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Cavaliers Play At North Carolina On Sunday
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CHARLOTTESVILLE—The Virginia men’s basketball team will look to end a two-game slide on Sunday when the Cavaliers play an Atlantic Coast Conference game at North Carolina. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports Net.
Virginia enters Sunday’s game with an overall record of 12-6 and a 3-2 record in the ACC.
After winning eight games in a row, including their first three conference games, the Cavaliers have lost their last two games. UVa lost 69-57 at Wake Forest on Jan. 23 and 76-71 in overtime at home to Virginia Tech on Thursday (Jan. 28).
Virginia has not had much success against UNC in Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina leads the overall series with the Cavaliers 124-48 and the Tar Heels hold a 63-5 advantage in games played in Chapel Hill. UNC has won 21 of the 23 games played at the Smith Center between the two teams. North Carolina has won the last six games in the series.
UVa is coming off a difficult overtime loss to Virginia Tech at the John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday. Virginia led 62-52 with 3:44 left to play before the Hokies rallied to score 13 consecutive points to take a 65-62 lead with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski made a three-pointer for the Cavaliers as the clock ran down to tie the game and send it to overtime. Virginia Tech scored the first five points in the overtime period and UVa got no closer than two points the remainder of the overtime period.
Junior forward Mike Scott scored a personal ACC career-high 21 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Cavaliers against Virginia Tech. Sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg scored 18 points, had five assists and four rebounds for Virginia. Junior guard Jeff Jones came off the bench to score 12 points.
Landesberg is the only ACC player to score in double figures in every game this season and is the only player to score at least 18 points in each conference game.
Landesberg, Scott and Zeglinski are all averaging in double figures in scoring for Virginia. Landesberg leads the Cavaliers with an average of 17.6 points a game and also leads the team in minutes played with an average of 31.4 minutes played a game. He is shooting 81.4 percent (83-102) from the free-throw line.
In ACC statistics through Jan. 29, Landesberg ranks fifth in the conference in scoring, sixth in free throw percentage and ninth in minutes played.
Scott leads UVa in rebounding with an average of 7.3 rebounds a game and is averaging 13.3 points a game. He is shooting 54.8 percent (86-157) from the field. He ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage and 13th in rebounding.
Zeglinski is averaging 10.0 points a game and leads the team in assists and steals. He is averaging 2.8 assists (51 assists) and 1.2 steals (22 steals) a game. Zeglinski also leads the team in three-point field goals with 40 (average of 2.2 a game) and he is shooting 45.5 percent (40-88) from three-point range. He led Virginia in three-point field goals with 33 last season.
Zeglinski ranks second in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage and third in three-point field goals per game (2.2).
Jones and junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan continue to provide UVa with a lift off the bench. Jones is averaging 7.6 points a game and is shooting 43.1 percent (25-58) from three-point range, including 50.0 percent (9-18) in ACC games. Farrakhan is averaging 7.0 points and 1.9 assists a game. He is shooting 80.0 percent (36-45) from the free-throw line.
Senior forward/center Jerome Meyinsse is averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a game in the last six games. He is shooting 58.8 percent (30-51) from the field for the season.
As a team Virginia is averaging 70.3 points a game and allowing an average of 61.7 points a game. The Cavaliers are shooting 45.2 percent (454-1004) from the field, including 39.5 percent (113-286) from three-point range, and 74.5 percent (245-329) from the free-throw line. UVa is averaging just 10.6 turnovers a game.
UVa ranks first in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, second in free throw percentage, third in assist to turnover ratio (1.3) and fourth in scoring defense.
North Carolina enters Sunday’s game with an overall record of 13-7 and a 2-3 record in the ACC. The Tar Heels are coming off a 77-63 win at NC State on Tuesday (Jan. 26) after losing three consecutive conference games.
North Carolina won the NCAA Championship last season.
Senior forward Deon Thompson leads North Carolina in scoring with an average of 15.1 points a game and he is averaging 6.7 rebounds a game. He ranks 10th in the ACC in scoring and 15th in rebounding.
Sophomore forward Ed Davis is averaging 14.5 points a game and leads the Tar Heels in rebounding (9.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.8 bpg.). Davis is shooting 59.5 percent from the field. He ranks first in the ACC in field goal percentage and blocked shots, second in rebounding and 13th in scoring.
Sophomore guard Larry Drew II leads UNC in assists with 128 (6.4 apg.) and is averaging 8.9 points a game. Drew ranks first in the conference in assists. Junior forward/guard Will Graves is averaging 9.3 points a game and is shooting 39.6 percent (36-91) from three-point range, and senior guard/forward Marcus Ginyard is averaging 8.5 points a game.
Sophomore forward Tyler Zeller is averaging 9.6 points a game, but is not expected to play on Sunday because of injury.
As a team North Carolina is averaging 81.9 points a game and allowing an average of 72.9 points a game. The Tar Heels are shooting 48.0 percent (608-1266) from the field, including 36.5 percent (99-271) from three-point range, and 67.7 percent (323-477) from the free-throw line. UNC is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 7.6 rebounds a game.
North Carolina ranks first in the ACC in rebounding margin and assists, and second in scoring offense, field goal percentage and blocked shots.
Roy Williams, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, is in his seventh year as head coach at North Carolina and his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach. Williams was the head coach at Kansas for 15 seasons. His North Carolina teams have compiled an overall record of 189-44 and have won two NCAA Championships (2005 and 2009). Williams’ overall record as a collegiate head coach is 607-145. In his 21 full seasons as a collegiate head coach his teams have participated in the NCAA Tournament 20 times, reaching the Final Four seven times and winning two NCAA Championships.
After the game at North Carolina the Cavaliers return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 3) when they host NC State at John Paul Jones Arena. That game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU.