No. 9 UVA Hosts Boston College in ACC Opener

Dec. 29, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 9 Virginia (11-1) opens its 65th season of ACC action against Boston College (10-3) on Saturday (Dec. 30). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m.

For Openers
– UVA was picked to finish sixth in the ACC preseason poll, while Boston College was picked to finish 14th.
– Tony Bennett is one win shy of becoming the fourth UVA men’s basketball head coach to win 200 games at the school, joining Terry Holland (326), Henry Lannigan (254) and Gus Tebell (241).
– Bennett would be the third fastest to achieve the mark in 284 games. Lannigan achieved the 200-win mark in 261 games followed by Holland (283) and Tebell (360).
– As of Dec. 29, the Cavaliers rank first nationally in scoring defense (52.3 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (35.9%), third in turnovers per game (9.3), 10th in fouls per game (14.8), 12th in scoring margin (19.8), 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.53), 18th in turnover margin (4.8) and 27th in free throw percentage (76.4%).

Broadcast Information
– The Virginia-Boston College contest will be televised on the Regional Sports Network and streamed 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), 199-84 in nine seasons at UVA and 268-117 in 12 seasons overall.
Boston College: Jim Christian (Rhode Island, 1988), 39-70 in four seasons at Boston College and 282-222 in 16 seasons overall.

UVA Ranked No. 9 in Latest Polls
– UVA is ranked No. 9 in the latest AP and USA Today Coaches’ polls.
– UVA has been ranked in the AP poll for five straight weeks and returns to the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 30, 2017.
– The Cavaliers received votes in the first three AP polls, snapping a streak of 64 consecutive weeks in the AP rankings since Feb. 3, 2014.
– UVA was ranked in the top 10 in the preseason rankings in each of the past three seasons (2014-16).

UVA in Ken Pom Efficiency Ratings
– As of Dec. 29, UVA ranks Nos. 1, 3 and 28 in the KenPom.com adjusted defense, overall and adjusted offense efficiency ratings.
– UVA is shooting 48.4 percent, 39.2 percent from 3-point range (2nd best in school history) and school-best 76.4 percent from the free throw line.
– UVA has shot 50 percent or better in seven games.

Last Time Out
– Kyle Guy had 15 points, DeAndre Hunter scored 14 and Ty Jerome added 10 as No. 13 Virginia wrapped up its nonconference schedule with an 82-48 victory over Hampton on Dec. 22.
– The Cavaliers (11-1) held Hampton to 20.6 percent from the field in the second half and bounced back from a cold start on the offensive end.
– UVA trailed for eight minutes in the first half before 3-pointers from Jerome and Nigel Johnson, along with a dunk by Isaiah Wilkins, pulled them even.
– The Cavaliers went on a 34-10 run wrapped around the halftime break to take control.
– Virginia shot 51.5 percent in the second half and outscored Hampton (5-9) 34-10 in the paint.

All-Time Against Boston College
– Virginia is 13-7 all-time vs. Boston College, including a 10-7 ACC mark, in the series that dates back to 1971-72.
– The Cavaliers have a four-game winning streak against the Eagles and have won six of the last seven games in the series.
– UVA is 7-2 against Boston College in Charlottesville, including a 61-47 win in the last meeting between the teams at John Paul Jones Arena during the 2015-16 season.
– Head coach Tony Bennett is 7-4 all-time against Boston College.

Last Time Against the Eagles
– Devon Hall tallied 13 points and Isaiah Wilkins chipped in 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds then-No. 16 Virginia’s 71-54 win at Boston College on Jan. 18, 2017.
– UVA broke the game open with a 15-0 first-half run and held the Eagles scoreless for 5:25 during the run.
– Darius Thompson and Kyle Guy added 12 and eight points off the bench, respectively.
– The Cavaliers had 22 assists on their 27 made field goals.
– UVA committed just five turnovers in the win.

Getting Defensive
– UVA has limited its foes to 52.3 points per game (2nd best in school history) and has held six of its opponents to fewer than 50 points (UNCG, Austin Peay, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Savannah State and Hampton). – UVA has held each of its 12 foes to less than 50 percent shooting.
– The Cavaliers are 70-2 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 95-3 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 72.1 points per game (most under Bennett) on offense, while yielding a nation-leading 52.3 ppg (second lowest in school history) on defense.
– UVA has started Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, Hall, Wilkins and Salt in each of its 12 games.
– Guy leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game and has scored 13 or more points in 10 games, including a career-high 29 points at VCU (11/17/17) and 21 vs. Lehigh (12/2/17).
– Hall has averaged 12.4 points on 49 percent shooting and team-leading 93.5 percent (29 of 31) from the charity stripe and 47.4 percent (18 of 38) from 3-point range.
– Wilkins, who has averaged 7.3 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds, 14 blocked shots and 16 steals.
– Jerome is averaging 7.9 points and Salt is averaging a career-best 4.3 rebounds.
– Graduate transfer Nigel Johnson is averaging 6.9 points after averaging 11.3 points for Rutgers last season. Johnson has reached double figures in three contests off the bench.
– Mamadi Diakite (6.6 ppg & 4.0 rpg) and redshirt freshmen De’Andre Hunter (6.5 ppg) and Jay Huff (4.6 ppg) are key role players.
– 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 158-40 (.798), including an 8-0 mark in 2017-18, in 12 seasons at John Paul Jones Arena. – UVA has a 10-game home win streak dating back to last year.
– The Cavaliers finished undefeated at home (15-0) in 2015-16.
– UVA is 119-24 (.832), including an 84-9 (.903) 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
– No. 9 Virginia travels to in-state rival Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 9 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.