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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team will be looking for its fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday (Nov. 25) when the Cavaliers conclude a four-game season-opening homestand by hosting Liberty University at John Paul Jones Arena.
The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC select at www.accselect.com.
Reserved seat tickets are available for the Virginia-Liberty game at a cost of $15 each. Tuesday is also a Family Night at John Paul Jones Arena. Family night tickets are $12 each. A minimum of four tickets must be purchased. Each family night game ticket also includes a concession voucher redeemable for a 22-ounce soda, a hot dog and a box of popcorn.
Five players are averaging in double figures for the 3-0 Cavaliers led by freshman guard Sylven Landesberg who leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring with an average of 23.7 points a game. Landesberg was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday (Nov. 24) for his play in UVa’s victories over the University of South Florida and Radford University last week. He is the first player to earn ACC Rookie of the Week honors the first two weeks of a season since Georgia Tech’s Chris Bosh in 2002-03.
Landesberg scored the points that put Virginia ahead for good in the closing seconds of both games last week. He is the first Virginia freshman to score at least 20 points in his first three collegiate games. Landesberg is also the first UVa freshman since Tom Sheehey in 1983-84 to lead the team in scoring in each of the first three games of a season.
Other players averaging in double figures for the Cavaliers are sophomore forward Mike Scott (13.7 ppg.), junior forward Jamil Tucker (11.0 ppg.), freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski (10.3 ppg.) and senior guard/forward Mamadi Diane (10.0 ppg.). Scott leads the team in rebounding with an average of 9.7 rebounds a game and Zeglinski leads the team in assists with an average of 3.7 a game.
Virginia has won its first three games of the season by a total of 14 points. The Cavaliers defeated VMI (107-97), USF (77-75) and Radford (68-66). It’s the first time in school history UVa has opened a season with three victories of 10 points or less.
Virginia is now 16-3 in November under head coach Dave Leitao. The Cavaliers have won 36 consecutive November home games dating back to a 94-83 loss to Ohio on Nov. 18, 1994.
UVa leads the series with Liberty 6-1 and all of the games in the series have been played in Charlottesville. Virginia has won the last three games in the series, including a 79-44 victory the last time the two teams met during the 2005-06 season.
Liberty enters Tuesday’s game with a record of 1-1. The Flames defeated Montreat 97-77 on Nov. 14 and lost at UNC Asheville 84-56 on Nov. 18. Liberty was picked to finish fourth in the Big South Conference preseason poll.
Liberty has four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by freshman guard Seth Curry at 20.5 points a game. Curry is the younger brother of Davidson All-American Stephen Curry. Senior guard Anthony Smith (19.0 ppg.), freshman guard Brolin Floyd (10.0 ppg.) and junior guard Kyle Ohman (10.0 ppg.) are also averaging in double figures in scoring for the Flames. Ohman and Smith are both averaging 6.5 rebounds a game to lead Liberty in that department. Smith was selected the Big South Preseason Player of the Year.
Ritchie McKay is in his second season as Liberty’s head coach. The Flames compiled an overall record of 16-16 last season. This is McKay’s 13th season as a collegiate head coach and his teams have compiled an overall record of 182-175. He was the head coach at Portland State for two seasons, at Colorado State for two seasons, at Oregon State for two seasons and at New Mexico for five seasons before becoming the head coach at Liberty.
After the Liberty game, Virginia takes to the road for the first time this season when the Cavaliers play at Syracuse on Friday (Nov. 28). That game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.