Virginia Opens ACC Play at SMU Saturday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (5-3) travels to SMU (7-2) for its ACC opener on Saturday, Dec. 7. Tipoff at Moody Coliseum is set for 2:15 p.m. ET on The CW.
For Openers
• Virginia opens its 72nd season of ACC action vs. SMU.
• The Cavaliers have a 16-game winning streak in ACC openers.
• Former head coach Tony Bennett never lost an ACC opener, posting a perfect 15-0 record.
• Virginia is 36-35 all-time in ACC openers.
• Isaac McKneely posted 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting with six 3-pointers in Virginia’s 84-62 victory over Syracuse in last season’s ACC opener.
• UVA ranks 31st nationally in 3-point accuracy at 38.7 percent.
• Isaac McKneely leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, shooting 50 percent from 3-point range and scoring in double figures in seven games.
• UVA is shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range, up from 42.8 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively, last season.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-SMU game will be televised on The CW.
• 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 Interim Head Coach
• Ron Sanchez was named Dean and Markel Families Men’s Interim Head Basketball Coach on Oct. 18 after three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett retired.
• Sanchez is 5-3 as interim head coach at Virginia.
• Sanchez, who spent 10 seasons on Bennett’s staff at UVA in two different stints (2009-19 & 2023-24), posted a 72-78 record as head coach at Charlotte from 2018-23.
• He served nine seasons on Bennett’s staff from 2009-18, the last three as associate head coach. During his time on Grounds, the Cavaliers won 212 games, three ACC regular-season titles and two ACC Tournament titles while making six appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one NIT appearance. The Cavaliers earned three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and won 29 or more games four times. UVA won 31 games and reached No. 1 in the AP rankings for the first time since 1982-83 during Sanchez’ last season at UVA in 2017-18.
• He returned to UVA as associate head coach in 2023-24 as the Cavaliers posted a 23-11 record and 13-7 mark in the ACC.
• Under Sanchez’ leadership at Charlotte, the 49ers won 16 or more games in three seasons, including a 22-14 record in 2022-23. His last season at Charlotte was highlighted by the 49ers’ first-ever postseason tournament title when they won four games in five days in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational.
• Sanchez also served as an assistant coach on Tony Bennett’s staff for three seasons at Washington State from 2006-09, helping the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth. Washington State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and Sweet 16 in 2008. The Cougars tied the school record with 26 wins in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
The Virginia Way
• The Virginia Way is built on former head coach Tony Bennett’s five pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness.
• The Virginia Way is playing defense, taking quality shots, sharing and taking care of the basketball, stopping transition, rebounding and playing more defense.
• UVA has finished in the top six nationally in scoring defense in each of the past 13 seasons and led the nation in the category six times.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
• Virginia returns two starters (Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde) along with Blake Buchanan and Taine Murray from last season’s team that finished third in the ACC (13-7) and advanced to the NCAA First Four.
• In 2023-24, McKneely started 33 games and averaged 12.3 points and shot 44.5 percent from 3-point range, while Rohde started 27 games and averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 assists.
• Buchanan averaged 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 minutes per game, while Murray netted 3.3 points per game.
McKneely leads UVA in scoring at 13.1 points per game, while shooting 50 percent (25 of 50) from 3-point range.
Andrew Rohde (9.1 ppg, 3.0 apg) has been UVA’s most improved player, shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from 3-point range. Rohde shot 29.3 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from 3-point land last season.
Elijah Saunders (10.3 ppg, 5 rpg), Jacob Cofie (8.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Buchanan (6.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) have held down the frontcourt.
• Dai Dai Ames (8.9 ppg, 92.3 FT%) has started the last seven games at point guard and TJ Power (2.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg) started the first five games.
• Ishan Sharma, Taine Murray and Anthony Robinson have seen action off the bench.
• The Cavaliers have made six or more 3-pointers in each game, including a season-high 14 against Villanova.
• UVA has committed 15 or more turnovers in its three losses.
• UVA committed 11 or more turnovers in its first five games, but has 14 turnovers in its past two games (8 vs. Manhattan and 6 vs. Holy Cross).
Last Time Out
• Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 27 points to lead No. 13 Florida to an 87-69 win over Virginia in a SEC/ACC Challenge contest on Dec. 4 at the O’Connell Center.
• Clayton shot 10 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 12 from 3-point range, and added four assists as the Gators stayed undefeated at 9-0.
• Virginia held an early 20-14 lead, but Florida used a 15-0 run and never looked back.
• Elijah Saunders scored a career-high 19 points and Isaac McKneely added 12 as UVA (5-3) fell to 0-3 against ranked foes.
• Florida scored 20 points off of 15 UVA turnovers.
McThreely: UVA’s Top Long Distance Shooter
• Junior Isaac McKneely is UVA’s all-time 3-point percentage leader at 43.4 percent.
• McKneely has made 157 of 362 career 3-pointers, including 81 last season which ranks ninth on UVA’s single-season list.
• McKneely’s 6 of 6 effort from 3-point range vs. Villanova marked a Cavalier single-game record for most made 3’s without a miss.
• McKneely’s 12 3-pointers in back-to-back games against Syracuse and NCCU (career-best 6 in each game) last season were the most at UVA in a two-game span since Kyle Guy made 13 in 2019.
Seattle’s Best Cofie
• Seattle, Wash., native Jacob Cofie has enjoyed a solid start to his collegiate career.
• Cofie leads UVA in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and is second in blocks (1 bpg) and steals (1 spg) and fifth in scoring (8.4 ppg).
• He is the first UVA freshman to reach double figures in scoring in each of his first three games since Sylven Landesberg in 2008-09.
• Cofie’s 16 points (7 of 8 FGs) in his collegiate debut were the most in a UVA debut since transfer Jayden Gardner had 18 vs. Navy in 2021-22.
• Cofie’s 11-point, 11-rebound double-double against Coppin State was the first by a UVA freshman since redshirt freshman De’Andre Hunter had 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Pitt on Feb. 24, 2018.
• He has reached double figures in scoring in four games.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts Bethune-Cookman in non-conference action on Thursday, Dec. 12. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.