March 5, 2001

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Virginia Fourth Seed in ACC Tournament
Virginia enters the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as the fourth seed with an overall record of 20-7 and a 9-7 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers were the third seed in last year's ACC Tournament, which was UVa's highest seed since earning the third seed in the 1989 tournament.

Virginia plays Georgia Tech (16-11 overall, 8-8 ACC) at 2:30 p.m. on Friday (March 9) in the tournament quarterfinals. UVa is 20-25 in quarterfinal games in the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers are 4-3 in ACC Tournament action against Georgia Tech, including a 3-2 record in quarterfinal games. UVa has not played the Yellow Jackets in the ACC Tournament since 1995 when it posted a 77-67 victory over Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals. That victory was also Virginia's last ACC Tournament triumph.

Virginia has lost its opening game in the ACC Tournament the last five years, including a 76-65 loss to N.C. State in the 2000 ACC Tournament.

Picked Fifth, Finish Fourth
Virginia was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2000-2001 by media attending the annual Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball event in Greensboro, N.C., in October. The Cavaliers did slightly better than predicted as they finished fourth in the conference standings with a 9-7 record. UVa finished fourth in the conference standings this season after tying for third in 1999-2000. The previous two seasons, Virginia finished ninth in regular season ACC play.

20 Wins
With its 84-65 victory over Clemson February 28, Virginia (20-7, 9-7 in the ACC) clinched its first 20-win season since 1994-95. That year, UVa compiled a 25-9 overall record and advanced to the Midwest Regional finals of the NCAA Tournament where UVa lost to Arkansas. The Cavaliers had 20 or more wins for five consecutive seasons from 1988-89 through the 1992-93 season.

The Series vs. Georgia Tech
Each team has had a stretch of dominating the series, which Georgia Tech now leads 29-25. The Cavaliers held the lead until the Yellow Jackets passed Virginia by winning 19 of the last 25 meetings, including eight of the last nine. Georgia Tech is riding a three-game winning streak in the series. Georgia Tech swept the regular season series with a 73-68 win (Jan. 9) in Charlottesville and a 62-56 triumph (Feb. 11) in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets were the only team to defeat Virginia at University Hall this season. UVa was 14-1 at home in 2000-01.

In the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers hold a 4-3 lead, including a 3-2 edge in the quarterfinals. The last time the two teams met in the ACC Tournament was in the 1995 season with Virginia coming away with a 77-67 victory in the quarterfinals.

The Jackets hold an 18-6 advantage in games played in Atlanta in the series and have won six consecutive games and 10 of the last 11 in the Peachtree city. Virginia's 83-60 win in 1995 (Feb. 22) was the Cavaliers' most recent victory over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. The 23-point margin of victory is Virginia's largest in the series since a 91-59 win in 1984 in Charlottesville.

The Cavaliers have won three of five overtime contests in the series, but their 74-68 overtime loss to Georgia Tech in the 1998-99 season snapped a three-game extra session winning streak. The Jackets won the first overtime game in the series 72-71 in triple overtime in the 1983-84 season.

The Cavaliers opened the series with Georgia Tech by winning 10 of the first 13 games, including eight straight from 1981-1983.

These Games are Barn Burners
Even though 10 of the last 14 meetings between these two teams have been decided by at least nine points, people shouldn't be surprised if this one goes down to the wire.

Of the 41 games since the 1983-84 season, only 14 have been decided by 10 or more points. Sixteen of the games have been decided by a margin of four points or less with UVa winning nine of them. The Cavaliers have won all three games (1987, 1990 twice) decided by two points. Five games have gone into overtime, including a triple overtime affair (1984) and a double overtime game (1995).

From 1985 to 1990 the teams played 15 consecutive games that were decided by fewer than 10 points with Virginia winning eight of those games.

Jackets Shoot Well vs. UVa
The Yellow Jackets have won 10 of the last 12 meetings vs. Virginia in the past six seasons and a big part of those wins has been Georgia Tech's ability to shoot the basketball. In the 10 wins, the Jackets shot 47.7 percent (264-553) from the field. In the two games Georgia Tech lost to Virginia in the last six seasons, the Yellow Jackets made only 41.3 percent (43-104) of their attempts from the field. In its last 10 wins over the Cavaliers, Georgia Tech averaged 78.2 points per game compared to 64.5 points per game in its last two losses to UVa.

