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Virginia Plays At Duke On Saturday
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CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men’s basketball team plays its first game away from home since Dec. 5 on Saturday (Jan. 15) when the Cavaliers play an Atlantic Coast Conference game at top-ranked Duke in Durham, N.C. UVa has played its last eight games at home.
Saturday’s game at Duke is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium and will be televised by ESPN.
The Cavaliers enter the Duke game with an overall record of 10-6 and a 1-1 record in the ACC after a 62-56 loss to North Carolina at John Paul Jones Arena last Saturday (Jan. 8).
Four Virginia players scored in double figures in the loss to North Carolina led by freshman guard KT Harrell’s game-high 13 points. Sophomore guard Jontel Evans tied his career high with 11 points, senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan also scored 11 points and freshman guard Joe Harris added 10 points for the Cavaliers. Evans also had four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Junior center Assane Sene had a game-high 11 rebounds for UVa.
Virginia led by seven points at halftime (37-30) and by as many as 11 points in the second half before the Tar Heels rallied for the victory.
UVa will be without senior forward Mike Scott against the Blue Devils. Scott will undergo a second operation on his left ankle and miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season.
The 6-8 Scott had arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 16 to remove loose pieces of cartilage from the ankle. The second surgery is for additional cartilage work and to remove impinging bone spurs. He is expected to return to full activity in three to four months.
It is expected that the paperwork necessary to request a medical hardship enabling Scott to retain a year of eligibility will be filed.
Scott did not play in six of Virginia’s last seven games. He played in 10 games this season and leads the Cavaliers in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and rebounding (10.2 rpg.) average. He has six double-doubles, including a stretch of five double-doubles in a row. He is the first Virginia player to have five consecutive double-doubles since Ralph Sampson in 1983.
Farrakhan (12.2 ppg.) and Harrell (10.5 ppg.) are also averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavaliers. Harris is averaging 9.9 points a game.
Evans leads Virginia in assists (63, 3.9 apg.) and steals (24, 1.5 spg.). Sene is averaging 4.2 rebounds a game.
Duke enters the game with Virginia with an overall record of 15-1 and a 2-1 record in the ACC after its first loss of the season Wednesday night (Jan. 12) at Florida State. The Seminoles defeated the Blue Devils 66-61.
Duke leads the series with Virginia 112-48 and has won the last five games and 14 of the last 15 games with the Cavaliers. The Blue Devils have won the last 13 games between the two teams at Cameron Indoor Stadium and hold a 53-10 lead over the Cavaliers in games played in Durham. Virginia has not won in Durham since a 91-88 double overtime victory in 1995.
Duke has four players averaging in double figures led by senior guard Nolan Smith and senior forward Kyle Singler. Smith is averaging 19.5 points a game and leads the Blue Devils in assists with 91 (5.7 apg.). Singler is averaging 18.0 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.
Also averaging in double figures in scoring for Duke are freshman guard Kyrie Irving (17.4 ppg.) and sophomore guard Andre Dawkins (11.4 ppg.). Irving has not played in Duke’s last eight games because of an injury.
Sophomore forward Mason Plumlee is Duke’s leading rebounder with an average of 8.0 rebounds a game.
Mike Krzyzewski is in his 31st season as the head coach at Duke. His Duke teams have compiled an overall record of 810-221 and won four national championships.
After the game at Duke, the Cavaliers return to action on Jan. 19 when they play at Boston College. That game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and will not be televised. The game will be broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.