Virginia Battles Georgia in Roman Legends Classic Monday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (2-2) plays Georgia (2-2) in the Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper on Monday, Nov. 22 in Newark, N.J. Tipoff at Prudential Center is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
For Openers
• Virginia meets Georgia for the first time since 1987.
• UVA is 148-43 (.775) in nonconference action under head coach Tony Bennett.
• Virginia’s 2-2 record marks its worst start since opening 2-2 in 2012-13.
• The Cavaliers have captured championships in six of their last seven November tournaments (Emerald Coast Classic, Charleston Classic, Barclays Center Classic, Corpus Christi Challenge, NIT Season Tip-Off and Battle 4 Atlantis).
• UVA went 1-1 in Bubbleville last season.
• Georgia’s Jabri Abdur-Rahim played at UVA in 2020-21.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Georgia game will be televised on ESPNU, streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
• The game will also be broadcast on 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
• Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 297-105 (.738) mark in 13 seasons at Virginia and 366-138 (.726) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided the Cavaliers to their 10th ACC regular-season championship in 2020-21.
• In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and a school-record 35 wins.
• Bennett has led UVA to 10 consecutive postseason appearances (2012-21) and seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• We play defense, take good shots, share and take care of the basketball, rebound, and play more defense.
• UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (9.8 ppg & 3.0 apg) and Reece Beekman (6.3 ppg, 4.0 apg & 3.3 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (13.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.5 ppg).
• Clark has played 97 games at UVA and was an All-ACC honorable mention selection last season, while Beekman had a team-high 30 steals and was second with 75 assists.
• The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
• Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range for the Hoosiers in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (7.8 ppg & 6.3 rpg) and Francisco Caffaro (4 rpg) anchor the paint, while Kody Stattmann, Carson McCorkle, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Malachi Poindexter provide perimeter depth.
All-Time vs. Georgia
• Virginia is 3-4 all-time against Georgia, including a 1-0 mark in the modern era, in a series that dates back to 1926.
• The teams meet for the first time since Dec. 24, 1987 when the Cavaliers drilled the Bulldogs 87-54 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• UVA is 1-1 vs. UGA in neutral site games.
Last Time vs. the Bulldogs
• Virginia cruised past Georgia 87-54 in the Chaminade Christmas Tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 24, 1987.
• Mel Kennedy netted 20 points and John Johnson had 17 as the Cavaliers shot 59.6 percent in the win.
• Willie Anderson led the Bulldogs with 18 points.
On The Horizon
• Virginia will meet Providence or Northwestern in the Legends Classic on Nov. 23 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The consolation game is set for 5 p.m., while the championship is set for 7:30 p.m.