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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team is back in action on Saturday (Dec. 20) when the Cavaliers host Auburn at John Paul Jones Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet and FSN South.
Reserved seat tickets are available for the Virginia-Auburn game at a cost of $20 each. The Auburn game 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.
The game with Auburn is the second game of a three-game homestand for the Cavaliers. Virginia opened the homestand with a 90-61 victory over Longwood on Wednesday (Dec. 17). It was UVa’s first game after a 15-day break for exams and the win broke the team’s three-game losing streak.
“Coming off the long break, one of our concerns was not having the right rhythm that we needed,” Virginia head coach Dave Leitao said after the win over Longwood. “We’ve been victims of that before. We made more good plays today. It is a point to build from. There still are some key areas to improve on, but we’ll take that, move on and build some consistency.”
Virginia used a couple of long runs to take control of the Longwood game in the first half. The Cavaliers opened the game on a 15-2 run and then scored 16 consecutive points later in the first half to take a 22-point lead at 31-9 with 8:26 left in the half. The Lancers cut the UVa lead to 36-27 with 1:40 remaining in the first half, but the Cavaliers closed the half on a 6-0 run to lead 42-27 at halftime. Longwood got no closer than 14 points in the second half as Virginia pulled away for the victory.
Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg scored 20 points and had nine rebounds to lead the Cavaliers, while junior guard Calvin Baker and freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski each finished with 14 points. Junior forward Jamil Tucker had the first double-double of his collegiate career with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in his first start of the season.
UVa shot 51.6 percent (33-64) from the field, including 37.5 percent (6-16) from three-point range, and 75 percent (18-24) from the free throw line in the game. The Cavaliers out-rebounded Longwood 49-23.
Landesberg continues to lead the Cavaliers in scoring with an average of 19.1 points a game and he is averaging 6.1 rebounds a game. He has scored in double figures in all seven of Virginia’s games and is second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring.
Zeglinski is the only other UVa player averaging in double figures in scoring. He is averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and is tied for the team lead in assists with an average of 3.3 a game. Zeglinski is also shooting 50.8 percent (33-65) from the field, including 48.4 percent (15-31) from three-point range. He has scored in double figures in each of the last five games.
Baker and sophomore forward Mike Scott are each averaging 9.7 points a game. Baker is tied with Zeglinski for the team lead in assists with an average of 3.3 a game, while Scott leads the team and ranks second in the ACC in rebounding with an average of 9.7 a game.
Tucker is averaging 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.
As a team, Virginia is scoring an average of 78.6 points a game and allowing an average of 74.9 points a game. The Cavaliers are out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 10.2 rebounds a game, the third best rebounding margin in the ACC.
In preparation for Auburn’s visit to John Paul Jones Arena, Leitao is hoping his team’s confidence level is up after the victory over Longwood.
“We needed to have something to get our confidence up, and now we have that and need to build on it,” Leitao said after the Longwood game. “Tomorrow is important, Friday is important. Our effort level Saturday and the crowd’s energy will be important. It takes that kind of effort to beat a good team like that.”
Auburn enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 5-4 after a 75-32 home victory over Tuskegee on Wednesday (Dec. 17). The Tigers have won their last two games.
Auburn has four players averaging in double figures in scoring led by senior forward Korvotney Barber with an average of 13.6 points a game. Barber is also the team’s leading rebounder with an average of 6.3 a game.
The other players averaging in double figures in scoring for the Tigers are junior guard Tay Waller (12.2 ppg.), junior guard DeWayne Reed (11.8 ppg.) and freshman guard Frankie Sullivan (10.0 ppg.). Senior guard Quantez Robertson leads Auburn in assists with an average of 4.3 a game. Robertson is also averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a game.
As a team, Auburn is averaging 71.1 points and allowing an average of 61.1 points a game.
Jeff Lebo is in his fifth year as Auburn’s head coach and the Tigers have compiled an overall record of 62-68 under his direction. The 2008-09 season is Lebo’s 11th season as a collegiate head coach and his teams have compiled an overall record of 177-131. Lebo played college basketball at North Carolina.
Virginia leads the series with Auburn 3-2 and has won the last two games in the series. The last meeting between the two teams was at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., and the Cavaliers won 89-87 on Dec. 3, 2004. The only previous game between the two teams in Charlottesville was the first game in the series and the Tigers won 27-21 back in 1920.
Virginia concludes its homestand with a game against Hampton on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m. The Hampton game is also a Family Night at John Paul Jones Arena.