No. 4 UVA Hosts Robert Morris on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round
Virginia Game Notes | Live Stats | WatchESPN | NCAA Tournament Bracket | Buy Tickets
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Cavaliers (13-3) hosts the Robert Morris (9-7) Colonials on Saturday evening in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. UVA is ranked No. 4 in this week’s USILA coaches poll and No. 3 in the Inside Lacrosse/Maverick media poll. Robert Morris is receiving votes in both polls.
UVA, champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is the No. 3 national seed and earned an at-large bid. Robert Morris earned the AQ as champions of the Northeast Conference (NEC).
CLEAR BAG POLICY
There is a “Clear Bag” policy in place at Klöckner Stadium. Please click here to view Klöckner Stadium FAQs regarding bag and entry policies.
PARKING
Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the University Hall and John Paul Jones Arena parking lots. Parking is also available at the Emmet/Ivy Garage. There will be heavy traffic in the area on Saturday as UVA hosts Louisville in baseball at 4 p.m. and the ACC Track & Field Championship all day. Fans for those two events, in addition to men’s lacrosse, will use all these available lots.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available at VirginiaSports.com. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Mike Corey will call the play-by-play, while Matt Ward and Don Zimmerman will provide analysis. ESPN will also simulcast the broadcast on the WatchESPN app, or by logging onto ESPN3.com.There will be a live radio broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA 1070 AM and 98.9 FM. Luke Neer will provide the play-by-play and Doug Tarring will add analysis. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM ACC Radio channel 371.
CAVALIER TIDBITS
•UVA is No. 1 in the nation with 41.94 ground balls per game.
• UVA is No. 1 in the nation in clearing defense. UVA is limiting its opponents to a 69.9 percent clearing, which is 6.1 failed clears per game by UVA opponents.
• UVA has scored 224 goals through 16 games this year and has assisted 136 of them. That means UVA has recorded an assist on 60.7 percent of its goals in 2019.
• With 17 assists, Ryan Conrad is tied for No. 5 on UVA’s single-season assist ledger for midfielders.
• UVA is looking to snap a four-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament, its longest in program history.
UVA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• UVA is 48-33 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• UVA is 12-7 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• UVA is making its 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and seventh as the No. 3 seed.
• UVA is 9-5 all-time as the tournament’s No. 3 seed, including winning the 1999 NCAA title.
• UVA has never played Robert Morris in the NCAA Tournament.
• Virginia is 6-2 against teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament field.
• UVA and Duke (6-2) lead the field with most victories against 2019 NCAA Tournament teams, while Penn State has the best winning percentage at .833 (5-1).
SERIES INFO
• Saturday is the third all-time meeting between UVA and Robert Morris with the Cavaliers holding a 2-0 edge.
• RMU first came to Klöckner Stadium in 2010 when the Cavaliers were ranked No. 1 in the nation and UVA cruised to an 18-9 victory.
• UVA led early in the 2017 meeting, 6-0, before RMU came roaring back. Virginia finished off the win by six goals, 13-7.
ROBERT MORRIS
• RMU head coach Andrew McMinn is in his eighth season at Robert Morris and has taken the Colonials to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments after winning back-to-back NEC titles.
• Robert Morris enters Saturday with an eight-game winning streak after starting the season 1-7. The Colonials swept through the NEC Tournament with wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Hobart.
• Corson Kealey leads RMU with 48 goals. Tyson Gibson is the team leader with 62 points and 35 assists.
• Ryan Smith is second on the team with 59 points, while Matt Schmidt rounds out the top scorers with 39 points on 28 goals and 11 assists.
• Alex Heger is saving 48.9 percent of shots between the pipes and is posting a 13.25 goals against average.
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday’s ACC Championship game can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone at (800) 542-8821 or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advanced tickets are $8 (reserved) and $5 (general admission). Tickets at the gate will be $10 (reserved) and $8 (general admission). Students of participating school tickets are $5 on-line and or at the booth day of game.
UP NEXT
With a win, UVA will advance to the quarterfinals in Hempstead, N.Y., against the winner of Sunday’s game between Towson (No. 6 seed) and Maryland. The quarterfinal matchup will be played at either noon or 2:30 p.m. at James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University. The quarterfinals will be broadcast on ESPNU.