No. 16 Virginia Hosts Davidson on Saturday

Dec. 15, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 16 Virginia (8-1) returns to action with a non-conference game against Davidson (4-3) on Saturday (Dec. 16). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m.

For Openers
– No. 16 Virginia has a 2-0 record against Atlantic 10 opponents, posting wins against VCU (75-67) and Rhode Island (70-55).
– As of Dec. 14, the Cavaliers rank first nationally in scoring defense (52.6 ppg), seventh in turnovers per game (9.4), 11th in field goal percentage defense (36.7%), 20th in free throw percentage (78%), 21st in fouls per game (15.4) and scoring margin (16.9) and 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46).

Broadcast Information
– The Virginia-Davidson contest will be streamed online on ACC Network Extra (ESPN3.com) and ESPN App, and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Athletics mobile app on iTunes or Android. – Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

The Head Coaches
Virginia: Tony Bennett (Green Bay, 1992), 196-84 in nine seasons at UVA and 265-117 in 12 seasons overall.
Davidson: Bob McKillop (Hofstra, 1972), 537-331 in 29 seasons at Davidson.

All-Time vs. Davidson
– Virginia sports a 12-4 mark, including a 7-2 mark in Charlottesville, against Davidson in the series that dates back to 1920-21.
– UVA has an eight-game winning streak against the Wildcats, including victories in 2013 (70-57 win in Charlotte) and 2014 (83-72 in Charlottesville).
– Virginia has defeated Davidson by 11 or more points in each of the last four contests.

UVA in Ken Pom Efficiency Ratings
– As of Dec. 14, UVA ranks Nos. 1, 3 and 35 in the KenPom.com adjusted defense, overall and adjusted offense efficiency ratings.
– UVA is shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range and school-best 78 percent from the free throw line.
– UVA has shot 50 percent or better in five games.

Last Time Out
– Jevon Carter had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Lamont West scored 22 points and then-No. 18 West Virginia beat then-No. 15 Virginia 68-61 on Dec. 5, sending the Cavaliers to their first loss.
– Daxter Miles Jr. added 12 points for the Mountaineers (8-1).
– Devon Hall led Virginia (8-1) with 19 points and Kyle Guy added 18, all in the second half.
– For the second straight year, West Virginia made it difficult for the Cavaliers to get into a consistent offensive rhythm. Guy missed his first six shots, then hit six 3-pointers in the second half as Virginia overcame an eight-point deficit.
– West hit a baseline jumper and a 3-pointer 1:18 apart to break a 56-all tie and put the Mountaineers ahead to stay. After Ty Jerome sank a 3-pointer to trim Virginia’s deficit to 61-59 with 2:33 left, West and Carter sealed the win with free throws.

Last Time vs. the Wildcats
– Anthony Gill set career highs in points (25) and rebounds (13) as Virginia rallied for an 83-72 win over Davidson on Dec. 30, 2014.
– Virginia trailed by 12 points in the first half, but outscored Davidson 51-36 in the second stanza to record its 12th-straight win.
– Darion Atkins tallied his first career double-double with a season-high 13 points and 10 rebounds.
– Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and a 12-12 effort from the charity stripe in the win.
– Justin Anderson added 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Getting Defensive
– UVA has limited its opponents to 52.6 points per game (2nd best in school history) and has held four of its 2017-18 foes to fewer than 50 points (UNCG, Austin Peay, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin). – UVA has held each of its nine foes to less than 50 percent shooting.
– The Cavaliers are 68-2 when limiting their opponents to fewer than 50 points under head coach Tony Bennett.
– In 2016-17, Virginia led the nation in scoring defense (56.4 ppg) for the third time under Bennett.
– Bennett-coached teams have led the nation in scoring defense four times (2008-09, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17) and finished in the top-five nationally in eight of 11 seasons.
– Bennett-coached teams are 93-3 when holding opponents to fewer than 50 points during his 12-year coaching career.

About the Cavaliers
– UVA is led by tri-captains Devon Hall, Isaiah Wilkins and Jack Salt.
– The announcement of Hall, Wilkins and Salt marked the first time in Bennett’s 12-year head coaching career where he officially named team captains.
– UVA has averaged 69.4 points per game (second most under Bennett) on offense, while yielding a nation-leading 52.6 ppg (second lowest in school history) on defense.
– UVA has started Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, Hall, Wilkins and Salt in each of its first nine games.
– Guy leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game and has scored 13 or more points in eight of nine games, including a career-high 29 points at VCU (11/17/17) and 21 vs. Lehigh (12/2/17).
– Hall has averaged 12.6 points on 52 percent shooting and a team-leading 92 percent (23 of 25) from the charity stripe.
– Wilkins, who has averaged 7.9 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds, leads UVA in field goal percentage (61.4%) and has a team-high 11 blocked shots and 11 steals.
– Jerome is averaging 7.3 points and has a team-high 24 assists.
– Salt is averaging 2.8 points and career-best 4.7 rebounds, while graduate transfer Nigel Johnson is averaging 5.6 points after averaging 11.3 points for Rutgers last season.
– Mamadi Diakite (6.6 ppg & 4.1 rpg) and redshirt freshmen De’Andre Hunter (5.9 ppg) and Jay Huff (5.0 ppg) are contributors off the bench.
– Marco Anthony provides depth and fellow rookie Francesco Badocchi is expected to redshirt the 2017-18 season.

There’s No Place Like Home
– Virginia is 155-40 (.795), including a 5-0 mark in 2017-18, in 12 seasons at John Paul Jones Arena. – UVA has a seven-game home win streak dating back to last year.
– The Cavaliers finished undefeated at home (15-0) in 2015-16.
– UVA is 117-24 (.830), including an 82-9 (.901) mark the past six seasons, at home under head coach Tony Bennett.
– Virginia is 41-4 in ACC home games over the past five seasons.
– UVA has won 11 or more home games for eight straight seasons.

On the Horizon
– Virginia hosts Savannah State on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast online on ACC Network Extra.