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Jan. 18, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –

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The Game
Virginia enters tonight’s Atlantic Coast Conference game with an 8-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers are coming off a 54-49 win over Virginia Tech (Jan. 15) in Blacksburg, Va.

North Carolina stands at 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels, who are ranked 24th in The Associated Press and 23rd in the ESPN/USAToday Top 25 polls, are coming off an 81-70 loss to Miami (Jan. 14) in Chapel Hill.

The Series vs. North Carolina
North Carolina leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 118-47 in a rivalry that dates back to the 1910-11 season. UNC swept the 2004-05 series, winning 110-76 (Jan. 29) in Charlottesville – snapping UVa’s five-game winning streak over the Tar Heels at University Hall – and 85-61 Feb. 16) in Chapel Hill. It is the first time since the 1998-99 season North Carolina has swept the season series from UVa.

The Tar Heels took the first meeting of the 2003-04 season 96-77 in Chapel Hill and the Cavaliers earned a split in the series with a 74-72 win (Feb. 24) in Charlottesville.

Virginia won the first meeting of the 2002-03 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 2001-02 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 1999-00 for the first time since the 1980-81 season. (UNC, however, won the meeting in the 1981 NCAA Tournament’s Final Four).

Despite losing four of the last five meetings, the Cavaliers have won seven of the last 12 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.

Prior to last season’s home loss to UNC, Virginia had won the previous five games and 11 of the last 16 games in Charlottesville (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). Since University Hall opened for the 1965-66 season, North Carolina has won 23 of the 40 games between the two teams in the building. North Carolina leads the all-time series in games played in Charlottesville 41-29. Virginia’s five-game home winning streak over North Carolina tied for the longest in school history. UVa won the first five games of the series played in Charlottesville from the 1910-11 through the 1919-20 seasons.

North Carolina has won 13 of the last 21 games and 23 of the last 34 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 21.6 three-point field goals (798 in 37 games) per game against North Carolina. Virginia made 264 of those 798 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 26 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 Feb. 14, 1990 and Mar. 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 Feb. 14, 1990 game against UNC with 15. (Virginia equaled the mark of 15 threes made in a game against Hampton on Nov. 25, 1998.)

UVa vs. Ranked Tar Heel Teams
The Cavaliers have not fared well against ranked (AP Poll) North Carolina teams over the years. Virginia is 17-76 all-time against ranked UNC teams (11-58 vs. top 10 UNC teams).

Virginia has never played a 24th (AP Poll) ranked Tar Heel squad.

The Cavaliers are 14-27 all-time at home vs. ranked North Carolina teams. At University Hall, UVa is 13-13 vs. ranked UNC teams.

Increase in Assists
Sean Singletary averaged only 3.17 assists (19 assists) in his first six games this season. In each of the last seven games, Singletary has handed out six or more assists for an average of 6.43 per game (45 assists).

Singletary is currently third in the ACC with 4.92 assists per game. He is averaging 5.50 assists per ACC contest which is second among all ACC players.

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