Cavaliers Take Three-Game Winning Streak to Pitt

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (18-7, 10-5 ACC) travels to Pitt (15-12, 6-10 ACC) for an ACC contest Saturday (Feb. 22). Tipoff at Petersen Events Center is set Noon on ESPN2.
 
For Openers
• Virginia and Pitt meet for the lone time in 2019-20.
• UVA (10-5) is fourth in the ACC, while Pitt (6-10) is tied for 12th.
• UVA has won 10 or more ACC games for a school-record eight straight seasons.
• UVA posted season highs in points (78), field goal (57.8%) and 3-point (58.8%) percentage in its win vs. Boston College.
• UVA is averaging 64 points during its three-game winning streak.
• Reigning ACC Player of the Week Mamadi Diakite blocked two shots vs. Boston College to rank second all-time at UVA with 150.
• Tomas Woldetensae is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range over his last four games (18 of 36).
 
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Pitt game will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed live on WatchESPN.com and ESPN app.
• The game will also be 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 four-time ACC Coach of the Year Tony Bennett has a 272-96 (.739) mark in 11 seasons at Virginia and 341-129 (.726) career mark in 14 seasons.
• In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and school-record 35 wins.
• UVA is 131-58 (.693) in ACC play, 155-29 (.842) at home and 141-38 (.788) in non-conference action (79-7 at JPJ) under Bennett.
• Bennett ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage at .693, among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC regular-season wins.
 
 On the Road
• Virginia is 4-4 in true road games in 2019-20, defeating Syracuse (48-34), Georgia Tech (63-58), Wake Forest (65-63 OT) and North Carolina (64-62).
• The Cavaliers are 6-4 away from home, including a pair of neutral site wins at the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament.
• UVA went 8-1 in ACC road action last season and 10-1 overall.
 
All-Time vs. Pitt
• UVA is 15-4 all-time vs. Pitt in the series that dates back to 1957-58.
• UVA has won four straight contests vs. the Panthers, including a 73-49 tilt last season at John Paul Jones Arena.
• The Cavaliers defeated the Panthers 66-37 in their last visit to Petersen Events Center in 2017-18.
• Virginia has won 11 of the last 12 meetings and is 6-3 in Pittsburgh.
• UVA is 8-1 against Pitt since 2013-14 when the Panthers joined the ACC.
• Tony Bennett is 8-2 all-time vs. Pitt, including an 8-1 mark at UVA.
 
Last Time vs. the Panthers
• Kyle Guy scored 17 points to lead then-No. 2 Virginia to a 73-49 win over Pitt on March 2, 2019.
• Ty Jerome added 13 points and De’Andre Hunter chipped in 12 points and five assists as Virginia improved to 26-2, 14-2 ACC.
• The Cavaliers used a 16-0 run to gain a 39-19 halftime lead.
• UVA shot 58.5 percent from the floor and went 9 of 16 from 3-point range in its sixth consecutive win.
• Pitt (12-17, 2-14 ACC) was led by Jared Wilson-Frame’s 15 points.
 
UVA in the National Rankings
• As of Feb. 20, Virginia ranks second in the nation in scoring defense (52.6), third in field goal percentage defense (37.1) and fewest fouls (337), fourth in personal fouls per game (13.5) and 25th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.4).
 
UVA Receives Votes in National Polls
• UVA received votes in the latest AP and USA Today Coaches’ poll.
• UVA, which has been unranked in six straight polls, was unranked in the Jan. 13 AP poll for the first time since Nov. 20, 2017, ending its streak at 46 straight weeks in the national polls.
 
Holding Foes Under 50
• UVA is 11-0 when limiting opponents to fewer than 50 points.
• UVA is 98-2 when achieving the mark in the Tony Bennett era.
• Bennett-coached teams are 123-3 when holding opponents to fewer than 50 points (25-1 in three years at Washington State).
• UVA is 4-0 when limiting opponents to fewer than 40 points (27-0 all-time under Bennett).
• UVA has three wins when scoring fewer than 50 points for the first time since 1981-82 (Maryland and NC State twice).
• The Cavaliers have held the Tar Heels to fewer than 50 points in three of the last five meetings between the teams.
 
Last Time Out
• Kihei Clark and Braxton Key each tallied 17 points to lead Virginia to a 78-65 win over Boston College on Feb. 19.
• Tomas Woldetensae and Jay Huff each had 14 points and Mamadi Diakite added 10 as five UVA players landed in double figures for the first time since at Notre Dame on Jan. 26, 2019.
• UVA (18-7, 10-5 ACC) shot a season-high 58.8 percent, including a blistering 68.4 percent (13 of 19) in the second half.
• Clark dished out a game-high eight assists and Key added a career-high four blocks as the Cavaliers tied a season high with nine rejections.
• Nik Popovic had a game-high 22 points and Jay Heath added 18 for the Eagles (13-14, 7-9 ACC).
• The 78 points and 58.8 percent 3-point shooting (10 of 17) were also season bests for the Cavaliers.
 
On The Horizon
• Virginia travels to Virginia Tech for a Commonwealth Clash on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.