Virginia Takes Seven-Game Win Streak to Florida State
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (18-5, 9-3 ACC) travels to Florida State (13-9, 7-4 ACC) for an ACC contest on Saturday (Feb. 10). Tipoff for the Donald L. Tucker Center is set for 8 p.m. on The CW and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• Virginia (18-5) is second in the ACC at 9-3, while Florida State (12-9) is tied for fourth at 7-4.
• UVA is on an ACC-high seven-game win streak.
• UVA is 3-4 in true road games and has suffered all five of its losses away from JPJ by 16 or more points.
• Virginia sharpshooter Jake Groves is 14 of 20 from 3-point range over the past four games.
• Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn were named to the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Florida State game will be televised on The CW and streamed on YouTubeTV.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 359-130 mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 428-163 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 (13.4 ppg, 6.1 apg, 2.9 rpg & 2.4 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 eight steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Ryan Dunn (9.4 ppg) leads UVA in rebounding (7.3 rpg), and blocked shots (2.2 bpg), and team-high five double-doubles.
• Isaac McKneely (11.6 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers (54) and 3-point percentage (46.6%).
• 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.
• Jordan Minor (4.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Jake Groves (8.0 ppg, 50.8% 3FG), Andrew Rohde (4.8 ppg & 2.9 apg), Blake Buchanan (3.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Dante Harris (2.6 ppg), Taine Murray (3.0 ppg, 45.8% 3FG), Leon Bond III (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Elijah Gertrude (3.5 ppg), are main contributors.
• Minor has averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds as a starter in the past eight games.
• Harris missed 10 games with an ankle injury, and Gertrude had his redshirt lifted against Texas A&M.
• UVA is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from 3-point range and 64.9 percent from the free throw line.
Hoos in the National Rankings
• UVA ranks first nationally in turnovers per game (8.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.89), second in scoring defense (56.8 ppg), sixth in fouls per game (13.4), eighth in turnover margin (5.0), ninth in field goal percentage defense (38.9), 22nd in blocks per game (5.0) and 30th in 3-point percentage (37.3).
All-Time vs. Florida State
• Virginia is 28-28 all-time vs. Florida State, including a 9-17 mark in Tallahassee, in a series that dates to 1991-92.
• UVA swept the two-game series last season, winning 62-57 at home and 67-58 on the road.
• UVA has limited Florida State to fewer than 70 points in 22 of the last 23 meetings.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 11-11 all-time vs. Florida State.
Last Time vs. the Seminoles
• Armaan Franklin scored 20 points and Ben Vander Plas added 15 as then-No. 13 Virginia (13-3, 5-2 ACC) beat Florida State 67-58 during ACC action in Tallahassee on Jan. 14, 2023.
• Franklin drilled four 3-pointers and Vander Plas had three as the Hoos finished 11 of 22 from distance in the road win.
• Kihei Clark added nine points and six assists, and Ryan Dunn gave the Hoos a lift off the bench with nine points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
• UVA shot 45 percent and had a season low six turnovers.
• Cameron Corhen led FSU with 15 points.
Last Time Out
• Reece Beekman scored 16 points to lead Virginia to a 60-38 win over Miami on Feb. 5 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UVA held the Hurricanes to their lowest scoring output since Dec. 28, 1948 (Miami 37-35 over Princeton).
• UVA’s defense held Miami to 28.6 percent shooting, including 2 of 20 from 3-point range.
• Jake Groves added 12 points for the Cavaliers and Ryan Dunn chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
• Norchad Omier led the Canes with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts Pittsburgh in ACC action on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.