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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team opens play in the 55th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday (March 13) at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers are seeded 10th in the tournament and play seventh-seeded Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised by ESPN2.
The game will also be on V Pass Live Audio at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia enters the tournament with an overall record of 15-14 and the Cavaliers were 5-11 in the ACC during the regular season. UVa has won four of its last six games, including a 91-76 victory over Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (March 9) in the final game of the regular season for both teams. Virginia’s 11 conference losses include three in overtime, one by one point and two by two points in regulation.
Senior guard Sean Singletary led the Cavaliers to their victory over Maryland with 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds. His 27 points enabled him to reach 2,000 points for his UVa career as he finished the game with 2,002 points. He is the fifth player in Virginia men’s basketball history to score 2,000 career points, joining Bryant Stith (2,516), Jeff Lamp (2,317), Buzzy Wilkinson (2,233) and Ralph Sampson (2,228).
Singletary, whose jersey was retired on Sunday, earned first-team All-ACC honors for the third consecutive season on Monday (March 10). He is the third Virginia player to earn first-team All-ACC honors three times. Sampson and Stith are the other Cavaliers who were three-time first-team All-ACC selections.
“It’s only fitting that at the end of a brilliant career, Sean be named first-team All-ACC for the third time,” said Virginia head coach Dave Leitao. “That speaks not only to the success he’s had individually or the success the program has had, but most importantly the consistency of his performance. To be linked with Ralph Sampson and Bryant Stith is a tremendous honor that will live on in Virginia basketball lore.”
Five other Virginia players scored in double figures in the victory over Maryland. Senior forward Adrian Joseph and sophomore forward Jamil Tucker each scored 13 points, junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane had 12 points, and sophomore guard Calvin Baker and junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas each scored 11 points. It marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that UVa had six players score in double figures in a game.
Singletary was named the ACC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday (March 10) for his play as the Cavaliers won two of three games last week. He ranks second in the conference in assists (171, 5.90 apg.), third in scoring (576 points, 19.9 ppg.), fifth in free throw percentage (.856, 166-194), sixth in minutes played (990, 34.14 mpg.) and seventh in steals (52, 1.79 spg.).
A three-time team co-captain, Singletary ranks in the top 10 in Virginia men’s basketball history in six different categories. He ranks second in steals (192), third in assists (556), fourth in three-point field goals made (216), fourth in free throws made (550), fifth in scoring (2,002 points) and ninth in field goals made (618).
Singletary is one of just three players in ACC history to have 2,000 career points, 500 career assists and 400 career rebounds. He has scored in double figures in his last 51 games and is the only player in Division I this season to have a 40-point game, a 10-rebound game and a 10-assist game. Singletary is averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game this season. He scored a career-high 41 points at Miami on March 1 and is averaging 21.5 points a game in ACC games.
Diane and Joseph are also averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavaliers. Diane is averaging 11.4 points a game and Joseph is averaging 10.4 points a game. Joseph leads Virginia in rebounding with an average of 6.3 a game.
UVa has an overall record of 30-53 in ACC Tournament play and won the tournament in 1976. Virginia and Georgia Tech have met eight times in the tournament with each team winning four times.
The teams split two games during the regular season. Georgia Tech won 92-82 in overtime at John Paul Jones Arena on Jan. 27 and Virginia won 76-74 in Atlanta on March 3 on a three-point shot by Baker with 4.2 seconds remaining in the game.
Georgia Tech enters the tournament with an overall record of 14-16 and the Yellow Jackets were 7-9 in the ACC during the regular season. Georgia Tech has won its last two games and three of its last four. The Yellow Jackets are coming off an 86-78 victory at Boston College last Saturday (March 8).
Senior guard Anthony Morrow leads Georgia Tech in scoring with an average of 14.2 points a game. Senior forward Jeremis Smith is averaging 10.4 points a game and leads the Yellow Jackets in rebounding with an average of 7.1 rebounds a game. Sophomore forward/center Zack Peacock is averaging 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.
Paul Hewitt is in his eighth season as the head coach at Georgia Tech and his 11th season as a collegiate head coach. His Georgia Tech teams have compiled an overall record of 141-111 and participated in the NCAA Tournament four times, advancing to the championship game in 2004.
Georgia Tech leads the series with Virginia 37-29 and the Yellow Jackets have won 16 of the last 21 games in the series.