No. 4 Virginia Opens ACC Play vs. No. 9 Florida State

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 4 Virginia (12-0) hosts No. 9 Florida State (12-1) in its ACC opener on Saturday (Jan. 5). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
 
For Openers
• Virginia opens its 66th season of ACC action.
• UVA head coach Tony Bennett recorded his 300th career win against Marshall in the Cavaliers’ last game of 2018.
• The Cavaliers have started 12-0 for the first time since starting 19-0 in 2014-15.
• UVA is 2-0 vs. ranked foes in 2018-19 (Wisconsin and Maryland).
• UVA was picked to finish second in the ACC preseason poll, while Florida State was picked to finish seventh.
 
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Florida State game will be televised on ESPN2 and 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 231-86 (.729) mark in 10 seasons at Virginia and 300-119 (.716) career mark in 13 seasons.
• Bennett became the 80th active Division I head coach to win his 300th career game against Marshall on Dec. 31, 2018.
• 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. 4 in AP Poll
• Virginia is ranked No. 4 in the latest AP poll.
• The Cavaliers have been ranked in the top six in the AP poll for nine consecutive weeks.
• UVA has been ranked in the AP poll for 25 straight weeks and has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the past 20 polls.
• UVA was ranked No. 5 in the preseason polls and has been ranked in the top 10 in the preseason rankings in four of the past five seasons.
• In 2017-18, Virginia became the fourth team in the Top 25 era to earn a No. 1 ranking after being unranked in the preseason.
 
 Last Time Out
• Kyle Guy scored a career-high 30 points to lead No. 4 Virginia to a 100-64 win over Marshall on Dec. 31.
• Guy added career highs in 3-pointers (7) and rebounds (8) as the Cavaliers hit the century mark for the first time under Tony Bennett.
• Ty Jerome chipped in 14 points and Jay Huff added a season-high 14 points and career-high eight rebounds.
• Manager Grant Kersey sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Virginia its 100th point against Marshall.
• UVA shot 53.2 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe to improve to 12-0.
 
All-Time vs. Florida State
• Virginia is 24-24 all-time vs. Florida State in a series that began in 1991-92.
• In 2017-18, UVA ended a two-game losing streak against the Seminoles with a 59-55 win in the only meeting between the teams.
• Virginia has won six of the last eight meetings between the teams.
• UVA has limited Florida State to fewer than 70 points in each of the last 15 meetings between the teams.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 7-7 all-time vs. Florida State.
 
Last Time vs. the Seminoles
• Devon Hall scored 17 points, Ty Jerome added 15 and then-No. 2 Virginia rallied in the second half to beat Florida State 59-55 on Feb. 7, 2018.
• Kyle Guy scored 10 of his 13 points in the final 20 minutes as the Cavaliers fought back from a 32-22 halftime deficit to remain unbeaten in the ACC.
• Virginia was 5 of 10 on 3-pointers in the second half and committed just one turnover.
• Virginia (23-1) was the third team since 2000-01 to win its first 12 ACC games, joining North Carolina (2000-01) and Miami (2012-13). 
• The Seminoles shot 40 percent from the field (18 of 45) and made only two of their last 12.
• MJ Walker paced FSU with 10 points, and Phil Cofer added nine.
 
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• Virginia is led by the quartet of Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Jack Salt. 
• Jerome, Guy and Hunter have started all 12 games, while Salt has started 11, missing the Coppin State game with back stiffness.
• Jerome, Guy or Hunter has led UVA in scoring in each of its 12 contests, accounting for 59 percent of the Cavaliers’ scoring.
• Alabama transfer Braxton Key leads the team in rebounding (5.4), while Mamadi Diakite has averaged 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.
• Newcomer Kihei Clark has started four games and is second on the team in assists (2.6). Clark broke his left wrist against Morgan State, but hasn’t missed a game while playing with a cast.
• Marco Anthony, Jay Huff, Kody Stattmann and Francesco Badocchi provide depth and Francisco Caffaro is redshirting the 2018-19 season.
• Manager Grant Kersey has appeared in six home games.
 
UVA in the National Statistical Rankings
• As of Jan. 4, UVA ranks first nationally in scoring defense (51.4 ppg), turnovers per game (8.6), fewest turnovers (103) and winning percentage (100%), second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (24.7%), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76), fourth in scoring margin (23.3), seventh in free throw percentage (78.1%), 12th in field goal percentage defense (37.6%), 13th in turnover margin (4.8), 14th in fewest fouls (185), 25th in personal fouls per game (15.2) and 30th in 3-point field goal percentage (39.1%).
 
 Guy, Jerome and Hunter Among ACC Leaders
• As of Jan. 4, Kyle Guy ranks first in the ACC in 3-pointers (3.0), fifth in 3-point percentage (45.6%), ninth in minutes (32.8) and 12th in scoring (15.4).
• Ty Jerome ranks third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7), sixth in steals (2.1) and assists (4.3), eighth in 3-point percentage (41.5%), 19th in scoring (14.2) and 22nd in minutes (30.7). 
• De’Andre Hunter ranks fifth in field goal percentage (53.6%), seventh in free throw percentage (82.7%) and 16th in scoring (14.5).
 
On the Horizon
• No. 4 Virginia travels to Boston College on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Tipoff at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass., is set for 9 p.m. on ESPNU.