Virginia Faces Tough Road Test at Green Bay

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Dec. 6, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia (7-2) hits the road for a non-conference game against head coach Tony Bennett’s alma mater Green Bay (4-2) on Saturday, Dec. 7. Tipoff at Resch Center (9,877) is set for 5 p.m. ET.

Broadcast Information
The Virginia-Green Bay game will be televised on ESPNU, online at WatchESPN.com and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. Live statistics (GameTracker) will be located on VirginiaSports.com, as well as the Virginia Sports app, which is available free of charge through iTunes. Fans can also follow the game via Twitter at @UVaMensHoops.

Ticket Information
Tickets for the Virginia-Green Bay game at Resch Center are available and can be purchased online by visiting GreenBayPhoenix.com.

For Openers
• Virginia (7-2) meets Green Bay (4-2) for the third time in the series that started in 2011-12.
• The Cavaliers aim for their straight win against Green Bay and play their first true road game of 2013-14.
• Cavalier head coach Tony Bennett starred for his father, Dick Bennett, at Green Bay from 1988-92 and finished his four-year career as the Mid-Continent Conference’s all-time leader in career points (2,285) and assists (601). • Tony Bennett is a member of the Green Bay Athletics Hall of Fame and his No. 25 jersey was retired by the school on Feb. 18, 1995.
• The Cavaliers rank second in the nation in scoring defense at 52.9 points per game.

The Head Coaches
Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 83-55 in five seasons at UVa and 152-88 in eight seasons overall. Green Bay: Brian Wardle (Marquette, 2001), 51-51 in four seasons at Green Bay.

Virginia Receiving Votes in Latest National Polls
Virginia is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. The Cavaliers were ranked No. 24 in the AP preseason poll, marking their first preseason AP top 25 ranking since being ranked No. 11 to start the 2001-02 season.

About the Cavaliers
Virginia’s six-game winning streak came to an end with its 48-38 loss to No. 8 Wisconsin on Dec. 4. The Cavaliers’ season has been highlighted by their second-ranked defense, rebounding and balanced scoring. The Cavaliers are yielding 52.9 points per game and grabbing over 57 percent of the rebounds, ruling the glass in seven of nine games and enjoying a +10.8 average rebound margin per game. UVa ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 36.2 percent.

The Cavaliers are averaging 66.1 points per game, including 29.1 points per game from their reserves, and have outscored their opponents 266-164 in the paint. UVa sports a balanced scoring attack, led by All-ACC performer Joe Harris at 11.2 points per game. Malcolm Brogdon is second at 10.1 points and a team-leading 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Anthony Gill, who has led the team in scoring in four games, has registered 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Mike Tobey has chipped in 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Akil Mitchell has added 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Freshman London Perrantes leads the Cavaliers with 3.1 assists per game and has just nine turnovers in his first nine collegiate games.

Last Time Out
Virginia dropped a 48-38 decision to No. 8 Wisconsin at John Paul Jones Arena on Dec. 4. The Cavaliers shot 23.4 percent (11-of-47) from the field, marking the fourth lowest percentage in school history. Virginia’s 38 points were its lowest during the Tony Bennett era and second fewest during the shot clock era (since 1986). London Perrantesled Virginia with eight points, while Josh Gasser had a game-high 11 points for Wisconsin. The Cavaliers shot a season-best 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line.

Up Next
Virginia hosts Northern Iowa of the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 4 p.m. ET.