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Cavaliers Host Syracuse At John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday
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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team hosts Syracuse University at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 5) in the second game of a six-game homestand for the Cavaliers. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2.
UVa enters the game with a 6-1 record after a 94-52 home victory over Northwestern University in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 27. Syracuse is 5-2 and defeated Tulane 73-60 on Dec. 1 in its most recent game.
The game is the first regular-season meeting between the teams. Virginia and Syracuse have met twice previously with both games in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers defeated the Orange 63-55 in Atlanta, Ga., in the 1984 tournament’s Sweet 16 on the way to the Final Four in Seattle, Wash. Syracuse beat Virginia 63-61 in Richmond, Va., in the second round of the 1990 NCAA Tournament. The game in Richmond, Va., was Terry Holland’s last game as head coach of the Cavaliers.
Virginia shot 51.6 percent from the field, including 50 percent (16-32) from three-point range, in its victory over Northwestern. The Cavaliers’ 16 three-point field goals against the Wildcats are a season high. UVa currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in three-point field goals made a game (10.57) and is second in three-point field goal percentage (43.8 percent). The Cavaliers rank seventh and 14th nationally in those categories.
Senior guard Sean Singletary leads Virginia in scoring and assists. Singletary is averaging 20.4 points (2nd in the ACC) and 6.86 assists (1st in the ACC) a game. He has scored in double figures in 29 consecutive games. Singletary had his second career double-double in the victory over Northwestern with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane and senior forward Adrian Joseph are the other two Cavaliers averaging in double figures in scoring. Diane is averaging 13.0 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. He is shooting 55.6 percent (30-54) from the field, including 57.6 percent (19-33) from three-point range (1st in the ACC and 5th nationally). Joseph is averaging 10.9 points a game and leads the team in rebounding with an average of 8.1 a game.
Nine Virginia players are averaging 12 or more minutes played a game.
Virginia is averaging 83.3 points a game and is out-rebounding opponents by 16.6 rebounds a game.
Jim Boeheim is in his 32nd season as the head coach at Syracuse and has a career record of 755-266 (.739) He is tied for 12th on the all-time Division I victory list and is eighth among active Division I coaches in winning percentage. Boeheim led Syracuse to the NCAA Championship in 2003. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September of 2005.
Syracuse has five players averaging in double figures in scoring led by 6-11 freshman forward Donte Greene who is averaging 18.9 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. Eric Devendorf, a 6-4 junior guard, is averaging 17.1 points a game and 6-9 junior forward/center Arinze Onuaku is averaging 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds a game. The other two double figure scorers for the Orange are 6-0 freshman guard Jonny Flynn at 13.1 points a game and 6-5 sophomore forward Paul Harris who is averaging 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a game.
Syracuse is averaging 82.6 points a game and is out-rebounding opponents by 7.3 rebounds a game.
After playing Syracuse, the Cavaliers return to action on Friday, Dec. 7, when they host Longwood at John Paul Jones Arena. That game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Select at www.accselect.com.