In Georgia Tech's last 19 wins over Virginia dating back to the championship game of the 1990 ACC Tournament, the Yellow Jackets are shooting 47.3 percent from the field, while averaging 74.7 points.

That is in contrast to Georgia Tech's performance when Virginia wins. In Virginia's eight wins over Georgia Tech dating back to the beginning of the 1990s, the Yellow Jackets have shot 40.4 percent from the floor and scored an average of 70.4 points.

In Virginia's last eight wins against Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets have not shot better than 42.6 percent from the field (29 of 68 in the 1994-95 season).

This Season vs. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech got the best of Virginia in the two teams' regular season meetings. The Yellow Jackets handed the Cavaliers their only home loss of the season, 73-68, on January 9, and then became the only ACC team to sweep its season series with UVa by defeating Virginia 62-56 on February 11 in Atlanta. In those games the Yellow Jackets held the Cavaliers to a 62-point average, which is well below UVa's season average of 85.6 points per game. Virginia's 56 points in the second game were the fewest the Cavaliers scored all season.

Virginia played four games this year that were decided by six points or fewer and two of those contests came against the Yellow Jackets, both losses. Virginia won the other two games it played that were decided by six or fewer points-a 91-89 victory over Duke (Feb. 14) and a 69-66 win over Florida State (Feb. 17).

In the first meeting of the season against Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers lost their first (and only) home game of the season as they dropped a 73-68 decision (Jan. 9) at University Hall.

Senior guard Donald Hand led UVa with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds. Junior forward Chris Williams added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, while sophomore forward/center Travis Watson notched his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Stephane Dondon came off the bench to score 11 points, which included a nine of 10 effort from the free throw line, grab four rebounds and total two steals.

The Cavaliers led in the early portion of the game, but the Yellow Jackets came back to take a 32-26 lead with 2:41 remaining in the first half. UVa closed the opening stanza with eight consecutive points, including six free throws by Dondon, to take a 34-32 halftime lead.

Virginia led by as many as five points, 41-36, early in the second half. Georgia Tech rallied late in the game and took the lead for good, 66-65, with 3:10 left on a three-pointer by Halston Lane. The Jackets extended the lead to six points (71-65) with 48 seconds remaining when Shaun Fein made a long fade-away three-pointer as the shot clock expired.

The Cavaliers struggled from the field in the game as they shot only 35.1 percent (20-57) overall and 24.0 percent (6-25) from three-point range. UVa held a 43-32 edge in rebounds, including a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass. The Cavaliers turned the ball over 23 times and only forced 14 Georgia Tech miscues. Fein led the Yellow Jackets with 25 points, including five three-point field goals.

In its second game of the season against Georgia Tech, Virginia suffered a 62-56 setback (Feb. 11) at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. With the win, the Yellow Jackets swept the regular season series from Virginia.

Sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., led the Cavaliers with 17 points, while Watson notched his 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Junior forward/guard Adam Hall rounded out UVa's double figure scorers with 12 points.

The Cavaliers fell behind by as many as nine points in the first half, but came back to cut the deficit to four, 27-23, at intermission. Virginia took its first lead of the game 1:14 into the second half, 30-29, on a dunk by Hall. UVa led by as many as four points in the second half, including 50-46 with 6:51 to play. The Yellow Jackets came back to tie the game at 53-53 with 3:12 to go. Hall gave the Cavaliers their final lead of the game, 54-53, with a free throw at the 2:53 mark. Georgia Tech then went on a 9-0 run to break the game open. Halston Lane scored the first five Jacket points in the spurt.

Just like it did in the first contest against Georgia Tech, Virginia struggled shooting the basketball as it made just 22-57 (38.6 percent) of its attempts from the floor, including 16.7 percent (3-18) from beyond the arc. UVa also had difficulties from the free throw line as it made just 9-18 attempts (50 percent). The Yellow Jackets held a 39-34 edge in rebounds. Tony Akins led Georgia Tech with 19 points, four assists and three steals.

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and sports a 327-163 record for a .667 winning percentage. Gillen is in his third season at Virginia and has posted a 53-35 record (.602 winning percentage). Gillen won the 300th game of his career when Virginia defeated then 21st-ranked North Carolina 87-85 on January 18, 2000 at University Hall.

