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Iowa at Virginia – NIT Quarterfinals
Date & Time Wednesday, March 27, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Location Charlottesville, Va. | John Paul Jones Arena
Coverage ESPN2 | Listen on Cavaliers Live | Gametracker
Additional Information Purchase Tickets | Twitter | Facebook | Game Notes

March 26, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 1 seed Virginia (23-11) hosts No. 3 seed Iowa (23-12) in the quarterfinal round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday, March 27. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m.

The Virginia-Iowa game will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. Audio and live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com.

The winner will advance to the NIT semifinals against Maryland at Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday, April 2 at 9 p.m.

Virginia, who is making its 13th NIT appearance, advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 68-50 win over St. John’s on Sunday at JPJ. Freshmen Justin Anderson (Montross, Va.) and Taylor Barnette (Lexington, Ky.) had career highs in scoring with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Junior Akil Mitchell (Charlotte, N.C.) added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent or better (54.5%) from the field for first time since shooting 54.2 percent against Georgia Tech on Feb. 24. Mike Tobey (Monroe, N.Y.) added 10 points and Teven Jones(Kannapolis, N.C.) scored five points as UVa freshmen combined for 46 points, including all 28 bench points.

UVa has won a school-record 20 home games and owns the fourth-longest home winning streak in Division I at 19 games. The Cavaliers will host Iowa in their single-season, school-record 22nd home game.

The Cavaliers, who claimed NIT championships in 1980 and 1992, are seeking their third NIT semifinal appearance and first win (0-1) against Iowa in a series that dates back to 1997. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cavaliers, 73-60, in the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Virginia and Iowa have two common 2012-13 opponents in Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. The Cavaliers went 1-0 against the Badgers and 2-0 against the Hokies, while the Hawkeyes were 1-1 against Wisconsin and 0-1 against Virginia Tech.

All-ACC performers Joe Harris (first team), Jontel Evans (All-Defensive) and Mitchell (third team) lead the Cavaliers. Harris ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring at 16.4 ppg and Mitchell ranks third in rebounding at 9.0 rpg. Evans leads Virginia with 122 assists. Anderson leads Virginia rookies in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocked shots.

The Cavaliers, who earned an at-large bid into the NIT, rank in the top 16 nationally in eight defensive categories, highlighted by their fourth-ranked scoring defense at 55 points per game. Offensively Virginia is averaging 64.2 points per game, shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point land.

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett sports a 76-52 record, including a 2-1 mark in postseason play, in four seasons at Virginia. Bennett, who guided the Cavaliers to their first NCAA Tournament since 2006-07 last season, is the first Virginia coach to post back-to-back 20-win seasons since Jeff Jones in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Bennett has a 5-4 postseason record as a Division I head coach.

Iowa earned an at-large NIT berth after posting a 21-12 overall record and 9-9 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 75-63 win over Stony Brook on Friday.

Iowa is averaging 70.4 points per game and allowing 62.6 ppg. Junior guard Roy Devyn Marble, son of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer Roy Marble, leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game, while sophomore forward Aaron White is averaging 13.1 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. Marble and freshman guard Anthony Clemmons have 100 assists each. Marble (coaches) and White (media) were third team All-Big Ten selections this season.

Head coach Fran McCaffery sports a 52-49 mark in three seasons at Iowa. McCaffery is 303-226 in 16 years as a collegiate head coach, guiding his teams to seven postseason appearances (five NCAA, two NIT).

Reserved tickets for the Virginia-Iowa game are $10 and can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com/tickets.

Fans may also purchase tickets 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 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).

Tickets may also be purchased on game day at the JPJA box office starting at 5:30 p.m.

Parking will be free of charge and available on a first-come, first-served basis in the John Paul Jones Arena, University Hall and McCue Center parking lots and the Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage. The John Paul Jones Arena Garage will be reserved for permit holders.

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