/
.
Men's Basketball Opens ACC Play Sunday Against NC State
Story Links
Dec. 1, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Game
Virginia enters today’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener with a 4-1 record. The Cavaliers fell to Purdue 61-59 (Nov. 29) in West Lafayette, Ind., in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UVa is ranked 25th in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Nov. 27. UVa finished the 2005-06 season with a 15-15 record and tied for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 7-9 mark.
NC State is a perfect 5-0 on the season. The Wolfpack is coming off a 74-67 win over Michigan (Nov. 27) in Raleigh in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolfpack finished the 2005-06 season with a 22-10 overall record and a 10-6 mark in the ACC.
Television
Today’s game will be televised by Fox Sports Net (FSN). Tim Brando will handle the play-by-play. Dan Bonner is the analyst. Jenn Hildreth is the sideline reporter.
Radio
All UVa games are heard on the Virginia Sports Network originating at the Charlottesville Radio Group and WINA-AM/WWWV-FM in Charlottesville. Mac McDonald calls the play-by-play. Jim Hobgood provides the analysis.
The Series vs. NC State
NC State leads the overall series with Virginia 78-51 (dating back to 1912-13). The Wolfpack won the only meeting between the two teams last season 66-64 (Feb. 1) in Raleigh. The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2004-05 with the home team losing both times. The Wolfpack gained the split with an 82-72 win (Mar. 2) at University Hall. In the first meeting, the Cavaliers stopped a two-game slide to NC State with a 64-62 win (Feb. 5) in Raleigh. It also halted a seven-game losing streak at NC State.
In 2003-04, the Wolfpack took an 86-69 decision (Dec. 28) in Raleigh and also posted a 79-63 win (Feb. 7) over UVa in Charlottesville.
Despite winning only twice in the last 11 meetings, the Cavaliers have won 17 of 31 contests against NCSU in the last 15 seasons. Since 1980, the Cavaliers are 34-24 in all games against the Wolfpack.
The two teams have split the regular season series six times in the last nine seasons (NCSU, however, has won all both ACC Tournament matchups during the same span – 2000 and 2002). When NC State swept the 2001-02 regular season series, it marked the Wolfpack’s first sweep over UVa since winning both matchups (by a combined seven points) in 1988. Virginia has swept the season series six times since then, but the last time UVa swept the season series was in the 1996-97 season.
The Cavaliers won 23 of the last 28 games between the two teams at University Hall. UVa had its 13-game home winning streak over the Wolfpack snapped in the 2001-02 season (81-74 – Jan. 5). UVa also lost to the Wolfpack 79-63 (Feb. 7) in the 2003-04 season in Charlottesville and 82-72 (Mar. 2) in the 2004-05 season. State’s previous two wins in Charlottesville during that stretch came in 1985 and 1988 by a combined margin of three points.
Virginia was 25-14 against the Wolfpack at University Hall and is 31-23 all-time in Charlottesville.
Virginia In ACC Openers
Virginia is 19-34 all-time in Atlantic Coast Conference season openers. The Cavaliers are 16-20 all-time vs. unranked ACC teams in conference openers. UVa is 13-16 in home ACC openers and 6-18 on the road. The Cavaliers have lost their last 11 ACC openers. Virginia’s last win in an ACC opener was an 81-75 victory (Jan. 4) at Florida State in the 1994-95 season.
Today’s game is the fifth time UVa opens the ACC season against NC State. It is the second time Virginia is hosting the Wolfpack in an ACC opener.
In the 2001-02 season (the first of three consecutive seasons the two teams met to start league play), Virginia fell to the Wolfpack 81-74 in Charlottesville on Jan. 5, 2002.
Virginia is 5-4 vs. Wake Forest, 3-2 vs. Florida State, 1-1 vs. Georgia Tech, 1-0 vs. South Carolina, 8-13 vs. Duke, 1-7 vs. Maryland, 0-2 vs. North Carolina, 0-4 vs. NC State, and 0-1 vs. Clemson all-time in ACC openers.
Early ACC Opener
Today’s game against NC State is the earliest ACC opener for the Cavaliers since the 1998-99 season (it is also the first ACC matchup of the 2006-07 season – the second straight year UVa has opened the ACC slate). In the 1998-99 campaign, Virginia tipped off ACC play on Dec. 1 against Florida State and fell 72-69 at University Hall. UVa has played two other ACC openers on Dec. 1 – Georgia Tech in 1979-80 and Maryland in 1956-57.