No. 12 UVa Faces No. 2 UNC Friday Night

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CHARLOTTESVILLE The 12th-ranked Virginia women’s basketball team travels to face No. 2 North Carolina Friday. Tip-off from the Dean E. Smith Center is 8:30 p.m., and the game is being televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network (FOX Sports Net South, Channel 262, in the Charlottesville area).

Additionally, the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on the Virginia Sports Network (WINA 1070 AM in Charlottesville) with Jay James, Myron Ripley and Larry Johnson calling the action. Live statistics are available at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia (14-2) has two wins over ranked opponents this year (Nov. 17 at No. 5 Tennessee and Jan. 11 vs. No. 25 Wake Forest) and the second-ranked Tar Heels represent its highest ranked opponent of the year. Under head coach Debbie Ryan, the Cavaliers have upset 42 opponents that were ranked ahead of them at the time of the meeting.

The Cavaliers have won nine-consecutive contests and are led by national player of the year candidate Monica Wright, who leads the ACC by averaging 21.9 points per game, in addition to 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. Lyndra Littles has returned to the line-up as well, and over seven games has averaged 19.0 points (including a career-high 33 points vs. Louisiana Tech on Dec. 29 en route to tournament Cavalier Classic MVP honors).

Ryan is in her 32nd year on the sidelines. The Class of 2008 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has posted a 689-290 career record with the Cavaliers.

Center Aisha Mohammed, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Dec. 10 that sidelined her for four games, returned on Jan. 2 against Georgia and played 15 minutes. She has started the last two games for the Cavs.

North Carolina, ranked No. 2 in the latest polls, enters the contest with a 16-0 record after most recently defeating NC State in overtime, 75-66, in its conference opener (Jan. 11). Virginia trails the all-time series with UNC, 43-31, including 12-straight losses to the Tar Heels. UVa fell in the regular season last year, 90-82 (Feb. 15 at JPJA), and in the ACC Tournament semifinals, 80-65 (March 8 at Greensboro Coliseum).

Following Friday’s game, ACC play continues when Virginia heads to in-state rival Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. game.