 25. UVa defeated nine ranked AP opponents during the 1980-81 season, and the Cavaliers beat seven ranked AP teams during the 1982-83 and 1994-95 seasons. Virginia was 4-4 against ranked ACC teams during the 1999-2000 season.

Nation’s Fourth-Highest Scoring Team in 2000-01 In the final 2001 NCAA Division I men’s basketball statistics, Virginia ranked fourth in the nation in team scoring with an average of 85.0 points per game. In addition, UVa finished 20th in scoring margin (10.2), 21st in rebound margin (5.6) and 28th in free throw percentage (73.6, 556-755).

Mason and Hand High on NCAA Statistical Charts Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., ranked 11th in the nation in free throw percentage (88.4, 122-138) during the 2000-01 season, while senior guard Donald Hand tied for 22nd nationally with 6.0 assists per game.

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 the season marked the eighth time in the 96-year history of the men’s basketball program UVa won 10 games to start a season.

Buzzer Beaters In February 2001, 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).

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 the 1999-00 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 posted at least three consecutive ACC wins twice during the 2000-01 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.

Four Straight Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams Virginia won four straight games against ranked ACC opponents during the 2000-01, 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.
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).

Home Sweet Home Virginia found great success at home during the 2000-01 campaign. The Cavaliers finished their regular season home schedule with a 14-1 record at University Hall (7-1 in ACC games), including wins over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25) and third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14).
UVa won its only neutral site game (Tennessee – Dec. 19) during the regular season.

Scoring Lots of Points The Cavaliers had an excellent season offensively. UVa averaged 85.0 points per game over 29 games, which was third among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools. 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 finished his career at Virginia with 1,486 points, 390 rebounds, 529 assists and 179 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.

Scoring Elite Junior forward Chris Williams ranks an impressive 18th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list. What is even more impressive is that he has UVa’s eighth-highest scoring total after three seasons of play. Williams has scored 1,405 points in three seasons.

Winning by Big Margins Fifteen of the Cavaliers’ 20 wins during the 2000-01 season were by 16 points or more. Twelve of the 20 wins were by 19 or more points. The Cavaliers largest win of the season was a 50-point victory (99-49) over Bucknell on Dec. 28. UVa’s two-point win (91-89) over Duke (Feb. 14) was its smallest margin of victory during the season. Virginia outscored its opponents in its wins by 21.5 points per game (91.2 to 69.7). Overall, UVa outscored its opponents by 10.2 points per game (85.0 to 74.8).

Getting Big Leads One of the reasons for Virginia’s success was its ability to build big leads. In 12 of Virginia’s wins during the 2000-01 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).

Raining Threes Virginia made 10 or more three-point field goals in a game eight times during the 2000-01 season, including a season-high 12 threes against Clemson (Jan. 27). UVa won seven of the games in which it made 10 or more three-pointers. Virginia made 11 threes in the loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament (Mar. 16). In five of the games UVa made at least 10 threes, the Cavaliers 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 seven games, the Cavaliers were 59-142 (41.5 percent) from three-point range. Virginia made 11 threes against UNC (Feb. 25), Clemson (Feb. 28) and Gonzaga (Mar. 16).

Defense the Key Virginia won seven of its last 11 games against ACC opponents (including the ACC Tournament) and much of the Cavaliers’ turnaround can be attributed to better defense. In UVa’s last 11 games (seven wins) against ACC opponents, the Cavaliers 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 held its opponents to 46.3 percent shooting (245-529), while in eight losses to ACC foes (including the ACC Tournament), the Cavaliers’ opponents shot 53.1 percent (250-471).
The Cavaliers were 6-0 when they outshot their ACC opponent.

50-Point Halves Virginia put together 16 50-plus point halves during the 2000-01 season in 29 games (58 halves) – that translates to 27.6 percent of the halves in which UVa reached 50 points. During the 1999-00 season, the Cavaliers only had seven 50-plus point halves in 31 games (62 halves) – or 11.3 percent.

