Cavaliers Play at Minnesota on Monday in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

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CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men’s basketball team is back on the road Monday (Nov. 29) when the Cavaliers play at nationally-ranked Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It will be the fifth consecutive game away from home for the Cavaliers.

Monday’s game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be broadcast by the Virginia Sports Radio Network and televised by ESPN2.

Virginia has a 5-5 record in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, 1-4 on the road, and has lost its last two games in the challenge, including a 66-56 loss at Minnesota during the 2008-09 season. UVa is 1-2 against Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with the home team winning each game.

UVa is 3-3 on the season after finishing sixth in the eight-team EA SPORTS Maui Invitational (Nov. 22-24). The Cavaliers played at Stanford before traveling to Hawaii and finished 1-3 on the trip. Virginia lost at Stanford (81-60) before losing to nationally ranked Washington (106-63), defeating Oklahoma (74-56) and losing to Wichita State (70-58) in the Maui Invitational.

Senior forward Mike Scott has had double-doubles for Virginia in the last two games. Scott scored a career-high 27 points and had 15 rebounds in the victory over Oklahoma, and then had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Wichita State. He now ranks ninth on UVa’s career double-doubles list with 21.

Scott averaged 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds a game in the Cavaliers’ three games at the Maui Invitational.

Freshman guard Joe Harris had a solid three games for Virginia at the Maui Invitational. Harris had season-high totals of 19 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Washington. For the tournament he averaged 12.0 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, and shot 55.6 percent (15-27) from the field, including 5-9 (55.6 percent) from three-point range.

Senior forward Will Sherrill has scored in double figures in each of the last two games for UVa. Sherrill had 11 points and five rebounds against both Oklahoma and Wichita State. He averaged 8.3 points a game in the three games in Maui and shot 52.9 percent (9-17) from the field, including 50.0 percent (7-14) from three-point range.

Freshman guard KT Harrell scored in double figures twice for the Cavaliers at the Maui Invitational. Harrell had season-high totals of 14 points and eight rebounds against Washington, and he had 10 points against Wichita State.

Scott is the only player averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavaliers on the season. He is averaging 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game, while shooting 50.7 percent (34-67) from the field and 88.6 percent (31-35) from the free throw line.

Six other Virginia players are averaging at least 6.0 points a game. Harris is averaging 9.7 points a game followed by senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan (8.2), Harrell (7.5), freshman guard Billy Baron (7.5), sophomore guard Jontel Evans (7.5) and Sherrill (6.3).

Minnesota is 6-0 on the season and ranked No. 15 in the most recent Associated Press poll. The Golden Gophers won the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament earlier this month with victories over Western Kentucky (95-77), North Carolina (72-67) and West Virginia (74-70).

Three players are averaging in double figures in scoring for Minnesota led by 6-4 senior guard Blake Hoffarber at 15.0 points a game. Hoffarber is also averaging a team-leading 4.8 assists a game. Trevor Mbakwe, a 6-8 junior forward, is averaging 13.7 points and a team-leading 9.0 rebounds a game, and 6-11 junior forward/center Ralph Sampson III is averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds a game.

Minnesota finished the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 21-14 and participated in the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Gophers are coached by Tubby Smith who is in his fourth season as the head coach at Minnesota. His Minnesota teams have compiled an overall record of 69-39 (.639) and the Golden Gophers have participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments.

The 2010-11 season is Smith’s 20th as a collegiate head coach and his teams have compiled an overall record of 456-184 (.713). In Smith’s 19 previous seasons as a collegiate head coach, his teams have participated in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and his Kentucky team won an NCAA Championship in 1998.

Virginia leads the series with Minnesota 4-2. The Golden Gophers have won two of the three games played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

After the game at Minnesota the Cavaliers return to action on Sunday (Dec. 5) at Virginia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference game. The game at Virginia Tech is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports Net.