Cavaliers Battle Tigers in ACC Action

Story Links

Feb. 6, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia hosts Clemson in ACC action on Thursday, Feb. 7. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m.

The game will be televised by ESPN2 and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.

Virginia (15-6, 5-3 ACC) is fourth in the ACC standings, while Clemson (12-9, 4-5 ACC) is tied for seventh with Maryland. Virginia is looking to even the season series against Clemson at 1-1 after the Tigers defeated the Cavaliers, 59-44, at Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 12.

The Cavaliers had their four-game ACC winning streak come to an end at Georgia Tech Sunday. Virginia had a pair of nine-point leads, but the Yellow Jackets outscored the Cavaliers, 38-23, in the second half in the 66-60 win.

Clemson returns to action after suffering a 75-68 loss at Boston College last Saturday. In addition to the win against Virginia, the Tigers have defeated Wake Forest (60-44), Virginia Tech (77-70) and Georgia Tech (63-60) in ACC play.

Virginia holds a 68-52 advantage over Clemson in a series that dates back to 1935-36. The Cavaliers are 41-16 vs. Clemson in Charlottesville, including a 3-1 mark at JPJ. Virginia has a three-game home winning streak vs. Clemson, but the Tigers have won the last two meetings between the teams.

The Cavaliers have held seven of their eight ACC opponents under 60 points and rank second in the nation in scoring defense at 52 points per game. Offensively Virginia is averaging 62.5 points per game, shooting 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point land.

Junior Joe Harris (Chelan, Wash.) continues to lead Virginia on offense. Harris ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring at 15.3 points per game and is the only player in the league ranked in the top 10 in 3-point field goal percentage (1st), free throw percentage (9th) and field goal percentage (10th). Harris became the 44th Cavalier to score 1,000 career points after his 18-point outing at Georgia Tech.

Junior Akil Mitchell (Charlotte, N.C.) is averaging a career-high 12.4 points per game and ranks third in the ACC with a career-best 9.1 rebounds per game.

Senior point guard Jontel Evans (Hampton, Va.) ranks third in the ACC at 5.3 assists per game in eight league games. Freshmen Evan Nolte (Milton, Ga.), Mike Tobey (Monroe, N.Y.) and Justin Anderson (Montross, Va.) are each averaging more than six points per game.

Head coach Tony Bennett sports a 68-47 record, including a 2-3 mark against Clemson, in four seasons at Virginia. Bennett guided the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Clemson is averaging 64.4 points per game and allowing 58 ppg. The Tigers are led in scoring by Devin Booker (12.7 ppg), K.J. McDaniels (11.1 ppg) and Milton Jennings (10.8 ppg). Booker recently joined Clemson’s 1,000-point club and Jennings had a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Cavaliers in the first meeting. McDaniels, Booker and Jennings have each blocked over 20 shots and point guard Rod Hall leads the team with 80 assists.

Third-year head coach Brad Brownell sports a 50-36 record at Clemson. Brownell guided the Tigers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season in 2010-11.

Single-game tickets for Virginia’s game against Clemson 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 5:30 p.m.

Fans may also purchase tickets for the Virginia-Clemson game through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office by telephone and in person. The ticket office is located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium and 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).

The Cavaliers travel to Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 10. Tipoff at Comcast Center is set for 1 p.m.