Virginia Hosts No. 21 Memphis in Orange Out Game Wednesday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (6-4) hosts No. 21 Memphis (8-2) in non-conference action on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Fans are encouraged to wear orange for the Orange Out at JPJ.
For Openers
• Virginia is 5-0 at home and owns a 103-10 record in non-conference action at John Paul Jones Arena since 2009-10.
• UVA is 0-3 vs. ranked opponents this season.
• UVA ranks 38th nationally in 3-point accuracy at 38.1 percent.
• Isaac McKneely leads the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range and scoring in double figures in eight games.
• UVA is shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range, up from 42.8 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively, last season.
• Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter played high school basketball for Tony Bennett’s cousin, Nick Bennett, at St. Catherine’s High School in Racine, Wis.
• Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Ed Scott served as a Deputy Athletics Director at UVA from 2022-24, managing the men’s basketball program.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Memphis game will be televised on ESPN2, streamed on WatchESPN.com and available on ESPN+.
• 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 6-4 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.
All-Time vs. Memphis
• Virginia is 1-1 all-time against Memphis in a series that dates to 2014.
• In the last meeting, then-No. 22 Memphis scored 27 points off of Virginia’s 18 turnovers in a 77-54 win on Dec. 19, 2023 at FedExForum.
• David Jones scored a game-high 26 points for the Tigers, who recorded their second straight win against the ACC.
• Reece Beekman led the Cavaliers with 13 points and Ryan Dunn added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
• Virginia shot 39.3 percent in the loss, including a 9 of 30 effort in the second stanza.
• Jake Groves added 12 points for UVA, converting two of UVA’s four 3-pointers (19 attempts).
• In the first meeting between the two teams, the Cavaliers defeated the Tigers 78-60 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 23, 2014, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
• The win gave Virginia its first NCAA Sweet 16 berth since 1995.
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 12.9 points per game, leading the team in scoring in three contests.
• Andrew Rohde (9.1 ppg, 2.8 apg) has been UVA’s most improved player, shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 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 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Jacob Cofie (8.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Buchanan (6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) have held down the frontcourt.
• Dai Dai Ames (8.1 ppg, 92.9 FT%) has started eight games at point guard. Ames played seven minutes at SMU before leaving the game with an ankle injury, which sidelined him for the Bethune-Cookman contest.
• TJ Power (2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg) started the first five games.
• Ishan Sharma (2.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg), Taine Murray (2.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and Anthony Robinson have seen action off the bench.
• Murray made his third career start vs. Bethune-Cookman.
• The Cavaliers have made six or more 3-pointers in each game, including a season-high 14 against Villanova.
• UVA has committed 14 or more turnovers and allowed 34 points per game in the paint in its four losses.
Last Time Out
• Elijah Saunders scored 15 points and Jacob Cofie and Ishan Sharma each added 12 points off the bench to lead Virginia past Bethune-Cookman 59-41 on Dec. 12.
• UVA overcame a 1 of 15 start from the field to remain undefeated at home (5-0).
• Cofie added 10 rebounds for his second double-double, while Sharma drilled a season-high four 3-pointers.
• Blake Buchanan added a career-best nine rebounds as the Cavaliers owned a 43-29 advantage on the glass.
• UVA finished 22 of 50 (44%) from the field and limited Bethune-Cookman to 17 of 55 (30.9%) shooting.
McThreely: UVA’s Top Long Distance Shooter
• Junior Isaac McKneely is UVA’s all-time 3-point percentage leader at 43.1 percent.
• McKneely has made 162 of 376 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 six in each game) last season were the most at UVA in a two-game span since Kyle Guy made 13 in 2019.
• McKneely has made six or more 3-pointers in four games and two or more 3-pointers in 46 games (7 this season).
• McKneely has a 27-game 3-pointer streak dating back to last season.
Seattle’s Best Cofie
• Seattle, Wash., native Jacob Cofie has made an immediate impact as a freshman at Virginia.
• Cofie leads UVA in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and double-doubles (2), is second in blocks (11) and steals (8) and fourth in scoring (8.7 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.
• Cofie tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds against Bethune-Cookman for his second double-double.
He has reached double figures in scoring in four games.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts American in non-conference action on Sunday, Dec. 22. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network.