Pitt Next for No. 2 Cavaliers

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 2 Virginia (25-2, 13-2 ACC) hosts Pitt (12-16, 2-13 ACC) in ACC men’s basketball action Saturday (March 2). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on Raycom.
 
For Openers
• Virginia (13-2) is tied for first in the ACC, while Pitt (2-13) is 15th.
• UVA clinched its ACC-leading fifth double bye for the 2019 ACC Tournament (since 2014). North Carolina is second with four and Duke third with three.
• The Cavaliers have a three-game winning streak vs. Pitt.
 
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Pitt game will be televised on Raycom and streamed online on TheACC.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 243-88 (.734) mark in 10 seasons at Virginia and 312-121 (.721) 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.
• Bennett also earned Division I National Coach of the Year honors
 
UVA in the National Statistical Rankings
• As of Feb. 28, UVA ranks first nationally in scoring defense (54.3 ppg), fewest turnovers (247), turnovers per game (9.1) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.6%), second in fewest fouls (386), third in scoring margin (17.5), fourth in field goal percentage defense (37.4%) and winning percentage (92.6%), fifth in assist-to-
turnover ratio (1.58), seventh in personal fouls per game (14.3), eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5%), 21st in rebound margin (6.4) and 28th in free throw percentage (75.3).
 
UVA Ranked No. 2 in AP Poll
• UVA is ranked a season-high No. 2 in the latest AP poll.
• UVA has been ranked in the AP top six in 26 consecutive polls.
• UVA has been ranked in the AP for 32 straight polls and has been ranked in the top 10 in each of the past 28 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.
• UVA is 73-6 at home in nonconference action under Bennett.
 
Last Time Out
• Ty Jerome scored 19 points and De’Andre Hunter added 18 as No. 2 Virginia cruised to an 81-51 win over Georgia Tech on Feb. 27.
• Kyle Guy added 11 points and Kihei Clark chipped in eight points and six assists as Virginia improved to 25-2, 13-2 ACC.
• The Cavaliers used an 11-0 run to gain a 41-22 halftime lead.
• UVA shot 55.6 percent from the floor and went 9 of 17 from 3-point range in its fifth consecutive win.
• Mamadi Diakite blocked three shots and added a career-high eight rebounds.
• Georgia Tech (12-17, 4-12 ACC) was led by Jose Alvarado’s 12 points.
 
All-Time vs. Pitt
• UVA is 14-4 all-time vs. Pitt in the series that dates back to 1957-58.
• UVA has won three straight contests vs. the Panthers, including a 66-37 road decision last season.
• Virginia has won 10 of the last 11 meetings and is 5-1 at home (2-0 at John Paul Jones Arena) vs. the Panthers.
• UVA is 7-1 against Pitt since 2013-14 when the Panthers joined the ACC.
• Tony Bennett is 7-2 all-time vs. Pitt, including a 7-1 mark at UVA.
 
 Last Time vs. the Panthers
• Then-No. 1 UVA outscored Pitt 30-7 in the first half and secured its fourth outright ACC title with a 66-37 win over the Panthers on Feb. 24, 2018.
• De’Andre Hunter tallied his first career double-double with 14 points and career-high 10 rebounds, while Ty Jerome had 13 points.
• Virginia started on an 8-0 run and Pitt didn’t make a field goal until the midway point of the first half.
• Pitt shot 1 of 22 in the first half and its one field goal tied an NCAA record for fewest field goals in a half.
• Reserve Nigel Johnson added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting for UVA.
 
Five Cavaliers Among ACC Leaders
• As of Feb. 28, Kyle Guy ranks first in the ACC in 3-pointers (3.0), third in 3-point percentage (42.9%), ninth in minutes (34.3) and 13th in scoring (15.0).
• Ty Jerome ranks second in assists (5.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) and 17th in minutes (32.7).
• De’Andre Hunter ranks third in the ACC in field goal percentage (54.5%), fourth in free throw percentage (80.2%) and 12th in scoring (15.3).
• Mamadi Diakite ranks seventh in blocked shots (1.6) and Braxton Key ranks 22nd in rebounding (5.7).
 
On the Horizon
• No. 2 Virginia travels to Syracuse on Monday, March 4. Tipoff at Carrier Dome is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.