Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball season closes its 2008-09 regular season schedule on Saturday (March 7) when the Cavaliers host Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena in an Atlantic Coast Conference game. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ABC.
An ABC-TV coverage map for Saturday’s game can be accessed by clicking on the link above this article.
Reserved seat tickets for the Maryland-Virginia game are available at a cost of $35 each. Saturday is also a Family Day at John Paul Jones Arena and Family Day packages that include four tickets, four hot dogs, four 22-ounce sodas and four popcorns are available for $96. Additional tickets may be added at $24 each.
Saturday’s game is the final regular season home game for Virginia players Mamadi Diane and Tunji Soroye. Diane enters the game with Maryland having scored in double figures in two of the last four games and with 975 career points. Soroye has started the last two games and ranks ninth on UVa’s career list for blocked shots with 94.
Virginia enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 9-17 and a 3-12 record in the ACC after a 75-57 loss at No. 18 Clemson on Tuesday (March 3). The Cavaliers have lost their last four games.
Clemson led 32-31 at halftime and used a 20-4 run at the beginning of the second half to take control of the game. Junior guard Calvin Baker finished with a Virginia career-high 18 points to lead the Cavaliers in the loss at Clemson. Sophomore forward Mike Scott had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds against the Tigers, and sophomore guard Jeff Jones scored 11 points.
Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, a candidate for ACC Rookie of the Year, leads Virginia in scoring with an average of 16.9 points a game. Landesberg is also averaging 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 34.2 minutes played a game, and is shooting 80.7 percent (138-171) from the free throw line.
Scott is the only other player averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavaliers. He is averaging 10.5 points a game and leads UVa in rebounding with an average of 7.1 rebounds a game. Scott is shooting 55.4 percent (107-193) from the field.
Baker has scored in double figures in the last five games and is averaging 13.0 points a game during that stretch. For the season, he is averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 assists a game.
Freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski is averaging 8.3 points and leads the team in assists with an average of 3.2 assists a game. Zeglinski also leads UVa in steals with 36 for an average of 1.4 a game and in three-point field goals made with 33.
Junior forward Jamil Tucker averages 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds a game for the Cavaliers and Jones is averaging 6.9 points a game. Jones has started the last eight games and is averaging 11.2 points a game in the last nine games.
Maryland enters Saturday’s game with an overall record of 18-11 and a 7-8 record in the ACC. The Terrapins are coming off a 65-63 loss to Wake Forest in College Park, Md., on Tuesday (March 3).
Junior guard Greivis Vasquez leads the Terrapins in scoring, rebounding and assists. He is averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game.
Junior forward Landon Milbourne is the only other Maryland player averaging in double figures in scoring. Milbourne is averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a game.
Junior guard Eric Hayes is averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 assists a game, and sophomore guard Adrian Bowie is averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 assists a game.
Gary Williams is in his 20th season as the head coach at Maryland. His Maryland teams have compiled an overall record of 415-226 and won an NCAA Championship in 2002.
Saturday’s game is the second of the season between the two teams. Maryland defeated Virginia 84-78 in College Park on Jan. 20. The Terrapins lead the series with UVa 103-67, but the Cavaliers lead 42-39 in games played in Charlottesville.
After Saturday’s game with Maryland, Virginia returns to action on Thursday (March 12) when the Cavaliers play in the ACC Tournament in Atlanta, Ga.