50 Percent Shooting Virginia shot better than 50 percent in four ACC games during the 2000-01 season and the Cavaliers won all of those games.
Against Florida State (Jan. 16), UVa shot an impressive 55.7 percent (34-61) from the field.
The Cavaliers shot 57.4 percent (39-68) at Clemson (Jan. 27), marking the first time since February 14, 1998, UVa shot better than 50 percent in an ACC road contest.
In their next game, 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.
UVa shot 53.8 percent (35-65) in its win over Duke (Feb. 14).

Making Free Throws Virginia made the most of its opportunities from the free throw line during the 2000-01 season as the Cavaliers shot an impressive 73.6 percent (556-755) overall and 74.1 percent (280-378) in ACC regular-season play. UVa led the ACC in accuracy from the charity stripe both overall and in ACC games.
UVa shot 75 percent or better from the free throw line 16 times in 29 games. The Cavaliers’ best performance from the free throw line was 88.6 percent (31-35) against N.C. State (Jan. 6). UVa’s lowest effort from the foul line was 46.4 percent (13-28) versus Bucknell (Dec. 28).
Virginia had three players shoot better than 80 percent from the free throw line, including: Keith Friel (90.3 percent, 28-31), Roger Mason, Jr. (88.4 percent,122-138), and Donald Hand (81.3 percent, 113-139).

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.

Holding Opponents Under 50 Points Virginia held three of its opponents to 50 points or less during the 2000-01 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.

Virginia has 117-point Outing 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 the 2000 NIT.

UVa Totals 70 Points in a Half 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.

Scoring in Double Figures All five of Virginia’s regular starters averaged double figures in scoring overall and four averaged double figures in ACC regular-season games during the 2000-01 season.

Roger Mason, Jr. 15.7 ppg overall, 14.4 ppg ACC
Chris Williams 14.5 ppg overall, 15.4 ppg ACC
Donald Hand 12.6 ppg overall, 12.8 ppg ACC
Travis Watson 12.3 ppg overall, 11.6 ppg ACC
Adam Hall 10.1 ppg overall, 9.9 ppg ACC

The Shooting Touch Junior forward Chris Williams, who shot 50.3 percent (147-292) from the field in 2000-01, has been an excellent shooter throughout his career. He is shooting 50.8 percent (508-1000) 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.

Watson Grabs 500th Career Rebound Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson had 264 rebounds during the 2000-01 season and currently has 522 for his career. He is the second player in the history of the Virginia basketball program to accumulate 500 or more rebounds in their first two varsity seasons. To no one’s surprise, the first player to accomplish the feat was Ralph Sampson, who grabbed 759 rebounds in his first two seasons. The Cavalier record for most rebounds for a career is 1,511, held by Sampson (1980-83).

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 in the 1999-00 season against Hampton (Dec. 10, 1999).

A Model of Consistency Junior forward Chris Williams was quietly UVa’s most consistent player in 2000-01. Williams reached double figures in scoring in 24 of 29 games. In addition to his scoring, Williams was also a consistent rebounder. He pulled down six or more rebounds in 22 of 29 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.

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 1,405 in his career. He is 18th on UVa’s all-time scoring list. Williams joined guard Donald Hand as members of the 2000-01 squad reaching the 1,000-point plateau. Hand scored his 1,000th point on Feb. 5, 2000 versus Duke and finished his career with 1,486 points. Hand is 12th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list.
Hand and Williams became 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.
Here’s a look at where Hand and Williams stand on Virginia’s all-time scoring list:

1. Bryant Stith (1989-92) 2,516
10. Bob McCarty (1954-56) 1,625
11. Richard Morgan (1986-89) 1,540
12. Donald Hand (1998-01) 1,486
13. Othell Wilson (1981-84) 1,469
14. Barry Parkhill (1971-73) 1,437
15. Jim Connelly (1965-67) 1,426
16. Lee Raker (1978-81) 1,423
17. Mel Kennedy (1985-88) 1,415
18. Chris Williams (1999-pres.) 1,405

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 are 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 in the 2000-01 season. His 17 rebounds also ties for the second most by an ACC player in 2000-01. Over the last 12 games of the season, Hall pulled down 88 rebounds for an average of 7.3 per game.

