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March 14, 2007
Complete NCAA Release in PDF Format
Vote for JR Reynolds for the Lowes Senior CLASS Award
Video: Selection Sunday at UVa
Virginia NCAA Tournament Central
NCAA Bracket w/Game Times
No. 4 Virginia (20-10) vs. No. 13 Albany (23-9)
March 16, 2007 12:15 p.m.
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
THE GAME
Virginia enters the 2007 NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South Region. The Cavaliers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-10 overall record. UVa tied for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the regular season with an 11-5 mark. Virginia was seeded second in the ACC Tournament and fell to 10th-seeded NC State 79-71(Mar. 9) in the quarterfinals at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. UAlbany is the No. 13 seed in the South Region and enters the NCAA Tournament with a 23-9 record. The Great Danes were second in the America East regular season standings (13-3) and upset top-seeded Vermont 60-59 (Mar. 10) in the championship game of the America East Tournament in Burlington, Vt., to earn the conference?s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UAlbany has won its last five games and 13 of the last 15.
TELEVISION
All NCAA Championship games will be televised by CBS Sports. In Columbus, Tim Brando will handle the play-by-play and Mike Gminski will serve as the analyst. CSTV will broadcast the UVa-Albany game to a national cable television audience as part of its coverage of the NCAA Tournament.
GRAY TV SPECIAL
The Gray Television operated stations in Charlottesvillewill air a 30-minute long NCAA preview special called “TheRoad to Atlanta: Cavaliers Quest. Airtimes for The Road to Atlanta: “Cavaliers Quest” are:
Wednesday, March 14th – 7:30PM WCAV CBS19
Wednesday, March 14th – 10:30PM WAHU FOX27
Thursday, March 15th – 12:00PM WVAW ABC16
The program will feature exclusive interviews with UVa headcoach Dave Leitao and players. Also included is aone-on-on interview with Director of Athletics CraigLittlepage, as he breaks down why and how teams areselected by the NCAA Selection Committee.
The show is hosted by Marc Davis and J.W. Stehle. The Grayowned television affiliates of CBS19, ABC16, and WAHUFOX27 are the Official Flagship Stations of University ofVirginia Athletics.
RADIO
All UVa games are heard on the Virginia Sports Network originating at the Charlottesville Radio Group and WINA-AM/WWWV-FM in Charlottesville. MacMcDonald calls the play-by-play. Jim Hobgood provides the analysis. The pregame show will air starting at 11:30 a.m. for Friday’s game.
THE SERIES VS. UALBANY
The NCAA Tournament matchup between Virginia and UAlbany marks the first time the two schools have met in men’s basketball. UVa and UAlbany have met three times in other sports with the Cavaliers winning in men’s lacrosse (2005) and women’s basketball (2004). The Great Danes won in volleyball (2005).
VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Virginia returns to the NCAA Tournament after missing the tournament in each of the last five seasons. The Cavaliers are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia lost to Gonzaga 86-85 in the South Region first round in Memphis, Tenn., in 2001 in its most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UVa’s last NCAA Tournament victory was a 67-58 upset of top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Region semifinals in 1995. The Cavaliers have reached the Final Four twice — 1981 and 1984. Virginia has also won the NIT two times — 1980 and 1992. Second-year head coach Dave Leitao is making his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Cavaliers’ mentor. This is the second Leitao-coached team to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Leitao led DePaul to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004. The Blue Demons defeated Dayton 76-69 in double overtime and then lost to then No. 7 Connecticut 72-55 in the second round. Virginia is 21-15 (.583) in its 15 previous NCAA Tournament appearances.
VIRGINIA IN THE SOUTH REGION
This is Virginia’s fifth appearance in what is now called the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. UVa was also in the South Region in its previous NCAA appearance in 2001. The South Region was formerly known as the Mideast Region through the 1984 NCAA Tournament, and the Southeast Region from 1985 through 1997. It has been called the South Region since 1998. The Cavaliers are 5-4 in NCAA Tournament games played in the South Region. Virginia is 2-1 in first round games in the South Region and 2-1 in second round games. The Cavaliers are 1-1 in third round (Sweet 16) contests and 0-1 in fourth round games (Elite Eight). UVa played in the South Region in 1982, 1989, 1990 and 2001. The Cavaliers went 1-1 in the South in 1982 and 3-1 in 1989. In 1990, UVa was 1-1 in South Region games and 0-1 in 2001. The Cavaliers have also appeared in the West (1983, 1987, 1991, 1994 and 1997) and East (1976, 1981, 1984, 1986 and 1993) Regions five times, the most of any region for Virginia. UVa has appeared in the Midwest Region once (1995).
