HOOS GAMEDAY: No. 13 Virginia vs. Syracuse
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 13 Virginia (10-2, 6-0 ACC) hosts Syracuse (9-4, 3-3 ACC) on Monday, Jan. 25. Tipoff for the Big Monday contest at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• No. 13 Virginia (10-2, 6-0 ACC) hosts Syracuse (9-4, 3-3 ACC) in ACC Big Monday action on Jan. 25.
• As of Jan. 24, Virginia ranks second nationally in turnovers per game (8.2) and personal fouls per game (12.8), fourth in free throw percentage (80.4), sixth in scoring defense (59.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.7), 15th in field goal percentage (50.5) and 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage (38.9).
• The Cavaliers have a six-game winning streak and have started 6-0 in the ACC for the first time since starting 12-0 in 2017-18.
• UVA has a 14-game ACC winning streak dating back to 2019-20.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Syracuse game will be televised on ESPN and streamed online at 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.
• Join the Voice of the Cavaliers Dave Koehn and special guest Reece Beekman for the “Wahoo Walkthrough” at 6 p.m. on the Virginia Sports App, VirginiaSports.com and select stations on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.
The Head Coach
• Three-time National and four-time ACC Coach of the Year Tony Bennett has a 287-98 (.746) mark in 12 seasons at Virginia and 356-131 (.731) career mark in 15 seasons.
• Bennett led the Cavaliers to their eighth straight season with 23 or more wins in 2019-20.
• 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 142-58 (.710) in ACC play (80-20 at home & 62-38 away), 160-29 (.847) at home and 145-40 (.784) in non-conference action (82-7 at JPJ) under Bennett.
• Bennett ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage at .710, among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC regular-season wins.
All-Time vs. Syracuse
• UVA is 8-6 all-time against Syracuse, including a 7-2 mark in ACC action, in the series that dates back to 1983-84.
• Syracuse ended Virginia’s four-game winning streak with its 63-55 overtime win in Charlottesville last season.
• The Cavaliers recorded a 48-34 win at Syracuse to open the 2019-20 campaign.
• The Cavaliers are 3-2 against the Orange at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UVA has held the Orange to 68 or fewer points in each of the last 10 meetings between the teams.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 7-3 all-time against Syracuse.
Last Time vs. the Orange
• Joseph Girard III netted 19 points and Elijah Hughes added 18 as Syracuse knocked off then-No. 18 Virginia 63-55 in overtime on Jan. 11, 2020, at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Buddy Boeheim added 14 points as the Orange drilled 12 of 30 3-pointers in the road win.
• Jay Huff recorded his second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for UVA.
• Virginia used a 12-0 run to take a 35-30 lead, but Syracuse outscored the Cavaliers 13-8 to send the game to overtime.
• The Orange nailed 5 of 6 3-pointers in the extra session to end a four-game UVA winning streak in the series.
• Kihei Clark and Mamadi Diakite each added 13 points and Braxton Key had a team-high 11 rebounds for Virginia.
• UVA shot 31.3 percent, including 7 of 31 from 3-point range.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• Kihei Clark, Sam Hauser and Jay Huff lead the Cavaliers into action against Syracuse.
• Clark, who dished out a season-high eight assists vs. Georgia Tech, has averaged 10.2 points and team-high 4.1 assists.
• Hauser leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg), and is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range (25 of 61).
• Huff leads the team in blocked shots (2.5 bpg) and is second in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg).
• Trey Murphy III (10.4 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers (27) and 3-point percentage (50.9%).
• Rookie Reece Beekman has a team-high 20 steals, 32 assists and 34 rebounds.
• Casey Morsell (6.9 ppg) has averaged 9.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in three games after missing a pair of contests due to contact tracing.
Justin McKoy (4.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg), Tomas Woldetensae (40% 3FG) and Kadin Shedrick (3.5 ppg & 2.9 rpg) have added depth, while Kody Stattmann (4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg) remains sidelined with a non-COVID-19 related cardiac issue.
UVA Ranked No. 13 in Latest AP Poll
• Virginia is ranked No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll.
• UVA has been ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll for 11 straight weeks over the past two seasons.
• UVA was ranked No. 4 in both preseason polls, marking its third AP preseason top-5 ranking in school history (No. 1 in 1982-83 and No. 5 in 2018-19).
• UVA has been ranked in the top 25 in the preseason rankings in nine of the past 10 seasons.
Last Time Out
• Sam Hauser scored a season-high 22 points and Jay Huff matched a career high with 18 points and five blocks as No. 13 Virginia rallied for a 64-62 win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 23.
• The Cavaliers erased a 49-38 Georgia Tech lead and outscored the Yellow Jackets 26-13 to gain the win.
• Casey Morsell chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench, while Kihei Clark added eight assists.
• UVA shot 48.1 percent and outrebounded Georgia Tech 32-25.
• Jose Alvarado led Georgia Tech with 20 points, eight assists and a JPJ record six steals.
On The Horizon
• No. 13 Virginia travels to No. 16 Virginia Tech for a Commonwealth Clash on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
