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Jan. 23, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –
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The Game
Virginia stands at 12-4 overall and 2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2003-2004 season. The Cavaliers have won two consecutive ACC games and are coming off a 61-50 victory over Clemson (Jan. 20) in Charlottesville, Va. North Carolina, ranked seventh in The Associated Press and 11th in the USAToday/ESPN polls, stands at 11-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. The Tar Heels are coming off a 90-81 overtime loss to Florida State (Jan. 22) in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Series vs. North Carolina
North Carolina leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 115-46 in a rivalry that dates back to the 1910-11 season. Virginia won the first meeting of the 2002-2003 season 79-72 (Jan. 11) at University Hall, but the Tar Heels earned a split with an 81-67 win (Feb. 12) in Chapel Hill, which snapped UVa’s four-game winning streak in the series. Virginia swept the 2001-2002 season series, winning 71-67 (Jan. 12) in Chapel Hill and 73-63 (Feb. 12) in Charlottesville. It marked the second time in three seasons UVa swept the season series from the Tar Heels. Virginia also swept the regular season series in 1999-2000 for the first time since the 1980-81 season. (UNC, however, won the meeting in the 1981 NCAA Tournament’s Final Four).
The Cavaliers have won six of the last eight contests in the series and UVa’s four-game winning streak was its longest in the series since the early 1900s. The Cavaliers won five consecutive games against North Carolina from 1917-18 to 1919-20 (45-35 in 1917-18, 40-29 and 31-21 in 1918-19, 40-25 and 37-31 in 1919-20). UVa won the first eight games in the series from 1910-11 to 1915-16.
Virginia’s victory in Chapel Hill in the 1999-2000 season (90-76 – Feb. 20) was its first ever triumph at the Smith Center. The Cavaliers lost their previous 14 games in the Dean Dome. The win also snapped UVa’s 18-game losing streak in Chapel Hill. Prior to 1999-2000, the previous Virginia victory in Chapel Hill came on February 3, 1981, when UVa posted an 80-79 overtime victory.
Despite Virginia’s wins in 1999-2000 and in 2001-2002, the Tar Heels have dominated the series in games played in Chapel Hill, winning 58 of the 63 meetings. The Cavaliers are 2-16 at the Smith Center.
Virginia’s wins in Chapel Hill occurred on: February 24, 1911 – UVa 18, UNC 15; January 25, 1973 – UVa 84, #3 UNC 78; February 3, 1981 – UVa 80, #11 UNC 79 in overtime; February 20, 2000 – UVa 90, UNC 76; and January 12, 2002 – UVa 71, UNC 67.
North Carolina has won 10 of the last 17 games and 20 of the last 30 games between the two teams.
Shooting Lots of Three-Pointers vs. the Tar Heels
Since the 1989-90 season, the Cavaliers attempted an average of 21.3 three-point field goals (704 in 33 games) per game against North Carolina. Virginia made 233 of those 704 attempts (33.1 percent) for 7.1 made threes per game. Since the 1988-89 season, the Cavaliers have attempted 20 or more threes in a game against the Tar Heels 22 times.
Three of Virginia’s top five and five of the Cavaliers’ top 10 games in terms of three-point field goals attempted have come against North Carolina (four are against Clemson and one is vs. Florida State). Prior to attempting a school-record 38 three-pointers against Clemson (Jan. 15, 2000), Virginia’s 32 attempts against UNC on February 14, 1990 and March 7, 1997 marked the Cavaliers’ all-time high for three-pointers attempted in a game.
Virginia also set its school record for most three-point field goals made in the February 14, 1990 game against UNC with 15. (Virginia equaled the mark of 15 threes made in a game against Hampton on November 25, 1998.)
Fewest Points Allowed in ACC game in Gillen Era
The Cavaliers held Clemson to 50 points in a 61-50 win on January 20 and it marked the fewest points Virginia has allowed an ACC opponent in the Pete Gillen era.
The previous low by an ACC opponent was 54 by Wake Forest in a 64-54 UVa victory on February 3, 1999. The fewest points the Cavaliers have allowed in a game under Gillen was 48 in a 64-48 victory over Virginia Tech on November 24, 2000.
The 50 points by Clemson are the fewest UVa has allowed in a conference game since limiting N.C. State to 46 points on February 19, 1997 (a 55-46 UVa win).