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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team hosts Old Dominion in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational at John Paul Jones Arena on Monday (March 24). The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised by Fox College Sports.
Virginia enters the game with an overall record of 16-15 after a 66-64 victory over Richmond in the first round of the CBI on Tuesday (March 18) at John Paul Jones Arena. The victory was the fifth in the last eight games for the Cavaliers.
Senior guard Sean Singletary scored 18 points, had four rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead UVa to the victory over Richmond. The Cavaliers rallied from 12 points down to outscore the Spiders 17-3 over the last 8:30 of the game and secure the victory. A basket by Singletary with 1:16 to play put Virginia in the lead 65-64 and the Cavaliers hung on for the victory.
Junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane and sophomore forward Jamil Tucker made significant contributions for UVa off the bench against Richmond. Diane scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game with 15 points and he tied for team-high rebounding honors with five. Tucker scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Singletary has now scored in double figures in a UVa-record 53 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He is averaging 19.8 points and 5.9 assists a game. Diane is the only other Virginia player averaging in double figures in scoring at 11.8 points a game. Senior forward Adrian Joseph is the Cavaliers’ leading rebounder with an average of 6.0 rebounds a game and he is averaging 9.9 points a game.
Old Dominion enters the game with an overall record of 18-15. The Monarchs are members of the Colonial Athletic Association and they compiled an 11-7 conference record this season. Old Dominion advanced to Monday’s second round game in the CBI with a 68-65 home victory over Rider in the tournament’s first round on Tuesday. The Monarchs have won seven of their last nine games.
Sophomore forward Gerald Lee leads Old Dominion in scoring and rebounding. He is averaging 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Senior guard Brian Henderson is averaging 9.0 points a game and senior guard Brandon Johnson leads the Monarchs in assists with an average of 4.5 a game. Johnson averages 7.5 points a game.
Old Dominion’s head coach is Blaine Taylor who is in his seventh season as the Monarchs’ head coach. His Old Dominion teams have compiled an overall record of 136-83, have participated in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT.
Virginia leads the series with Old Dominion 8-4 and the Cavaliers have won three of the five games played in Charlottesville. UVa won the most recent game played between the two teams 87-49 at University Hall during the 1995-96 season.
The winner of Monday’s game advances to the semifinals of the CBI on Wednesday (March 26). The four teams remaining in the tournament will be re-seeded after Monday’s quarterfinal games and home teams will be determined for the semifinal games. If Virginia advances to the semifinals, tickets will not go on sale until tournament officials announce the two schools hosting semifinal games.
Tickets may be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com. Student tickets may be purchased online at UVaShots.com beginning at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, should Virginia host a semifinal game.
Tickets may also be purchased by telephone or in person through the Virginia athletics ticket office. The ticket office is located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium and may be reached by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
Donors to the Virginia Athletics Foundation have the opportunity first-come first-served to purchase tickets in sections 111-115 at John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday (March 25).