Virginia Begins Road Trip at North Carolina on Saturday Afternoon
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (13-13, 6-9 ACC) begins a two-game road trip at North Carolina (16-11, 9-6 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tipoff at Smith Center is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
For Openers
• North Carolina (16-11) is sixth in the ACC at 9-6, while Virginia (13-13) is tied for 11th in the ACC at 6-9.
• Isaac McKneely is 16 points shy of becoming the 52nd Cavalier to reach 1,000 career points.
• UVA has a three-game road win streak and ranks 26th nationally in 3-point percentage at 37.6 percent.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia/North Carolina game will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN.com/watch and ESPN+.
• The game will also be broadcast on 97.5 FM in Charlottesville, 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 13-13, 6-9p[ ACC 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.
• Sanchez 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. North Carolina
• Virginia is 62-135 all-time vs. North Carolina in the series that dates to 1910-11.
• UNC defeated UVA 54-44 last season in Charlottesville.
• Virginia is 9-68 all-time vs. the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, including a 7-26 mark at Smith Center.
• UNC has a two-game win streak vs. UVA at Smith Center.
• UVA is 2-3 in its last five games and 6-4 in its last 10 games.
Last Time vs. The Tar Heels
• Cormac Ryan scored 18 points to lead then-No. 10 North Carolina past Virginia 54-44 in ACC action on Feb. 24, 2024, at John Paul Jones Arena.
• ACC leading scorer RJ Davis was limited to 10 points and Armando Bacot chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.
• Jordan Minor recorded his first double-double at UVA with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
• Reece Beekman added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• UVA scored fewer than 50 points for the third straight game for the first time since 2019-20.
• UVA’s 27.6 percent (16 of 58) field goal shooting was its lowest since 23.4 percent (11 of 47) vs. Wisconsin on Dec. 4, 2013.
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 the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), 3-pointers (82) and 3-point percentage (42.3%).
• Saunders ranks second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).
• Andrew Rohde (9.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) leads the team in assists and ranks third in scoring.
• Jacob Cofie (7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) leads the team in steals (25) and ranks second in blocks (20) and third in rebounding.
• Dai Dai Ames (8.0 ppg, 40% 3FGs) has averaged 16.4 points during his five-game double-figure streak.
• Blake Buchanan (5.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg) has recorded 10 or more rebounds in three contests.
• Taine Murray (4.4 ppg, 43.2% 3FG), Ishan Sharma (3.8 ppg, 33.8% 3FG), Anthony Robinson (3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and TJ Power (1.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg) round out the rotation.
• The Cavaliers have made six or more 3-pointers in 24 games, including a season-high 14 against Villanova.
• UVA has made 10 or more 3-pointers in six of its last eight games (5-2) and is 10-1 when outrebounding its opponent.
• UVA is shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range (26th nationally) and 75 percent from the free throw line (42.8% FG, 35.8% 3FG, 63.7% FT last season).
Last Time Out
• Cooper Flagg’s 17 points and 14 rebounds guided No. 3 Duke to an 80-62 win at Virginia on Feb. 17.
• Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans added 17 points each for the Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1 ACC).
• Andrew Rohde and Dai Dai Ames each scored 15 points as the Cavaliers’ (13-13, 6-9 ACC) three-game win streak ended.
• Duke outrebounded Virginia, 41-21, and scored 42 points in the paint.
On The Horizon
• Virginia travels to Wake Forest on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tipoff at Joel Coliseum is set for 9 p.m. on ESPNU.