No. 3 Virginia Battles Michigan in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 3 Virginia (5-0) travels to Michigan (5-1) for an ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Tipoff at Crisler Center is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
For Openers
• UVA is 5-0 for the first time since starting 7-0 in 2019-20.
• The Cavaliers face the Wolverines for the second time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and first time in Ann Arbor.
• UVA ranks second nationally in free throws made per game (20.6), third in free throw attempts per game (28), fifth in 3-point percentage (44.8%), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.74), 12th in effective FG percentage (58.6%) and 14th in turnovers per game (10.0).
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Michigan game will be televised on ESPN and streamed online at WatchESPN.com.
• 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 321-117 (.733) mark in 14 seasons at UVA and 390-150 (.722) career mark in 17 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett needs six wins to pass Terry Holland (326-173, 16 seasons) as the all-time winningest coach at UVA.
• Bennett needs 10 wins to reach 400 career wins.
• Bennett has guided the Cavaliers to five ACC regular-season titles (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021), two ACC Tournament titles (2014 and 2018) and one NCAA national championship (2019).
• The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided UVA to its 10th consecutive postseason berth in 2021-22.
UVA Ranked No. 3 in Latest AP Poll
• UVA is ranked No. 3 in the latest AP national poll.
• The No. 3 ranking is UVA’s highest since 2018-19.
• UVA returned to the top-5 for the first time last week since a No. 4-preseason ranking in 2020-21.
• The Cavaliers’ last top-5 ranking during the regular season was on Dec. 2, 2019.
• The Cavaliers were ranked No. 18 in the AP Preseason poll.
• UVA was ranked in the preseason AP top-25 for the fifth straight year and ninth in the last 10 seasons under Tony Bennett.
About The Cavaliers
• UVA returns all five starters from last season’s team, which finished 21-14, 12-8 in the ACC (sixth) and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals.
• We play defense, take quality shots, pass the basketball, limit turnovers and transition points, rebound and play more defense.
The Cavaliers return 91.4 percent of its scoring from last season, most among all NCAA Division I teams (Portland 91.1%, Dayton 89.4% and Penn 88.5%).
• Returning starters Kihei Clark (8.2 ppg, 5.2 apg), Reece Beekman (10.6 ppg, 5.2 apg), Jayden Gardner (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Kadin Shedrick (11.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.0 spg) and Armaan Franklin (13.8 ppg, 42.3% 3FG) lead the way for the Cavaliers.
• Transfer Ben Vander Plas (8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), freshmen Isaac McKneely (5.4 ppg, 50% 3FG) and Ryan Dunn (4.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg), Francisco Caffaro (4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Taine Murray (2.7 ppg) provide depth.
• Isaac Traudt and Leon Bond III are redshirting this season.
All-Time vs. Michigan
• Virginia is 2-2 all-time vs. Michigan, including a 1-0 mark in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• The Cavaliers meet the Wolverines for the first time in 12 years when UVA posted a 70-58 win over Michigan in the 2011 Challenge in Charlottesville.
• UVA meets Michigan for the first time in Ann Arbor.
• The Wolverines are 2-0 in neutral site contests against the Cavaliers, including a 66-52 win in Pittsburgh in the inaugural meeting on Dec. 28, 1951.
• Michigan defeated Virginia 102-65 in the 1989 NCAA regional finals en route to the national championship.
• UVA topped Michigan 79-68 in the 1980 NIT quarterfinals en route to the championship.
All-Time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
• UVA has a 13-8 record in the Challenge.
• UVA dropped a 75-74 decision to Iowa in last year’s Challenge.
• The Cavaliers have won eight of their last 11 Challenge games.
• UVA is 6-5 on the road in the event, including a 5-1 mark in its last six road games in the event.
• Virginia’s 2020 Challenge contest vs. Michigan State was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Cavaliers’ program.
Scoring Surge
• UVA is averaging 78 points per game, which is the highest in the Tony Bennett era.
• UVA has scored 70 or more points in its first five games for the first time since 2007-08.
• UVA is 149-11 when scoring 70 or more points under Bennett.
• The Cavaliers are shooting 49.8 percent from the field, including 44.8 from 3-point range and 73.6 from the charity stripe.
• UVA shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 32.3 percent from 3-point range, last season.
Last Time Out
• Jayden Gardner scored a game-high 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting as then-No. 5 Virginia (5-0) posted a 72-45 decision over Maryland Eastern Shore (2-4) on Nov. 25 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• The Cavaliers never trailed, leading for 39:17 of game time, and tallied 40 points in the paint.
• Kadin Shedrick (13 points) was 4 of 4 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line in the win.
• Kihei Clark had a game-high eight assists.
• Zion Styles led UMES with 11 points.
On The Horizon
• No. 3 Virginia opens ACC action against Florida State on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m.