CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (14-5, 4-3 ACC) travels to Louisville (6-13, 1-7 ACC) in ACC action on Saturday (Jan. 27). Tipoff at KFC Yum! Center is set for Noon on The CW and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• Virginia (14-5) is tied for fourth in the ACC at 5-3, while Louisville (6-13) is 15th at 1-7.
• UVA is on a three-game win streak and has an eight-game win streak vs. Louisville, including a 77-53 win on Jan. 3 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UVA is 1-4 in true road games and has suffered all five of its losses by 16 or more points away from JPJ.
• Reigning ACC Player of the Week Reece Beekman has a career-high 10-game double figure scoring streak.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Louisville game will be televised on The CW and streamed on YouTube TV.
• 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 355-130 mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 424-163 career mark in 18 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett passed the late Terry Holland (326-173, 16 seasons) as UVA’s winningest coach with the win over Syracuse (1/7/23) and recorded his 400th 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 (13.1 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.3 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 20 steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Ryan Dunn (9.7 ppg) leads UVA in rebounding (7.1 rpg), and blocked shots (2.3 bpg), and team-high four double-doubles.
• Isaac McKneely (11.8 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers (46) and 3-point percentage (46.5%).
• 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.
• Jordan Minor (4.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg), Jake Groves (6.7 ppg), Andrew Rohde (5.2 ppg & 3.0 apg), Leon Bond III (4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Elijah Gertrude (3.8 ppg), Blake Buchanan (3.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Dante Harris (3.3 ppg), • Taine Murray (3.1 ppg, 50% 3FG) are main contributors.
• Minor has started the past four games, averaging 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 25.8 minutes per game during that span.
• Harris missed 10 games with an ankle injury, and Gertrude had his redshirt lifted against Texas A&M.
• UVA is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from 3-point range and 64.8 percent from the free throw line.
Hoos in the National Rankings
• UVA ranks second nationally in scoring defense (57.8 ppg), third in turnovers per game (8.6), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.82) and fouls per game (13.1), seventh in turnover margin (4.9), 16th in field goal percentage defense (39.4) and 31st in blocks per game (4.9).
All-Time vs. Louisville
• Virginia is 23-5 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that dates to 1923-24.
• UVA aims for its fourth straight season sweep in the series.
• UVA has a three-game win streak at KFC Yum! Center and has won 17 of the last 18 meetings.
• The Cavaliers are 10-4 vs. the Cardinals in Louisville, including an 7-2 mark at KFC Yum! Center.
• UVA is 18-2 vs. Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC.
• Tony Bennett is 18-2 vs. Louisville as head coach at Virginia.
Last Time vs. the Cardinals
• 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.
Last Time Out
• Ryan Dunn scored 13 points and added career highs in rebounds (12) and blocked shots (6) to lead Virginia to a 59-53 overtime win against NC State on Jan. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Taine Murray added 11 points off the bench and Reece Beekman (11), Jordan Minor (10) and Isaac McKneely (10) also scored in double figures.
• NC State used a late 16-3 run to help send the game to overtime, but the Hoos outscored the Wolfpack 12-6 in the extra stanza to increase its home win streak to a nation-leading 21 games.
• UVA out-rebounded NC State 54-32, setting season highs in total rebounds, offensive rebounds (20) and defensive rebounds (34).
• Former Cavalier Casey Morsell led NC State with 13 points.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts Notre Dame in ACC action on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.