CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (11-3, 2-1 ACC) travels to NC State (10-3, 2-0 ACC) in ACC action on Saturday (Jan. 6). Tipoff at PNC Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• Virginia has won seven of its last eight games in the series at NC State.
• NC State guard Casey Morsell played two seasons at Virginia from 2019-21.
• UVA is 2-3 away from home (0-2 in true road games), suffering three 20-point losses (Wisconsin, Memphis and Notre Dame) in the same season for the first time since 2010-11 (Stanford, 81-60, No. 13 Washington, 106-60, Maryland, 66-42).
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-NC State game will be televised on ACC Network 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 352-128 (.733) mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 421-161 (.723) career mark in 18 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett passed the late Terry Holland (326-173, 16 seasons) as UVA’s all-time winningest coach with the win over Syracuse (1/7/23).
• Bennett recorded his 400th career win at Wake Forest (1/21/23).
• Bennett has guided the Cavaliers to six ACC regular-season titles (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023), 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 11th consecutive postseason berth in 2022-23.
• 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.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• We play defense, take quality shots, pass the basketball, limit turnovers and transition points, rebound and play more defense.
• UVA returns one starter – Reece Beekman (12.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.2 rpg & 2.3 spg) – from last season’s ACC regular-season champion and NCAA tournament team that finished 25-8.
• Beekman, who earned All-ACC third-team honors last season, needs 31 steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Ryan Dunn (9.7 ppg) leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg), and blocked shots (2.2 bpg).
• Isaac McKneely (11.4 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers (34) and 3-point percentage (48.6%).
• McKneely averaged 6.7 points and shot a team-best 39.2 percent from 3-point range last year, while Dunn tallied 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.
• Jake Groves (7.9 ppg), Andrew Rohde (6.1 ppg & 3.2 apg), Leon Bond III (6.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 53.4% FG), Elijah Gertrude (4.8 ppg), Blake Buchanan (4.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Dante Harris (3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg), Taine Murray (3.1 ppg, 41.2% 3FG) and Jordan Minor (1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are main contributors.
• Harris has missed the last eight games with an ankle injury and Gertrude had his redshirt lifted against Texas A&M.
• UVA is shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 64.8 percent from the free throw line.
All-Time vs. NC State
• Virginia is 69-85 all-time vs. NC State in the series that dates to 1912-13.
• UVA stopped NC State’s two-game win streak in the series with its 63-50 win last season.
• NC State ended UVA’s seven-game road winning streak in the series with its 77-63 win in UVA’s last visit to PNC Arena on Jan. 22, 2022.
• NC State has won three of the last five games in the series.
• UVA is 24-39, including a 9-8 mark at PNC Arena, against NC State in Raleigh.
• Tony Bennett is 15-5 vs. NC State as head coach at Virginia.
Last Time vs. the Wolfpack
• Then-No. 8 Virginia held then-No. 22 NC State to 33 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers in a 63-50 win at John Paul Jones Arena on Feb. 7, 2023.
• The Cavaliers sustained a lead for nearly 38 minutes of game time and led by as many as 20 points early in the second half.
• For the fourth consecutive game, Virginia was led in scoring by Jayden Gardner with 18 points, 6-12 FG, 6-6 FT).
• Reece Beekman (15 points) and Kadin Shedrick (10 points, 6 rebounds) also scored in double figures for the Hoos.
• Terquavion Smith led the Wolfpack with 19 points and former Cavalier Casey Morsell added 18 points.
Last Time Out
• Isaac McKneely scored 18 points and Ryan Dunn added 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in Virginia’s 77-53 win over Louisville on Jan. 3.
• Taine Murray scored 12 points off the bench and Reece Beekman chipped in 11 points and eight assists as UVA increased its home win streak to 19 games.
• UVA shot 51.7 percent in the win, out-rebounded the Cardinals 34-27 and had 20 assists and three turnovers.
• Curtis Williams led Louisville with 14 points.
Hoos in the National Rankings
• UVA ranks first nationally in turnovers per game (8.4), second in scoring defense (55.8 ppg), fifth in turnover margin (5.7), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.91), eighth in fouls per game (13.5), 14th in field goal percentage defense (38.0), 23rd in blocks per game (5.3).
Stock Up
• UVA has totaled 197 stocks (123 steals + 74 blocks).
• UVA is averaging a school-record 14.1 stocks per game (5.3 blocks and 8.8 steals) since 1976 when steals and blocks were first kept at UVA and 1985-86 when recognized by the NCAA.
• The school-record for stocks in a season is 13.8 in 1998-99.
• UVA could break school records for blocks (5.5 bpg in 1979-80) and steals (8.8 spg in 1999-2000).
• UVA averaged 11.1 stocks per game last season (6.8 steals + 4.3 blocks).
• Ryan Dunn leads UVA with 60 stocks, ranking 23rd nationally in blocks (2.2 bpg) along with 2.1 steals per game.
• Reece Beekman ranks 25th in assist/turnover ratio (3.2) and 32nd in steals (2.3 spg).
On The Horizon
• Virginia plays at Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN2.