/
.
Virginia Hosts Georgia Tech On Saturday
Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men’s basketball team will be looking to break a three-game skid when the Cavaliers host Georgia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday (Jan. 22) at John Paul Jones Arena.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at noon. It will be televised by the ACC Network and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.
Tickets are available for the game (click here for ticket information). Tickets can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com/tickets and can also be purchased on game day at the JPJA box office starting at 10:30 a.m.
Virginia enters the Georgia Tech game with an overall record of 10-8 and a 1-3 record in the ACC. The Cavaliers have lost their last three games, all conference encounters.
UVa is coming off a 70-67 loss at Boston College on Wednesday (Jan. 19). Boston College led by 13 points in the first half and by six points (34-28) at halftime. The Cavaliers rallied in the second half to lead by a point on two occasions, but the Eagles took the lead for good on two free throws by senior guard Biko Paris with 1:29 left to play and held on for the win. Boston College was eight-for-eight from the free throw line in the last 1:29 of the game.
Virginia had four players score in double figures against the Eagles. Senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan led the way with 14 points and he had a career-high seven rebounds. Freshman guard KT Harrell scored 13 points, freshman guard Joe Harris had 11 points, and junior center Assane Sene scored a career-high 11 points. Sene also had a game-high nine rebounds and tied his career high with five blocked shots.
Farrakhan (12.4 ppg.), Harris (10.3 ppg.) and Harrell (10.2 ppg.) are all averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavaliers. Sene is averaging 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots a game. Sophomore guard Jontel Evans leads UVa in assists (68, 3.8 apg.) and steals (26, 1.4 spg.).
Evans ranks tied for fifth in the ACC in assists, tied for seventh in steals and eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.8), while Harris is 10th in the conference in three-point field goals made (34, 1.9 pg.). Farrakhan is sixth in the ACC in free throw percentage (81.8 percent, 54-66) and 17th in scoring (12.4 ppg.).
As a team Virginia ranks third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (37.5 percent) and rebounding defense (32.7), and the Cavaliers are fourth in scoring defense (62.9) and three-point field goals made per game (6.9).
Georgia Tech leads the series with Virginia 38-31, but the Cavaliers have won three of the last four meetings. The teams met just once last season with the Cavaliers winning 82-75 at John Paul Jones Arena. UVa is 18-11 against Georgia Tech in games played in Charlottesville and has won two of the three games played at JPJA.
The Yellow Jackets enter Saturday’s game with an overall record of 9-8 and a 2-2 record in the ACC. Georgia Tech is coming off home victories over North Carolina (78-58) and Wake Forest (74-39).
Junior guard Iman Shumpert leads Georgia Tech in scoring, rebounding and assists. He is averaging 16.4 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, and has 57 assists (3.4 apg.). Also averaging in double figures in scoring for the Yellow Jackets are sophomore guard Glen Rice, Jr., (13.4 ppg.) and sophomore forward Brian Oliver (10.4 ppg.).
Paul Hewitt is in his 11th season as the head coach at Georgia Tech and his 14th season as a collegiate head coach. His Yellow Jacket teams have compiled an overall record of 186-152 and participated in five NCAA Tournaments. Hewitt was the head coach at Siena for three seasons before moving to Georgia Tech.
Virginia plays its second consecutive conference home game on Thursday (Jan. 27) when the Cavaliers host Maryland at JPJA. That game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.