VIRGINIA VS. THE REST OF THE SOUTH REGION-COLUMBUS FIELD
The Cavaliers have been placed in Columbus with three other schools in the South Region – UAlbany, Tennessee and Long Beach State. The four other schools in Columbus – Holy Cross, Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Virginia Tech – are seeded in the West Region. Should Virginia defeat UAlbany, the Cavaliers would face the winner of the Long Beach State/Tennessee game on Sunday (March 18) in Columbus. Virginia is 7-3 all-time against Tennessee and the Cavaliers have never played Long Beach State. Interestingly, the last time UVa faced the Volunteers was during the 2001 season which was also the last time Virginia played in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers defeated then No. 4 Tennessee 107-89 (Dec. 19) at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Looking down the road at potential opponents in the South Region, UVa is 3-1vs. BYU, 1-0 vs. Xavier and 1-3 vs. Ohio State. The Cavaliers have never played Central Connecticut State.
VIRGINIA VS. THE AMERICA EAST
The Cavaliers are 6-0 all-time against the nine current members of the America East (and 3-0 vs. teams that were America East members at the time of the game). UVa is 3-0 vs. UMBC, 2-0 vs. Hartford and 1-0 vs. New Hampshire. The Cavaliers are meeting UAlbany for the first time and have never played Binghamton, Boston University, Maine, Stony Brook or Vermont. UVa was 2-0 vs. America East teams in the 2005-06 season. The Cavaliers defeated UMBC 77-66 (Dec. 28) at the Seigel Center in Richmond and Hartford71-62 (Dec. 31) at University Hall.
COMMON OPPONENTS IN 2006-07
Virginia and UAlbany have just one common opponent this season as both teams played Utah. Virginia lost to the Utes 94-70 on Dec. 20 in the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico, while the Great Danes defeated Utah 59-58 on Dec. 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
VIRGINIA IN THE BUCKEYE STATE
The Cavaliers have played eight previous games in the Buckeye State and are 4-4 overall. Included are two UVa victories in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1995 NCAA first and second rounds. Here?s a listing of Virginia?s games in the state of Ohio:
1923-24 – won 31-27 at Cincinnati (Feb. 16)
1962-63 – lost 91-42 at Cincinnati (Dec. 3) – Cincinnati ranked No. 1 at the time
1962-63 – lost 70-46 at Ohio State (Dec. 5)
1979-80 – lost 70-65 at Ohio State (Jan. 27) – Ohio State ranked No. 4 at the time
1986-87 – won 74-67 at Dayton (Feb. 16)
1994-95 – won 96-72 vs. Nicholls State (Mar. 16) – NCAA 1st Round at Dayton
1994-95 – won 60-54 (OT) vs. Miami-Ohio (Mar. 18) – NCAA 2nd Round at Dayton
2002-03 – lost 78-72 at Ohio University (Feb. 26)
CAVALIERS BY SEED
Virginia enters the 2007 NCAA Tournament as the fourth seed in the South Region, the second time the Cavaliers have been seeded fourth. The only other time UVa was a number four seed was in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. Virginia played its first and second round games (victories over Nicholls State – 96-72, and Miami-Ohio – 60-54 OT) in Dayton, Ohio. The Cavaliers advanced to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo., where they defeated Kansas 67-58 before falling 68-61 to Arkansas in the Elite Eight. The Cavaliers were a five seed in the South Region in 2001 in their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance. Virginia’s record by seed is below:
Seed Years Record
#1 81, 82, 83 7-3 #4 95 3-1 #5 86, 87, 89, 01 3-4 #6 93 2-1 #7 84, 90, 91, 94 6-4 #9 97 0-1
(Virginia was not seeded in its 1976 NCAA Tournament appearance.)
In regionals the Cavaliers are 14-6 against teams seeded lower and 6-6 vs. higher seeds. At the Final Four (1981, 1984), Virginia is 0-1 vs. higher seeds, 0-1 against lower seeds and 1-0 against teams seeded the same.
VIRGINIA IN THE POSTSEASON
This is Virginia’s 28th postseason appearance all-time. The first appearance was in the 1941 NIT and the most recent appearance was in the 2006 NIT. The Cavaliers are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament (1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995,1997, 2001 and 2007). They have played in the NIT 12 times (1941, 1972, 1978,1979, 1980, 1985, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006).Virginia is 36-25 (.590) in the postseason all-time. The Cavaliers’ record in the NCAA Tournament is 21-15 (.583). UVa is 15-10 (.600) in the NIT.