Gillen has led his teams to postseason play 12 times in 15 seasons (eight NCAA, four NIT). He has been selected as the conference Coach of the Year five times - all while coaching Xavier (Midwestern Collegiate Conference).

Gillen Named Finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year
Virginia head coach Pete Gillen is one of 20 coaches who were recently named finalists for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award. Gillen has led the Cavaliers to a 20-7 overall record and 9-7 conference mark this season, including wins over second-ranked North Carolina and third-ranked Duke. Gillen is one of four conference coaches among the finalists for the award. Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, North Carolina's Matt Doherty and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski join Gillen as finalists for the award, which will be presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on April 7, 2001.

The AP and USA Today/ESPN Polls
The Cavaliers continue to be ranked highly in The Associated Press and USAToday/ESPN Top 25 polls. In the AP poll released March 5, Virginia is ranked 12th and the Cavaliers are also 12th in the USAToday/ESPN poll released March 4. The Cavaliers have been ranked as high as sixth in the AP poll, their highest ranking since being ranked fourth in the final AP poll of the 1982-83 season (Mar. 15, 1983). Virginia has been ranked ninth in the USAToday/ESPN poll five times this season - Feb. 4, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, Jan. 7 and Feb. 26, its highest ranking in the poll this season. The ranking of ninth is UVa's highest ranking in the USAToday/ESPN poll since earning the eighth spot in the final poll of the 1994-95 season (April 4, 1995).

For the first time since the 1995-96 season, the Virginia men's basketball team opened a season ranked in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls. Virginia was ranked 24th in the AP's preseason poll and 25th in the preseason USAToday/ESPN poll.

Before the 1995-1996 season Virginia was ranked 19th in the AP and 14th in the USA Today/ESPN polls. The last time the Cavs appeared in any poll prior to this season came during the 1996-97 season when they were ranked 25th in the AP poll (12/3/96).

Back-to-Back Winning Seasons
Virginia's 84-65 win over Clemson (Feb. 28) pushed UVa's record to 9-6 in the ACC and clinched a second consecutive winning season in the conference for the Cavaliers. UVa finished conference play with a 9-7 record, which is identical to the 9-7 record UVa posted in 1999-2000 against conference opponents. The last time Virginia posted back-to-back winning seasons in the ACC was in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons when the Cavaliers were 12-2 in the ACC in both seasons (UVa was also 13-1 in the ACC in the previous season - 1980-81).

Undefeated in Non-Conference Action
The Cavaliers won all 11 of their non-conference games this season, marking the first time since the 1981-82 season Virginia has gone undefeated in non-conference regular season play. In the 1981-82 season, UVa won all 15 of its regular season non-conference games and was 30-4 overall (12-2 in the ACC).

Three Top Five Wins
With its 86-66 victory over second-ranked North Carolina on February 25, Virginia captured its third win over a top five team this season, marking the first time in the program's history the Cavaliers have had three top-five victories in the same season.

The Cavaliers' first win against a top-five team came in a 107-89 win over fourth-ranked Tennessee (Dec. 19) at the Jimmy V Classic at Continental Airlines Arena. That win marked the first time since the 1995 season that Virginia defeated a top-five ranked team. Virginia accomplished the feat a second time with its 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) at University Hall. UVa completed the trifecta with an 86-66 win over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25) at U-Hall.

Prior to this season, the Cavaliers had not defeated two top five teams in the same season since the 1994-1995 campaign. That year, UVa posted a 67-58 win over Kansas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24 in Kansas City, Mo. The Jayhawks were ranked fourth in the AP poll and fifth in the USAToday/ESPN poll at the time. The Cavaliers' first top five win of the 1994-95 season was against second-ranked North Carolina (73-71) on February 19 in Charlottesville.

The last time Virginia defeated a top five team on the road was on January 17, 1993 when UVa defeated third-ranked Duke 77-69 in Durham, N.C.

Four Victories Over Top Ten Opponents
Virginia has defeated four top 10 teams this season for the first time since the 1979-80 season. The Cavaliers defeated fourth-ranked Tennessee 107-89 (Dec. 19), ninth-ranked Maryland 99-78 (Jan. 31), third-ranked Duke 91-89 (Feb. 14) and second-ranked North Carolina 86-66 (Feb. 25).

