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Cavaliers Play Wake Forest at JPJA Wednesday Night
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CHARLOTTESVILLE-The Virginia men’s basketball team begins the second half of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule on Wednesday (Feb. 8) when the Cavaliers host Wake Forest at John Paul Jones Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
UVa enters the game with an overall record of 18-4 and a 5-3 record in the ACC. The Cavaliers are coming off a 58-55 loss at Florida State on Saturday (Feb. 4) that ended a three-game winning streak.
In this week’s national rankings, Virginia is ranked 19th in The Associated Press poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
Wake Forest enters the game with an overall record of 11-12 and a 2-7 record in the ACC. The Demon Deacons have lost their last four games and are coming off an 87-76 loss at NC State on Saturday (Feb. 4).
Single-game tickets for Virginia’s game with Wake Forest are available and can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com/tickets. Tickets may also be purchased on game day at the JPJA box office starting at 6:00 p.m.
Fans may also purchase tickets for the Virginia-Wake Forest game through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office by telephone and in person. The Athletics Ticket Office is located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).
Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on the Virginia Sports Network. It will also be televised on the regional sports networks, including Comcast SportsNet+, and carried on ESPN3 except in states where there is an ACC school.
Senior forward Mike Scott had his second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in UVa’s loss to Florida State. Sophomore guard Joe Harris scored 16 points and had five rebounds for the Cavaliers, and freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon added 10 points.
Scott’s 11 rebounds enabled him to move into fourth place on Virginia’s career rebounding list with 865 rebounds.
Scott continues to lead Virginia in scoring and rebounding. He is averaging 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, while shooting 58.8 percent (134-228) from the field and 81.5 percent (101-124) from the free-throw line. Scott is one of two players nationally with the NCAA minimum of attempts in both categories to be shooting over 58 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line. The other is Doug McDermott of Creighton.
Scott ranks first among ACC players in field goal percentage, fourth in scoring, sixth in rebounding and eighth in free throw percentage.
Harris is also averaging in double figures in scoring with an average of 12.7 points a game and senior guard Sammy Zeglinski is averaging 8.7 points a game.
Junior guard Jontel Evans leads Virginia in assists (81) and steals (39). He ranks fourth among ACC players in steals (1.8 spg.) and fifth in assists (3.7 apg.).
As a team, UVa ranks first in the ACC in scoring defense (51.4), rebounding defense (27.6) and defensive rebounding percentage (75.8 percent).
Nationally the Cavaliers rank first in the nation in fewest assists allowed per game (7.5), second in scoring defense, third in points allowed per possession (0.85), fourth in opponents’ assist-to-turnover ratio (0.57), fifth in defensive rebounding percentage and 26th in field goal percentage defense (39.3). Virginia has allowed points on just 43.5 percent of its opponents possessions this season and ranks third nationally in that department.
Wake Forest leads the series with Virginia 69-59, but the Cavaliers lead 36-21 in games played in Charlottesville. The Demon Deacons have won two of the three games played between the two teams at JPJA. Wake Forest has won the last six games in the series, including a 76-71 win in Winston-Salem, N.C., last season. UVa’s last win in the series was an 88-76 victory in 2006-07 when J.R. Reynolds scored a JPJA record 40 points.
Junior guard C.J. Harris leads Wake Forest in scoring with an average of 17.5 points a game, while sophomore forward Travis McKie is averaging 15.8 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Tony Chennault is averaging 10.0 points a game and leads the team in assists with 70 (3.0 apg.).
Jeff Bzdelik is in his second season as the head coach at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were 8-24 last season. He has also been the head coach at Maryland-Baltimore County (two seasons), the Air Force Academy (two seasons) and Colorado (three seasons) at the collegiate level. Bzdelik was also the head coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets for three seasons.
After the game with Wake Forest, the Cavaliers play at North Carolina on Saturday (Feb. 11). That game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be televised by the ACC Network.