Virginia Men's Basketball To Play Florida State Wednesday Night
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Feb. 19, 2002
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –
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The Game
Virginia, ranked 22nd in the AP poll and 15th in the USAToday/ESPN poll, stands at 16-7 overall and 6-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. The Cavaliers are coming off a 92-70 loss to 19th-ranked Wake Forest (Feb. 17) in Winston-Salem, N.C. Florida State stands at 10-13 overall and 3-9 in the ACC. The Seminoles have lost their last six games and are coming off a 95-85 loss to North Carolina (Feb. 17) in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The game will not be televised.
The Series vs. Florida State
Virginia holds a 13-8 lead in the series with Florida State. The Cavaliers have won three consecutive games in the series, including a 91-74 victory (Jan. 20) in Charlottesville. UVa swept the 2000-2001 season series from Florida State for the first time since 1996-97. UVa won the first meeting last season, 89-71 (Jan. 16) in Charlottesville. Virginia earned the sweep with a 69-66 victory (Feb. 17) in Tallahassee on Roger Mason’s three-pointer with one second remaining.
The Cavaliers have won five of the last six meetings after FSU won three consecutive contests (71-63 and 88-63 in the 1997-98 season and 72-69 in the 1998-99 campaign).The Cavaliers are 6-4 at the Leon County Civic Center and have won four of the last six meetings in Tallahassee. Prior to last season’s 69-66 victory, UVa’s last win at Leon County Civic Center came in the 1998-99 season when the Cavaliers posted a 67-60 victory (Jan. 30). That win snapped Virginia’s three-game slide against Florida State.UVa’s last loss to FSU in Tallahassee was a 71-64 setback (Feb. 26) in the 1999-2000 season. Florida State is the only ACC school against which the Cavaliers have a winning road record.
Virginia is looking for its fourth season sweep of the Seminoles. UVa swept the Seminoles in the 1994-95 and 1996-97 seasons. In the 1997-98 season, Florida State swept the season series from the Cavaliers, marking the Seminoles’ only season sweep against Virginia.
Overall in the series, eight of Virginia’s 13 wins over the Seminoles have been by nine points or less, while three of its losses have been by 15 or more points. In addition, four of FSU’s last five wins have been by fewer than nine points. Five of the last seven meetings (dating back to the 1998-99 season) have been decided by seven points or less. The only two games that were decided by more than seven points were the first meeting last season which UVa won by 18 points (89-71) and the first meeting this season which the Cavaliers won by 17 points (91-74). The Cavaliers have won three of those five close games.
Earlier This Season vs. Florida State
Senior forward Chris Williams scored 24 points and junior forward/center Travis Watson tallied 14 points and 15 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season as Virginia defeated Florida State 91-74 (Jan. 20) at University Hall.
In addition to his game-high 24 points, Williams added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Watson recorded his 30th career double-double and also notched three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Junior guard Roger Mason, Jr., and freshman forward Elton Brown scored 16 points apiece with Brown making all three of his three-point field goal attempts. Freshman guard Keith Jenifer dished out six assists and added five points and three rebounds, while freshman guard Jermaine Harper chipped in nine points.
The Cavaliers trailed 23-15, but exploded for 30 points in the final 6:07 of the first half to take a 45-39 lead into the locker room. Virginia’s final five field goals of the first half were three-pointers. UVa outscored Florida State 19-6 in the first 8:08 of the second stanza to take a commanding 64-45 advantage.
Virginia connected on 37 of 44 (84.1 percent) free throws and outrebounded the Seminoles 40-26.
Monte Cummings led Florida State with 19 points, while Delvon Arrington added 16 points and eight assists.
Mason and Watson Earn All-District Honors From NABC
Junior guard Roger Mason, Jr., and junior forward/center Travis Watson are members of the 2002 Division I All-District 5 Team as selected by the members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Mason is a first-team selection and Watson a second-team selection. Members of the 15 All-District teams are now eligible for the NABC Division I All-America Team to be announced at the conclusion of the 2001-2002 season.
Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy and Jason Williams of Duke and Maryland’s Juan Dixon join Mason on the first-team. In addition to Watson, Lonny Baxter (Maryland), Anthony Grundy (N.C. State), Josh Howard (Wake Forest) and Darius Songalia (Wake Forest) were named to the second-team.