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Virginia Basketball Hosts In-State Rival Virginia Tech Saturday
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Feb. 11, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –
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The Game
Virginia enters today’s game with a 12-9 overall record and a 3-7 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers are coming off a 56-55 win over Florida State (Feb. 9) in Charlottesville.
Virginia Tech stands at 12-9 overall and 5-5 in the ACC. The Hokies are coming off an 86-71 loss (Feb. 8) to Maryland in College Park, Md.
The Series vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia leads the series with Virginia Tech 73-46. The Hokies won the first game this season 79-73 (Jan. 27) in Blacksburg in the first conference meeting between the two teams since 1936-37 (both teams were members of the Southern Conference). It is also the first time since the 1983-84 season the teams are meeting twice in the same season. UVa won the first game of the 1983-84 season 74-64 (Jan. 4) in Roanoke, while the Hokies claimed a 56-54 win (Feb. 15) in Richmond.
Last season, UVa recorded an 80-65 win (Nov. 28) in Charlottesville. Virginia Tech snapped the Cavaliers’ six-game winning streak in the series with a 73-55 victory (Jan. 21) in Blacksburg in the 2002-03 season.
On December 1, 2001, Virginia defeated the Hokies 69-61 in Charlottesville for its sixth consecutive victory in the series. In the 2000-01 season, the Cavaliers defeated Virginia Tech 64-48 (Nov. 24) in Blacksburg. Tech’s 48 points are the fewest scored in the series by either team since the second meeting of the 1947-48 season when UVa was held to 43 points (Tech won 57-43 in Blacksburg). It was also the fewest points the Hokies scored in a game in the series since scoring 29 points versus UVa in the 1945-46 season (UVa won 57-29 in Charlottesville). Virginia has won 13 of the last 17 meetings and 24 of the last 31.
This is only the sixth time since the 1975-76 season the game will not be played on a neutral floor. Over the past 30 years (35 games), the series has been held at the Richmond Coliseum (14 times), Roanoke Civic Center (13 times), Cassell Coliseum (three times), The Norfolk Scope (once), the Hampton Coliseum (once), and University Hall (three times, including today).
The Cavaliers are 28-9 in games played in Charlottesville and 7-1 in matchups at University Hall. UVa has won six consecutive meetings at U-Hall vs. Virginia Tech, including an 80-65 win on November 28, 2003. The Cavaliers’ last loss to Virginia Tech in Charlottesville was an 84-82 setback on January 6, 1968.
This is the 71st consecutive season the Cavaliers and Hokies have met (every season since 1934-35). They have played 99 games in that span. Virginia’s next oldest opponent in terms of consecutive seasons played is Maryland (59 straight seasons).
The Cavaliers’ 73 wins against Virginia Tech make the Hokies Virginia’s second-most defeated opponent in school history. UVa has defeated VMI a record 100 times.
This is the 120th meeting in the series, the fifth-most played series in school history. North Carolina is Virginia’s most frequent opponent with the two teams having met 163 times.
Earlier This Season vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia fell behind by as many as 16 points in the second half and nearly overcame the deficit, but eventually fell to in-state rival Virginia Tech 79-73 (Jan. 27) at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.
The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 10 points during the first half, but were able to whittle the deficit down to three points, 37-34, at halftime, thanks in part to Devin Smith’s 13 points. In the second half, the Hokies used a 23-10 run over the first 8:31 to open up a 60-44 advantage. Virginia slowly chipped away at the Hokies’ lead and pulled within two points, 75-73, on an Elton Brown layup with nine seconds left to play. Virginia Tech scored the final four points of the game to seal the victory.
Brown, Smith and J.R. Reynolds combined to score 25 of the Cavaliers’ last 29 points in the final 11:18 of the contest.
Smith led all scorers with 24 points, while Brown registered his 10th double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Reynolds scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
Virginia shot 50.9 percent (27-53) from the field and held a 38-25 edge in rebounds, but were victimized by 22 turnovers, including 12 in the second half. The Hokies shot 52.7 percent (29-55) from the field, had only 11 turnovers and made 12 steals.
Coleman Collins led five Virginia Tech players in double figures with 20 points and he also had seven rebounds. Carlos Dixon added 16 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Zabian Dowdell and Deron Washington each had 14 points.
Smith Scores 1,000th Career Point
Devin Smith became the 39th Cavalier to score 1,000 career points. Smith reached the milestone with a driving layup with 20 seconds remaining in the first half in UVa’s win over Florida State (Feb. 9). Smith has scored 1,008 career points at Virginia.