During the 1979-80 season, UVa beat sixth-ranked North Carolina 88-82 (Jan. 5, 1980), third-ranked Duke 90-84 (Jan. 23, 1980), 10th-ranked Duke 73-69 (Feb. 6, 1980) and 10th-ranked Clemson 89-87 (Feb. 13, 1980) for its four top-10 victories.

Virginia vs. Ranked Teams
UVa is 6-4 this season against teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll at the time the game was played and has won four of its last five. The six wins over AP-ranked teams are the fourth most wins all-time for a Virginia team against opponents in the AP top 25. UVa defeated nine ranked AP opponents during the 1980-81 season, and the Cavaliers beat seven ranked AP teams during the 1982-83 and 1994-95 seasons. Virginia is 4-4 against ranked ACC teams. Here's a list of Virginia's top 25 games:

Buzzer Beaters
In February, the Cavaliers won back-to-back games on last-second, buzzer-beating shots, marking the first time since 1990 the Cavaliers won a game with a buzzer-beating basket.

In Virginia's 69-66 victory at Florida State (Feb. 17), sophomore guard Roger Mason, Jr., buried a three-pointer with one second left in the game to give UVa its seventh ACC victory and second league win on the road. Mason's game-winning shot came just three days after junior forward/guard Adam Hall laid the ball in with 0.9 second left against third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) to clinch a 91-89 win in Charlottesville.

Prior to Hall's heroics, the Cavaliers had not scored a buzzer-beating winning basket since February 22, 1990, when Bryant Stith scored on a last-second shot to cement a 73-71 Virginia win at Georgia Tech.

The 1999-2000 Season
Virginia finished the 1999-2000 season with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavs advanced to postseason play for the first time since receiving a bid to the 1997 NCAA Tournament, but fell to Georgetown in the first round of the 2000 National Invitation Tournament 115-111 in triple overtime.

UVa Snaps Various Streaks Against Duke
UVa's 91-89 victory over Duke (Feb. 14) in Charlottesville snapped a number of Duke winning streaks, including the Blue Devils' ACC-record 24-game road winning streak. The win also brought an end to Duke's 12-game winning streak over the Cavaliers, which dated back to Jan. 13, 1996 (the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 10 for the last 11 of those games).

In addition, Virginia held the Blue Devils to less than 100 points for the first time in seven games.

Aside from the broken streaks, Virginia's 91-89 win marked a school-record 44-point turnaround from its earlier 103-61 loss at Duke on Jan. 13. The 44-point turnaround ties for the eighth-largest point turnaround in ACC history. The Cavaliers also became just the second team in ACC history to win the second regular season game after losing the first regular season contest by 40 or more points.

Virginia is now 13-50 all-time against ranked Duke teams.

Good Start
Virginia began the 2000-2001 season with 10 consecutive wins before falling to Wake Forest (Jan. 2), marking its best start since the 1992-93 campaign. The 1992-93 team started the season with an 11-0 record. The 10 straight wins to start this season marked the eighth time in the 96-year history of the men's basketball program UVa won 10 games to start a season.

The Cavaliers now stand at 20-7 on the season.

Four Consecutive ACC Victories
Virginia won four straight games over ACC opponents from February 14 to February 28. UVa defeated Duke 91-89 (Feb. 14), Florida State 69-66 (Feb. 17), North Carolina 86-66 (Feb. 25) and Clemson 84-65 (Feb. 28) in the streak.

The four straight wins matched the Cavaliers' longest ACC winning streak of last season. In 1999-00, UVa posted consecutive ACC wins over Clemson (Jan. 15), North Carolina (Jan. 18), Florida State (Jan. 26) and Wake Forest (Jan. 30). Virginia has posted at least three consecutive ACC wins twice this season.

The last time Virginia won more than four consecutive ACC games was in the 1994-95 season when it won six consecutive conference contests. The streak started with a 76-63 overtime win over Florida State and continued with wins over NC State, Clemson, Duke, UNC and Georgia Tech. The winning streak was snapped with a 66-63 loss at Wake Forest.

Four Straight Wins Over Ranked ACC Teams
Virginia won four straight games against ranked ACC opponents earlier this season, marking the first time the Cavaliers defeated four ranked ACC opponents in succession. The longest previous streak of three straight wins over ranked conference teams came during the 1981-82 season.