Getting Better With Age Each year of his Virginia career senior guard Donald Hand 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. During the 2000-01 season, Hand established a new personal single season best with 174 assists. Hand’s 174 assists moves him past John Crotty (1990-91) for fifth place on UVa’s single season assists list.

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 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 then-career high with four rebounds. He grabbed six boards against Clemson (Feb. 28) and nine against Maryland (March 3).

Eight Double Digit Scorers In the 29 games of the 2000-01 season, the Cavaliers had eight different players score in double figures in a game. Virginia had 11 players reach double figures in scoring during the 1999-00 season.
UVa’s double figure scorers for 2000-01 are: Stephane Dondon (4), Travis Watson (23), Donald Hand (18), Roger Mason, Jr. (23), Chris Williams (24), Keith Friel (8), Adam Hall (16), and Maurice Young (2).

Six Different Leading Scorers Virginia had six different players lead the team in scoring in games during the 2000-01 season: Stephane Dondon (1), Roger Mason, Jr. (11), Keith Friel (3), Travis Watson (2), Donald Hand (7), and Chris Williams (7).

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 marked the second time during the 2000-01 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.

Mason Named ACC Player of the Week Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., was named the ACC Player of the Week for the week ending February 18. Mason led the Cavaliers to a pair of ACC victories during the week. He scored 20 points with eight-of-14 shooting from the field and had seven rebounds and five assists in Virginia’s 91-89 victory over Duke (Feb. 14). He added 19 points, including a game-winning three-pointer with one second remaining in the contest, in a 69-66 win over Florida State (Feb. 17). It was the only time a Cavalier player was named ACC Player of the Week during the 2000-01 season.

Mason Makes Quantum Leap Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., improved his point production from the 1999-00 season to the 2000-01 season more drastically than any other player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Mason averaged 15.7 points per game in 2000-01, which more than doubles his 7.6 ppg output of the 1999-00 season.

Truly a Charity Stripe Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., made the most of his free throw attempts during the 2000-01 season. Mason made 45 consecutive free throw attempts before missing his third attempt against N.C. State (Jan. 6). He was just three free throws shy of equalling Jeff Lamp’s 1979-80 school record of 48 consecutive made free throws.
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 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 has made 185-215 free throws in his career for a mark of 86.0 percent, which also edges him ahead of Lamp’s UVa career best free throw percentage of 84.9 percent (635-748). Mason is also currently third on the ACC’s all-time list for free throw percentage.

Taking Care of the Basketball The 2000-01 Cavaliers committed 399 turnovers for an average of 13.8 per game. UVa committed more than 15 turnovers in a game only seven times. In contrast, Virginia’s opponents committed 499 turnovers for an average of 17.2 per game. The fewest turnovers a UVa opponent committed in a game during the 2000-01 season were nine by Wake Forest (Jan. 2).
The Cavaliers committed more turnovers than their opponent in a game just eight times.

Mason Sets Career Highs Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., set his career high for points in a game in UVa’s 86-85 loss to Gonzaga (Mar. 16) in the NCAA Tournament. Mason tallied 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field, including a five-for-eight effort from three-point range, and he also made all three of his free throw attempts. His former career best was 28 points against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20, 2000).
Mason led the 2000-01 Cavaliers in scoring with an average of 15.7 points per game (sixth in the ACC). He led the ACC in free throw percentage at 88.4 percent (122-138).

