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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 5 Virginia hosts Towson in its 2018-19 season opener on Tuesday (Nov. 6). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
For Openers
• UVA begins its 114th season of men’s basketball, sporting a 1,597-1,165 (.578) all-time record.
• UVA is 19-1 in its last 20 season-opening games, including a 60-48 win against UNCG last season.
• Virginia has a five-game winning streak on opening night and is 8-1 in season openers under head coach Tony Bennett. 
• The lone opening-night loss under Bennett came at George Mason (63-59) to begin the 2012-13 campaign.
• The Cavaliers are 91-22 all-time in 113 season-opening games.
• UVA is 5-0 all-time vs. Towson.
 
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Towson game will be streamed online on ACC Network Extra (WatchESPN.com) and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
• Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.
 
The Head Coach
• Three-time National and ACC Coach of the Year Tony Bennett has a 219-86 (.718) mark in nine seasons at Virginia and 288-118 (.709) career mark in 12 seasons overall.
• In 2017-18, Bennett led Virginia to its eighth ACC regular-season title, third ACC Tournament championship, school-record 31 wins, ACC-record 17 league wins and ACC-record 9-0 mark on the road.
• Bennett was named the USBWA Henry Iba National Coach of the Year for the third time to rank second all-time behind legendary John Wooden, who captured the award six times.
 
UVA Ranked No. 5 in Preseason Polls
• Virginia is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ preseason polls.
• UVA has been ranked in the top 10 in the preseason ranking in four of the past five seasons.
• The Cavaliers were unranked in the 2017-18 preseason polls, but became the fourth team in the Top 25 era (1990-present) to earn a No. 1 ranking after being unranked in the preseason (Kansas, 1990; Syracuse, 2010; Baylor, 2017).
• Dating back to last season, UVA has been ranked in the AP poll for 17 straight weeks and has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the past 13 polls.
 
All-Time vs. the Tigers
• UVA is 5-0 all-time against Towson in the series that dates back to 1985-86.
• The Cavaliers have won all five of the meetings in Charlottesville, including a 57-50 win at John Paul Jones Arena in the 2011-12 season.
• Virginia head coach Tony Bennett is 1-0 all-time vs. Towson.
 
Last Time vs. Towson
• Sammy Zeglinski scored 20 points and Joe Harris added 17 as Virginia defeated Towson 57-50 on Dec. 30, 2011.
• Harris added seven rebounds as the Cavaliers owned a 32-29 margin on the glass.
• Kris Walden led Towson with 15 points and Marcus Damas had 13.
• UVA shot just 34.8 percent from the field, but made 18 free throws.
 
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• Virginia returns starters Ty Jerome (All-ACC Second Team), Kyle Guy (All-ACC First Team) and Jack Salt and ACC Sixth Man of the Year De’Andre Hunter from last year’s team that won a school-record 31 games and captured the ACC regular-season and tournament titles in the same season under National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett. 
• Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff and Marco Anthony also return to the Cavaliers, who finished first nationally in scoring defense for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
• Transfer Braxton Key gained immediate eligibility after averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in two seasons at Alabama.
• Newcomer Kihei Clark is expected to contribute immediately after averaging 19.4 points, 7.2 assists & 2.9 steals as a high school senior in 2017-18.
• Kody Stattmann provides depth and is redshirt candidate. 
• Redshirt freshman Francesco Badocchi has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team due to medical issues.
• Recruited walk-ons Austin Katstra and Jayden Nixon provide depth.
• Freshman Francisco Caffaro will redshirt the 2018-19 season.
 
All-Time vs. the Colonial Athletic Association
• UVA is 93-30 all-time vs. current members of the Colonial Athletic Association (54-26 vs. William & Mary, 10-0 vs. James Madison, 10-2 vs. Delaware, 6-0 vs. Elon, 5-0 vs. Towson, 4-0 vs. UNCW, 2-0 vs. Drexel, 1-0 vs. Charleston and 1-2 vs. Hofstra).
• UVA meets a CAA foe for the first time since defeating UNCW in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
• Tony Bennett is 8-1 all-time vs. the CAA as head coach at Virginia (2-0 vs. James Madison, 2-0 vs. William & Mary, 2-0 vs. UNCW, 1-0 vs. Drexel, 1-0 vs. Towson and 0-1 vs. Delaware).
 
About The 2018-19 Schedule
• Seven of Virginia’s opponents are ranked in the AP Top-25 preseason poll (Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Florida State and Clemson), while six (Maryland, Notre Dame, Louisville, Miami, NC State and Marshall) received votes.
• The Cavaliers will play 12 games against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams: home games against Duke, Florida State, Marshall, Miami, Syracuse and Virginia Tech; road contests at Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech
• UVA could meet NCAA Tournament teams Butler, Florida and Oklahoma in Battle 4 Atlantis.
• Four opponents (Boston College, Middle Tennessee, Notre Dame and Louisville) participated in the 2018 National Invitation Tournament.
 
Virginia Picked Second in the ACC
• Virginia was picked to finish second in the ACC preseason poll.
• The Cavaliers, who were picked sixth and finished first last season, have finished at or higher than their predicted finish in nine of the last 10 seasons.
• Duke is the preseason favorite, followed by Virginia, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, NC State, Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.
 
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts George Washington in non-conference action on Sunday, Nov. 11. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.