This season, UVa posted a 99-78 win over ninth-ranked Maryland (Jan. 31), an 82-71 triumph over 16th-ranked Wake Forest (Feb. 3), a 91-89 win over third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14) and an 86-66 victory over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25). The Cavaliers' streak came to an end with a 102-67 loss to 16th-ranked Maryland (March 3). In 1982, Virginia defeated 18th-ranked Wake Forest 69-66 in Greensboro (Jan. 27), second-ranked North Carolina 74-58 in Charlottesville (Feb. 3) and 18th-ranked Wake Forest for the second time, 84-66 in Charlottesville (Feb. 18).

Home Sweet Home
Virginia found great success at home this season, but has struggled away from the friendly confines of University Hall. The Cavaliers finished their regular season home schedule with a 14-1 record at U-Hall (7-1 in ACC games), including wins over second-ranked North Carolina (Feb. 25) and third-ranked Duke (Feb. 14). Virginia finished the regular season with just a 6-6 record in games away from home. UVa won its only neutral site game (Tennessee - Dec. 19) and is 5-6 in away contests. The Cavaliers are 2-6 in away conference contests.

The last time the Cavaliers won as many as 14 home contests was during the 1994-95 season when UVa also had 14 home wins, including a 73-71 win over then-second-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 19, 1995.

A Rare Feat
Senior guard Donald Hand has recorded 1,465 points, 386 rebounds, 519 assists and 177 steals in his career. Hand is the first UVa player with at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 500 assists and 150 steals in a career.

The two players who have come closest to accomplishing the feat are Othell Wilson (1981-84) - 1,469 points, 375 rebounds, 493 assists and 222 steals, and Harold Deane (1994-97) - 1,763 points, 440 rebounds, 468 assists and 179 steals.

Scoring Lots of Points
The Cavaliers are having an excellent season offensively. Through 27 games, UVa is averaging 85.6 points per game which is third among all Atlantic Coast Conference schools and fourth in the nation in scoring offense. The school record for the highest scoring average is 89.8 points per game in the 1954-55 season.

Big Wins
Fifteen of the Cavaliers' 20 wins this season have been by 16 points or more. Twelve of the 20 wins have been by 19 or more points. UVa's two-point win (91-89) over Duke (Feb. 14) is its smallest margin of victory this season. Virginia is outscoring its opponents in its wins by 21.5 points per game (91.2 to 69.7). Overall, UVa is outscoring its opponents by 11.2 points per game (85.6 to 74.4).

Big Leads
One of the reasons for Virginia's success is its ability to build big leads. In 12 of Virginia's wins this season, it built leads of 20 or more points. In three Cavalier victories (VMI - Dec. 4, UMBC - Dec. 23 and Clemson - Feb. 28), they led by at least 18 points. In its wins over Missouri (Jan. 20) and Wake Forest (Feb. 3), Virginia led by as many as 15 points. UVa's smallest lead in a win was six points (Florida State - Feb. 17).

The exact opposite is true in UVa's seven losses this season. The Cavaliers' biggest lead in a loss is five points (Georgia Tech - Jan. 9 and North Carolina - Jan. 24). In its losses at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11) and Maryland (Mar. 3), Virginia's largest lead was four points, while against N.C. State (Feb. 7), UVa's largest lead was three points. Against Wake Forest (Jan. 2), Virginia's largest lead was two points. UVa never led in its loss to Duke (Jan. 13).

Raining Threes
Virginia has made 10 or more three-point field goals in a game seven times this season, including a season-high 12 threes against Clemson (Jan. 27). UVa has won all seven games in which it made 10 or more three-pointers. In five of the games UVa has made at least 10 threes, the Cavaliers have shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc, including a season-high 55.6 percent (10-18) against Tennessee (Dec. 19). In their last five games, the Cavaliers are 42-99 (42.4 percent) from three-point range. Virginia made 11 threes apiece against UNC (Feb. 25) and Clemson (Feb. 28).

Being Outshot
Virginia got off to a great start shooting the basketball this season, but has managed to shoot 50 percent only four times in its last 17 games. UVa's opponents have reached 50 percent shooting eight times this year and seven times in the last 17 games. On the season, UVa's opponents are outshooting Virginia 46.4 percent to 45.9 percent in all games. The Cavaliers are also being outshot 49.8 percent to 44.0 percent in ACC contests.