Good Ratio For the 2000-01 season, senior guard Donald Hand recorded 174 assists (6.0 assists per game) while committing 91 turnovers for a 1.91 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.
Hand finished the season third among all ACC players with 6.00 assists per game overall and was third with 5.6 assists per game in ACC regular-season play.

Hand’s Free Throw Streak Ends at 33 Senior guard Donald Hand had his impressive streak of consecutive made free throws end at 33 against Wake Forest (Jan. 2). Hand converted his first eight attempts from the line in the game before missing his next two free throws with 5:53 remaining in the contest. Hand’s streak dated back to the Purdue game (Nov. 29) when he made his final six attempts (he was nine of 11 in the game).
On the season, Hand made 113 of 139 free throw attempts for an impressive 81.3 percent, which was fifth in the ACC. He had made his last 21 free throws, including a perfect 11-11 effort against N.C. State (Feb. 7), before missing his third attempt against Georgia Tech (Feb. 11).
Hand was 444-568 (78.2 percent) from the free throw line in his career. His 444 made free throws rank fifth all-time at UVa.

Shooting the Long Ball Virginia’s 2000-01 roster featured four of the top 10 career three-point field goal leaders in school history. Senior guard Donald Hand is fourth on UVa’s career list with 156 three-pointers. Graduate student Keith Friel, junior Chris Williams, and junior Adam Hall are also ranked in the top 10 of UVa’s three-point field goal list. Friel is eighth with 107 career threes (Friel’s came in just two seasons), while Williams is just behind him in ninth place with 102 career threes. Hall’s 76 three-pointers put him in 10th place all-time.
Here’s a look at UVa’s all-time three-point field goal leaders:

1. Curtis Staples (1995-98) 413 (NCAA record)
2. Harold Deane (1994-97) 237
3. John Crotty (1988-91) 179
4. Donald Hand (1998-01) 156
5. Cory Alexander (1992-95) 142
6. Richard Morgan (1986-89) 132
7. Bryant Stith (1989-92) 114
8. Keith Friel (2000-01) 107
9. Chris Williams (1999-pres.) 102
10. Adam Hall (1999-pres.) 76

Thirteen Double-Doubles for Watson Sophomore forward/center Travis Watson led the ACC with 13 double-doubles in 2000-01, including seven in conference games during the regular season. Watson registered double-doubles in nine of his last 18 games. Watson has recorded 21 double-doubles in his career.

Hand Among Assists and Steals Leaders In addition to holding the fourth spot on UVa’s career three-point field goal list (156 three-pointers), senior guard Donald Hand ranks in Virginia’s top five in both career assists and steals. Hand is in third place on the Cavaliers’ all-time assists list with 529. He became just the third Virginia player to dish out 500 assists in a career after handing out three assists against Florida State (Feb. 17). Hand is tied with Harold Deane (1994-97) for third in career steals with 179. In addition, Hand is 12th on UVa’s career scoring list with 1,486 points.

Rebounding The undersized Cavaliers rebounded the basketball very well during the 2000-01 season and held an ACC-leading plus 5.6 margin (39.0-33.4) over their opponents. Virginia was only outrebounded six times.
The Cavaliers went 17-3 when they outrebounded their opponent. In 10 games, UVa outrebounded its opponent by 10 or more rebounds. During the 1999-00 season, UVa averaged 36.3 rebounds per game compared to 39.0 in 2000-01. On the offensive glass, the Cavaliers averaged 15.1 per game (first in the ACC) in 2000-01 compared to 12.7 per game during the 1999-00 season.

Hall Had Two Double-Doubles In 2000-01 Junior forward/guard Adam Hall tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds in UVa’s 104-76 victory over Clemson (Jan. 27), marking his first double-double of the 2000-01 season. He added his second double-double of the season and third of his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Georgia Tech (Mar. 9) in the ACC Tournament. Hall registered his first career double-double against Georgetown in the 2000.

