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Cavaliers Return Home To Play Duke
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CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men’s basketball team returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 16) for an Atlantic Coast Conference game with No. 5 Duke at John Paul Jones Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and is sold out.
Wednesday’s game will be televised by ESPN2 and broadcast by the Virginia Sports Radio Network.
Virginia takes an overall record of 12-12 and a 3-7 record in the ACC into the game with Duke. The Cavaliers are coming off a 63-56 loss at Florida State on Saturday (Feb. 12). UVa has lost its last two games and four of its last five.
Junior guard Sammy Zeglinski scored a game-high 19 points to lead Virginia in its loss at Florida State. The 19 points are a season high for Zeglinski and he has scored in double figures each of the last four games. Freshman guard Joe Harris added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Cavaliers against the Seminoles.
Senior guard Mustapha Farrakhan and Harris are both averaging in double figures in scoring for the Cavlaliers. Farrakhan is averaging 13.2 points a game for the season and 14.1 points a game in ACC games. Harris is averaging 10.5 points a game for the season and leads UVa in three-point field goals with 49. His 49 three-point field goals rank third on Virginia’s list of three-point field goals by freshmen in a season.
Freshman guard KT Harrell is averaging 9.3 points a game for the Cavaliers and junior center Assane Sene is averaging 5.4 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Jontel Evans leads UVa in assists (89, 3.7 apg.) and steals (36, 1.5 spg.).
Through games of Feb. 14, Evans ranks sixth in the ACC in steals and seventh in assists. Harris ranks ninth in the conference in three-point field goals made (2.0 pg) and Farrakhan ranks 16th in scoring.
As a team Virginia is second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.387, 176-455), fourth in scoring defense (63.3 ppg.) and fourth in three-point field goals made (7.3 pg.).
Duke leads the series with Virginia 113-48, including a 76-60 victory in Durham, N.C., earlier this season (Jan. 15). The Blue Devils lead 36-33 in games played in Charlottesville in the series and 2-1 in games played at John Paul Jones Arena.
Duke enters Wednesday’s game with an overall record of 23-2 and a 10-1 record in the ACC. The Blue Devils have won their last four games and are coming off an 81-71 victory at Miami on Sunday (Feb. 13).
Senior guard Nolan Smith and senior forward Kyle Singler are Duke’s leading scorers. Smith is averaging 21.4 points a game and leads the Blue Devils in assists with 136 (5.4 apg.). Singler is averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.
Other top scorers for Duke are sophomore guard Andre Dawkins (9.3 ppg.) and sophomore guard Seth Curry (9.1 ppg.).
Freshman guard Kyrie Irving averaged 17.4 points a game through the Blue Devils’ first eight games before being sidelined with an injury.
Sophomore forward Mason Plumlee is Duke’s leading rebounder with an average of 8.6 rebounds a game and he is averaging 7.1 points a game.
Mike Krzyzewski is in his 31st season as the head coach at Duke. His Duke teams have compiled an overall record of 818-222 and won four national championships.
After playing Duke the Cavaliers are back at home on Saturday (Feb. 19) for an ACC game with Virginia Tech. That game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be televised by the ACC Network.