CLOSE GAMES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Virginia has played 36 games in 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 24 of the games have been decided by less than 10 points. The Cavaliers are 15-9 in those games. UVa has won two of the three overtime games it has played in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia’s record in close NCAA Tournament games is below:
1 point – 1-2 4 points – 2-2 7 points – 0-1
2 points – 2-3 5 points – 1-0 8 points – 2-0
3 points – 4-0 6 points – 2-0 9 points – 1-1
UVA FACED 10 NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS
The Cavaliers played 12 games in the 2006-07 season against 10 teams that were selected to play in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Those teams and Virginia’s record against them are: Arizona (1-0), Boston College (0-1), Duke (1-0), Georgia Tech (1-0), Gonzaga (1-0), Maryland (2-0), North Carolina (0-1), Purdue (0-1), Stanford (0-1), and Virginia Tech (1-1). UVa is 7-5 overall this season against teams in the NCAA Tournament and 11-7 against 14 teams that are competing in postseason play.
ACC HONORS
Sean Singletary has earned All-ACC First Team honors for the second consecutive season, while J.R. Reynolds has been tabbed second-team All-ACC after earning third team honors in 2006. Dave Leitao has been named the ACC Coach of the Year. Singletary is the first UVa player to earn first-team all-league honors twice since Bryant Stith garnered the honor three consecutive years – 1990, 1991 and 1992. He is only the fifth Virginia player to be a first-team All-ACC selection more than once (Stith and Ralph Sampson – three times, Buzzy Wilkinson and Jeff Lamp – twice). Reynolds was the top vote-getter on the All-ACC Second Team. He is UVa’s first selection to the second team since Travis Watson in 2003. It marks the first time Leitao has earned a coach of the year award. He is also the first UVa coach to capture the honor since Terry Holland in 1982. Holland was also ACC Coach of the Year in 1981. In 1972, Bill Gibson became UVa’s first men?s basketball ACC Coach of the Year.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Here’s a statistical comparison of Virginia and UAlbany in the 2006-07 season:
Virginia Category.......................UAlbany
76.8 .........Points.........................68.271.1 .........Points Allowed.................64.5+5.7 .........Scoring Margin.................+3.743.5 .........Field Goal %...................45.540.9 .........Field Goal % Defense...........43.536.4 .........3 Point Field Goal %...........37.734.6 .........3 Point Field Goal % Defense...34.573.4 .........Free Throw %...................72.239.3 .........Rebounds.......................34.0+4.6 .........Rebound Margin.................+3.413.0 .........Assists........................13.113.9 .........Turnovers......................13.4 4.7 .........Steals..........................5.9 3.1 .........Blocked Shots...................2.4
NCAA EXPERIENCE
Junior forward/center Ryan Pettinella is the only UVa player who has competed in the NCAA Tournament. Pettinella, who transferred to Virginia from Pennsylvania, played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament for the Quakers. UPenn lost to Boston College 85-65 (Mar. 17) in the first round in Cleveland, Ohio. Pettinella scored six points in the game as he made 3-4 field goal attempts. He was 0-2 from the free throw line and had two rebounds, two turnovers and a steal in 12 minutes of playing time.
VIRGINIA SHARES ACC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Virginia finished regular season conference play with an 11-5 record to earn a share of the ACC regular season title with North Carolina. It marks the fifth time UVa has earned at least a share of the ACC regular season title. The Cavaliers won their only ACC regular season title outright in 1980-81 with a 13-1mark in league play. Virginia also earned a share of the top spot in conference play in 1994-95, 1982-83 and 1981-82 in addition to this season. UVa’s 11 conference victories are its best ACC win total since the 1994-95 season when the Cavaliers were 12-4. Virginia snapped a streak of losses in 11 consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference openers with its 67-62 win over NC State (Dec. 3) at the John Paul Jones Arena. After the ACC season-opening win over NC State, the Cavaliers won 10 of their last 15 conference games, including seven in a row at one point, to finish 11-5 in the ACC. In addition to earning a share of the regular season title, the Cavaliers clinched a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament. It is the first time UVa has ever received a bye in the ACC Tournament.
Note: Downlowd the PDF version of the release for additional information on the Cavaliers.