No. 21 Virginia Plays at Virginia Tech in Monday Night Clash
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 21 Virginia (19-6, 10-4 ACC) travels to Virginia Tech (14-11, 6-8 ACC) for an ACC clash on Monday (Feb. 19). Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN and Virginia Sports Radio Network.
For Openers
• No. 21 Virginia (20-6) is third in the ACC at 11-4, while Virginia Tech (14-11) is tied for 10th at 6-8.
• The Virginia-Virginia Tech game is part of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, which is a head-to-head, points-based athletics competition between the schools.
• Virginia aims for its first season sweep vs. Virginia Tech since 2019-20.
• Five of UVA’s six losses have been away from home and by 16 or more points.
• A win over Virginia Tech will give the Cavaliers their third straight 21-win season and 12th under head coach Tony Bennett.
• UVA has won 11 ACC games for 12 straight seasons.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Virginia Tech game will be televised on ESPN and streamed on 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 361-131 mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 430-164 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 (14.2 ppg, 6.0 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 four steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Ryan Dunn (8.9 ppg) leads UVA in rebounding (7.0 rpg), and blocked shots (2.4 bpg), and team-high five double-doubles.
• Isaac McKneely (12.4 ppg) leads the team in 3-pointers (62) 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 (4.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg), Jake Groves (7.7 ppg, 49.4% 3FG), Andrew Rohde (4.8 ppg & 3.1 apg), Blake Buchanan (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Dante Harris (2.4 ppg), Taine Murray (2.9 ppg, 46.2% 3FG), Leon Bond III (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Elijah Gertrude (3.5 ppg), are main contributors.
• UVA is 8-2 in its last 10 games with Minor in the starting lineup (8-3 overall with Minor as a starter).
• Harris missed 10 games with an ankle injury, and Gertrude had his redshirt lifted against Texas A&M.
• UVA is shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from 3-point range and 65.7 percent from the free throw line.
Hoos in the National Rankings
• UVA ranks first nationally in turnovers per game (8.2) and assist/turnover ratio (1.93), third in scoring defense (57.8 ppg), seventh in turnover margin (4.7), ninth in field goal percentage defense (39.4), 10th in fouls per game (13.7), 17th in blocks per game (5.2), 22nd in 3-point percentage (37.6) and 42nd in assists per game (15.8).
All-Time vs. Virginia Tech
• Virginia is 98-59 all-time vs. Virginia Tech, including a 23-33 mark in Blacksburg, in the series that dates to 1914-15.
• The teams split a two-game series last season.
• UVA is winless it its last three visits to Blacksburg and aims for its first win at Cassell Coliseum since Feb. 26, 2020.
• The Cavaliers are 3-2 in their last five games against the Hokies and 7-3 in their last 10.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 19-9 all-time vs. Virginia Tech.
Last Time vs. the Hokies
• Reece Beekman and Jordan Minor each scored 16 points to lead Virginia to a 65-57 win over Virginia Tech on Jan. 17.
• Minor recorded season highs in points (16), rebounds (5) and minutes (26) in his second consecutive start.
• Dante Harris returned to action with five points and five assists and helped limit the Hokies to 38.9 percent shooting.
• UVA shot 62.5 percent in the second half and owned a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint.
• Sean Pedulla led the Hokies with 18 points.
Last Time Out
• Reece Beekman scored 20 points and Isaac McKneely added 12 as No. 21 Virginia (20-6, 11-4) held off Wake Forest 49-47 in ACC action on Feb. 17 at John Paul Jones Arena.”
• Ryan Dunn blocked a career-high seven shots as UVA registered an ACC-high 13 rejections.
• Hunter Sallis scored 12 points for Wake Forest (16-9, 8-6 ACC) and Efton Reid added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
• UVA went 1 of 11 from the free throw line.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts No. 7 North Carolina in ACC action on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is 4 p.m. on ESPN.