2000-01 Results

20-9 Overall / 9-7 ACC
N. 4 London Leopards (Ex.) L, 88-89
N. 12 Nantucket Nectars Naturals (Ex.) W, 95-80
N. 17 Long Island University W, 96-50
N. 20 Coastal Carolina W, 117-78
N. 24 at Virginia Tech W, 64-48
N. 29 Purdue W, 98-79
D. 4 at VMI W, 89-70
D. 6 Ohio University (Jimmy V Classic) W, 90-71
D. 19 vs. #4 Tennessee W, 107-89
D. 23 Maryland-Baltimore County W, 85-69
D. 28 Bucknell W, 99-49
D. 30 at Dartmouth W, 102-56
J. 2 at #4 Wake Forest L, 73-96
J. 6 North Carolina State W, 88-81
J. 9 Georgia Tech L, 68-73
J. 13 at #2 Duke L, 61-103
J. 16 Florida State W, 89-71
J. 20 #20 Missouri W, 85-72
J. 24 at #5 North Carolina L, 81-88
J. 27 at Clemson W, 104-76
J. 31 #9 Maryland W, 99-78
F. 3 #16 Wake Forest W, 82-71
F. 7 at North Carolina State L, 80-90
F. 11 at Georgia Tech L, 56-62
F. 14 #3 Duke W, 91-89
F. 17 at Florida State W, 69-66
F. 25 #2 North Carolina W, 86-66
F. 28 Clemson W, 84-65
M. 3 at #16 Maryland L, 67-102

ACC Tournament, Atlanta, Ga.M. 9 vs. Georgia Tech L, 69-74NCAA Tournament, Memphis, Tenn.M.16 vs. Gonzaga L, 85-86

Virginia Players Among the ACC Leaders
(includes all 29 games)

Player Category Avg./Pct. Rank
Keith Friel 3 Pt FG % 42.8 1st
Keith Friel 3 Pt FG Made 2.21 7th
Adam Hall Offensive Rebs. 2.38 9th
Donald Hand Assists 6.00 3rd
Donald Hand Free Throw % 81.3 5th
Donald Hand Ast.-TO Ratio 1.91 6th
Donald Hand Steals 1.62 9th (t)
Donald Hand Scoring 12.6 18th
Roger Mason, Jr. Free Throw % 88.4 1st
Roger Mason, Jr. Scoring 15.7 6th
Travis Watson Double-Doubles 13 1st
Travis Watson Offensive Rebs 3.45 1st
Travis Watson Rebounding 9.1 2nd
Travis Watson Defensive Rebs 5.66 2nd
Travis Watson Field Goal % 49.7 4th
Travis Watson Blocked Shots 1.21 8th
Travis Watson Scoring 12.3 21st
Chris Williams Field Goal % 50.3 3rd
Chris Williams Defensive Rebs 4.41 10th
Chris Williams Scoring 14.5 10th
Chris Williams Rebounding 6.7 10th
Chris Williams Free Throw % 76.0 11th
Chris Williams Offensive Rebs 2.24 12th
Chris Williams Steals 1.52 13th

Virginia in the ACC Team Statistics
(includes all 29 games)

Category Avg./Pct. Rank
Free Throw % 73.6 1st
Rebounding Margin +5.6 1st
Rebounding Defense 33.4 1st
Offensive Rebounds 15.07 1st
Turnover Margin +3.41 2nd
Scoring Offense 85.0 3rd
Rebounding Offense 39.0 3rd
Scoring Margin +10.2 3rd
3 Pt Field Goals Made 7.03 4th
3 Pt Field Goal % 36.9 4th
Steals 7.62 5th
Field Goal % 45.5 5th
Ast-Turnover Ratio 1.05 5th
Assists 14.48 6th
3 Pt FG % Defense 34.8 7th
Scoring Defense 74.8 7th
Blocked Shots 3.38 8th
Defensive Rebounds 23.93 8th
FG % Defense 46.5 9th
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