Virginia Starts Tough Week at No. 6 Maryland on Sunday
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Feb. 3, 2006
This Week
Virginia plays three ACC opponents who are ranked nationally in the Top 6 this week. First the Cavaliers travel to No. 6 Maryland on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 5). Tip-off is set for Noon at the Comcast Center.
The Cavaliers then head to No. 2 Duke on Friday, Feb. 10. Tip-off at Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for 7 p.m. The Regional Sports Network- Fox Sports Net South, Comcast Sports Net, SunSports- will televise the game.
UVa closes out the week at home with No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 12. espn2 will televise the game live from University Hall, beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Scouting Maryland
The No. 6 Terrapins, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Brenda Frese, stand 20-2 overall and 7-1 in ACC play after an 88-77 win over Miami on Feb. 1. Sophomore center Crystal Langhorne paces the squad with 16.5 ppg and 9.2 rpg, while senior guard Shay Doron adds 15.1 ppg. Freshman guard Marissa Coleman follows 14.68 ppg.
Series vs. Terrapins
Virginia holds a 40-24 series advantage over Maryland since the teams first met in 1977. In the teams’ first meeting this season on Jan. 20, Virginia took the No. 6 Terrapins to overtime, but couldn’t pull of the upset, falling 84-74 before a season-high crowd of 4,233 fans at University Hall. The teams battled within a four-point margin until the game was tied 69-69 with 1:04 left in regulation. UVa had two chances to win with missed buckets as time expired. Sophomore Sharneé Zoll paced Virginia with a season-high 17 points and eight assists. Junior Siedah Williams followed with 16 points, while freshman Lyndra Littles came off the bench for 13 points.
Streaking on Super Bowl Sunday
Virginia has played on nine Super Bowl Sundays, including five of the last six. Riding a six-game winning streak on the NFL’s biggest day, the Cavaliers stand 6-3 overall in games played on Super Bowl Sunday. [UVa did not play on Super Bowl Sunday last year as the Cavaliers were featured in the ACC’s Monday night contest.]
This year, the UVa coaches and players were unanimous 14-0 in their prediction that the Pittsburgh Steelers will win the game. Athletic trainer Andy Baker was the sole dissenter from the staff, pulling for the Seattle Seahawks. Assistant coach Curtis Loyd refrained from voting as his beloved Dallas Cowboys were not an option.
Virginia Ties
Perhaps the Cavaliers’ unanimous pick relies heavily upon the fact that two former Cavaliers play for the Steelers. Consensus All-American tight end Heath Miller is in his rookie season with the team, while linebacker James Farrior is in his ninth season. In all fairness, two Cavaliers also play for the Seahawks- linebacker Jamie Sharper and running back/safety Marquis Weeks.
Virginia’s Results on Super Bowl Sunday:
Jan. 21, 1979 Maryland L 57-78Jan. 25, 1981 East Carolina L 78-84Jan. 28, 1996 at Clemson L 45-57Jan. 31, 1999 Clemson W 75-55Jan. 30, 2000 Duke W 61-49Jan. 28, 2001 Wake Forest W 76-73 (2ot)Feb. 3, 2002 NC State W 61-57Jan. 26, 2003 Georgetown W 69-57Feb. 1, 2004 at Wake Forest W 62-61
