Cavaliers Host Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday Afternoon
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (6-4) concludes its nonconference slate against Fairleigh Dickinson (0-9) on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network.
For Openers
• Virginia (6-4) concludes nonconference action vs. FDU.
• UVA ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (55.8 ppg) and 19th in turnovers per game (10.2).
• UVA has limited its foes to 49.7 points per game and 33.9 percent shooting in its six wins.
• Kihei Clark has a 12-game 3-point streak dating back to last season and is shooting a career-best 40.9 percent from 3-point range this season.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-FDU game will be televised on ACC Network and 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 available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
The Head Coach
• Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 301-107 (.738) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 370-140 (.725) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett won his 300th game at Virginia with the 61-43 victory against Lehigh on Nov. 26, 2021.
• 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).
• UVA is 171-32 (.842) at home and 151-45 (.770) in non-conference action (85-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• The Cavaliers 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 (10.7 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (6.3 ppg, 4.5 apg & 2.1 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (13.9 ppg & 8.5 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.3 ppg).
• Clark has played 103 games at UVA and has a 12-game 3-point streak dating back to last season, while Beekman leads the team in assists and steals.
• 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 in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (6.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg & 2.9 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (3.8 rpg) anchor the paint, while Taine Murray (42.9% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (33.3% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter, Kody Stattmann and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth.
Virginia All-Time vs. FDU
• Virginia is 1-0 all-time vs. FDU.
• The Cavaliers defeated the Knights 88-61 in the lone meeting between the teams on Dec. 6, 1988.
• Bryant Stith had a game-high 21 points and Richard Morgan added 15 points in the 27-point win.
• Stith sank 11 of 15 free throws as the Cavaliers enjoyed a 29-12 advantage from the charity stripe.
• Curtis Williams added 11 points as 12 Cavaliers reached the scoring column.
UVA All-Time vs. The Northeast Conference
• Virginia is 10-0 all-time vs. current Northeast Conference opponents (3-0 vs. LIU Brooklyn, 3-0 vs. Wagner, 1-0 vs. Farleigh Dickinson, 1-0 vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 1-0 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and 1-0 vs. Saint Francis University).
• The Cavaliers meet their first Northeast Conference foe since defeating St. Francis University 76-51 at John Paul Jones Arena on Dec. 1, 2020.
• Tony Bennett is 3-0 all-time vs. current Northeast Conference opponents as a head coach (1-0 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and 1-0 vs. Saint Francis University at UVA and Fairleigh Dickinson at Washington State).
Last Time Out
• For the first time in series history, James Madison (8-3) defeated Virginia (6-4) 52-49 on Dec. 7 at Atlantic Union Bank Center.
• The Dukes held UVA to just 14 points in the first half – the lowest point total in any half by the Cavaliers under the Tony Bennett era.
• UVA jumped to a 10-2 advantage before JMU closed out the first half on a 22-4 run, which included 15 unanswered points, during the final 11:26 of the opening half. Virginia shot 27 percent (6-for-22) from the field in the first half.
• Jayden Gardner led the Virginia effort with a game-high 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added a season-high 14 rebounds.
• Not a single JMU player scored in double figures, but eight different players registered points for the Dukes.
On The Horizon
• Virginia returns to ACC action against Clemson on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network.