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Cavaliers Play Penn In Philly Hoop Group Classic On Friday
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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team heads to Philadelphia this weekend (Nov. 23-24) for the Philly Hoop Group Classic. The Cavaliers play the University of Pennsylvania on Friday (Nov. 23) at 9 p.m. on the Quakers’ home court at The Palestra after Navy plays Seton Hall at 7 p.m. The winners of the two games play each other on Saturday (Nov. 24) at 9 p.m. and the losers meet at 7 p.m.
The games are being televised by CN8 and can be watched live online at www.cn8.tv.
UVa, ranked No. 23 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, enters Friday’s game with an overall record of 4-0 after a 72-58 victory over Drexel on Tuesday (Nov. 20) at John Paul Jones Arena. Senior Sean Singletary scored 24 points, had seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Cavaliers, while senior forward Adrian Joseph had the first double-double of his collegiate career with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Singletary has scored more than 20 points in each of the last there games and leads Virginia with an average of 22.5 points a game. He is also averaging a team-leading 6.75 assists a game and is second on the team in rebounding with an average of 5.0 a game.
Junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane is the only other UVa player averaging in double figures in scoring with an average of 11.0 points a game, but Joseph (9.8 ppg.) and sophomore guard Calvin Baker (9.5 ppg.) are close. Joseph leads the team in rebounding with an average of 6.3 rebounds a game.
Penn enters Friday’s game with an overall record of 1-3 after a 93-77 victory over The Citadel on Tuesday (Nov. 20). Senior Brian Grandieri is averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. The Quakers have won the last three Ivy League Championships.
Penn leads the series with Virginia 7-5, but the Cavaliers have won the last five games in the series. UVa is 2-4 against the Quakers at The Palestra and the Cavaliers have won the last two games between the two teams in the building.
Navy enters Friday’s game with Seton Hall with a record of 2-3, while the Pirates are 3-0.
The trip to Philadelphia is a Homecoming of sorts for a number of people associated with the UVa program.
Three Virginia players are from Southeastern Pennsylvania. Singletary and freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski are from Philadelphia, and freshman guard Jeff Jones is from Chester, Pa. In addition, senior center/forward Ryan Pettinella played two years at Pennsylvania before transferring to Virginia.
UVa assistant coach Steve Seymour was on the staff at Drexel for 10 seasons, the last two as head coach, and director of basketball operations Rick Brunson was a standout at Temple (1992-95) before playing nine seasons in the NBA.
Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage is a native of the Philadelphia suburb of La Mott, Pa., and is a 1973 graduate of Penn. He was a member of three Ivy League Championship teams as a player and led the Quakers to an Ivy League title while the head coach at Pennsylvania (1982-85).