/
.
Cavaliers Host Nationally-Ranked Tar Heels On Tuesday
Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday (Feb. 12) when the Cavaliers host nationally-ranked North Carolina in an Atlantic Coast Conference encounter. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2 and Raycom Sports.
The game will also be on V Pass Live Audio at virginiasports.com.
Virginia is looking to break a six-game losing streak. The Cavaliers are 11-11 overall and 1-8 in the ACC. UVa has lost nine of its last 10 games.
The Cavaliers are coming off an 80-64 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday (Feb. 9). Virginia head coach Dave Leitao changed his lineup for that game with guard Jeff Jones, center Ryan Pettinella and forward Jamil Tucker starting along with forward Adrian Joseph and guard Sean Singletary against the Demon Deacons.
Pettinella had the second double-double of his Virginia career and his first during the 2007-08 season against Wake Forest with a season-high 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Sean Singletary led the Cavaliers with 21 points and three assists. It was the 10th game this season where Singletary has scored at least 20 points and the 37th time in his career. He has scored in double figures in 44 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the ACC.
Singletary continues to lead Virginia in scoring and assists. He is averaging 18.6 points and 5.9 assists a game. Singletary ranks third in the ACC in scoring and second in assists.
Two other Virginia players are averaging in double figures in scoring. Junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane is averaging 11.8 points a game and senior forward Adrian Joseph is averaging 11.7 points and leads the Cavaliers with an average of 7.2 rebounds a game. Joseph ranks ninth in the ACC in rebounding.
North Carolina enters Tuesday’s game ranked fifth in the nation with an overall record of 22-2 and a 7-2 record in the ACC. The Tar Heels are coming off a 103-93 double overtime victory over Clemson in Chapel Hill Sunday night (Feb. 10). Tuesday’s game is North Carolina’s first appearance in John Paul Jones Arena.
North Carolina is led by junior forward Tyler Hansbrough who is averaging a double-double. Hansbrough is averaging 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a game to lead the Tar Heels in both departments. He also leads the ACC in both categories.
Other players averaging in double figures in scoring for North Carolina are sophomore guard Wayne Ellington (16.4 ppg.), sophomore guard Ty Lawson (13.6 ppg.) and junior guard/forward Danny Green (11.8 ppg.). Lawson has 120 assists (5.7 apg.) to lead North Carolina in that department.
Roy Williams is in his fifth season as North Carolina’s head coach. His North Carolina teams have compiled an overall record of 128-32 and the Tar Heels won the NCAA Championship in 2005. Prior to becoming the head coach at North Carolina, Williams was the head coach at Kansas for 15 years. His Kansas teams compiled an overall record of 418-101 and participated in the NCAA Tournament his last 14 seasons as the Jayhawks’ head coach, reaching the Final Four four times. Williams was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September of 2007.
North Carolina leads the overall series with Virginia 121-48 and the Tar Heels lead 41-30 in games played in Charlottesville. North Carolina won the only meeting between the teams last season by a score of 79-69 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Tuesday’s game is the only game between the two teams during the 2007-08 regular season.