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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team tries to extend its two-game winning streak on Saturday (Jan. 3) when the Cavaliers host No. 22 Xavier at John Paul Jones Arena.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and reserved seat tickets are available at a cost of $30 each.
The game will be televised by Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and by Fox Sports Ohio.
Virginia enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 6-4 after an 88-84 overtime victory at Georgia Tech last Sunday (Dec. 28). The game was the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for the Cavaliers and marked the first time since the 1994-95 season that UVa won an ACC opener on the road.
Several individuals played key roles for the Cavaliers in their victory at Georgia Tech. Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg led Virginia with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes. Junior forward Jamil Tucker’s three-point field goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime and junior guard Calvin Baker’s layup with 10.3 seconds remaining in overtime put UVa ahead to stay. Tucker tied his career high with 15 points in the game, while Baker scored 13 points.
Also providing significant contributions for the Cavaliers at Georgia Tech were sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan, sophomore forward Mike Scott and freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski. Farrakhan scored a career-high 12 points, Scott had his second consecutive double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Zeglinski scored nine points, had a career-high six rebounds and tied a career high with six assists.
“It was a terrific game, both teams played well and played to their strengths,” Virginia head coach Dave Leitao said after the game at Georgia Tech. “They got a lot of inside scoring and attacked the glass. We were able to spread them out offensively and attack. They made some runs, we made some runs and the last two minutes before overtime, with the game hanging in the balance, some of our guys stepped up. To finish it off in overtime was huge. I think overall it speaks to what we have been talking about. We are getting a little bit better, a little more consistent on the defensive end.”
Eight of Virginia’s 10 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less.
Landesberg was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season after his performance at Georgia Tech. He leads the Cavaliers and the ACC in scoring with an average of 19.1 points a game, and is the second leading freshman scorer in the nation. He has scored 20 or more points six times this season and has scored more points in the first 10 games of his freshman season (191) than any other freshman in the program’s history. Landesberg is also averaging 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting 50 percent from the field (61-122) and 79.0 percent (64-81) from the free throw line.
Zeglinski and Scott are also averaging in double figures in scoring. Zeglinski is averaging 12.2 points a game and leads the team in three-point field goals (22) and assists (3.8 apg.). Scott is averaging 10.5 points and 9.6 rebounds a game while shooting 54.5 percent (42-77) from the field. He is third in the ACC in rebounding.
Baker is averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game. Tucker is averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds a game.
As a team, the Cavaliers are scoring an average of 76.8 points a game while allowing an average of 71.4 points a game.
Xavier enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 10-2 after a 78-57 victory over Robert Morris at home on Wednesday (Dec. 31).
Junior forward Derrick Brown leads Xavier in scoring with an average of 14.2 points a game. Other double figure scorers for the Musketeers are senior guard B.J. Raymond with an average of 11.3 points a game and senior forward C.J. Anderson with an average of 10.8 points a game. Junior center Jason Love leads Xavier in rebounding with an average of 6.2 a game and sophomore guard Dante Jackson leads the Musketeers in assists with an average of 2.8 a game. Jackson is averaging 7.6 points a game and Love is averaging 6.3 points a game.
As a team, Xavier is scoring an average of 71.2 points a game and allowing an average of 63.4 points a game.
Sean Miller is in his fifth season as the Musketeers’ head coach and his Xavier teams have compiled an overall record of 103-41. Xavier has played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons and reached the Elite Eight last season. Miller is familiar with the ACC having served as an assistant coach at NC State for five years (1996-2001).
Virginia’s series with Xavier is tied 1-1. The Cavaliers won the first game between the two teams 85-65 in Charleston, S.C., on Dec. 29, 1971. The Musketeers won last season’s game with Virginia in Cincinnati 108-70.
The Cavaliers are back at John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday (Jan. 6) for a game with Brown. It is the final non-conference game of the regular season for Virginia. Tuesday’s game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and reserved seat tickets are available at a cost of $15 each.