The Cavaliers are 10-0 on the season when they shoot 50 percent or better in a game and 10-7 when they shoot below 50 percent. UVa is 3-5 when its opponent shoots 50 percent or better.

Defense the Key
The Cavaliers got off to a slow start in ACC play as they won only one of their first four and two of six conference contests. Virginia has won seven of its last 10 ACC games and much of the Cavaliers' recent success can be attributed to better defense. In UVa's last 10 ACC games (seven wins), the Cavaliers have held their opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field eight times. The only teams to shoot 50 percent against UVa were N.C. State (Feb. 7) which shot 56.6 percent (30-53) from the floor and Maryland (Mar. 3) which made 62.3 percent (38-61) of its field goal attempts.

In its nine ACC wins, Virginia is holding its opponents to 46.3 percent shooting (245-529), while in seven conference losses, the Cavaliers' opponents are shooting 54.3 percent (222-409).

The Cavaliers are 6-0 when they outshoot their ACC opponent and just 3-7 when they are outshot by their conference foes.

On the season, UVa's ACC opponents are shooting 49.8 percent (467-938) from the field, down from the 55.1 percent the Cavaliers' first six conference opponents shot this season.

Overcoming a Deficit
In addition to being able to build big leads, Virginia showed its ability to overcome a deficit in its 88-81 victory over N.C. State (Jan. 6). The Cavaliers trailed by 11 points (55-44) with 15:54 to go in the game, but outscored the Wolfpack 44-26 the rest of the way to earn an 88-81 victory.

50 Point Halves
Virginia has put together 16 50-plus point halves this season in 27 games (54 halves) - that translates to 29.6 percent of the halves in which UVa has reached 50 points. Last season, the Cavaliers only had seven 50-plus point halves in 31 games (62 halves) - or 11.3 percent.

50 Percent Shooting
After shooting 26.8 percent (19-71) from the field against Duke (Jan. 13) in the teams' first meeting, the Cavaliers more than doubled their shooting percentage against the Blue Devils in their second meeting (Feb. 14). In that game, Virginia shot 53.8 percent from the field, which is a 27 percent increase.

UVa has shot 53.8 percent or better in ACC games three times this year. The first time was against Florida State (Jan. 16). In the win over the Seminoles, UVa shot an impressive 55.7 percent (34-61) from the field - an increase of 28.9 percent from their 26.8 percent showing against Duke in the team's previous game. UVa's 55.7 percent performance also snapped a streak of four consecutive games Virginia shot under 50 percent. During that span, UVa was 88-246 (35.8 percent) from the field.

Against Clemson (Jan. 27) the Cavaliers shot 57.4 percent (39-68), marking the first time since February 14, 1998, UVa has shot better than 50 percent in an ACC contest on the road. In that game, UVa shot 52.2 percent (36-69) but lost to Georgia Tech 105-86 in Atlanta, Ga.

Virginia has shot better than 50 percent in four ACC games this season and the Cavaliers won all of those games.

50 Percent in Back-to-Back ACC Games
In addition to shooting 57.4 percent (39-68) against Clemson (Jan. 27), the Cavaliers shot 52.9 percent (36-68) against Maryland (Jan. 31). It marked the first time in 11 years (almost to the day) that Virginia shot 50 percent or better in back-to-back ACC games. In the 1990-91 season, UVa shot 56.6 percent (43-76) in a 104-72 win over N.C. State (Jan. 29), and then shot exactly 50 percent (33-66) in an 83-80 win over Wake Forest (Feb. 2). Both games were played in Charlottesville.

20/20
The Cavaliers defeated both Clemson and Maryland by more than 20 points (UVa won at Clemson 104-76 - Jan. 27, and defeated Maryland 99-78 at University Hall - Jan. 31). The last time Virginia posted back-to-back 20-plus point ACC wins was in the 1993-94 season. In the 1993-94 season, the Cavaliers defeated Florida State 84-64 (Jan. 6, 1994) and then beat N.C. State 79-58 (Jan. 9, 1994). Both games were played in Charlottesville.

Second Half Shooting Surge
The Cavaliers are 9-4 in their last 13 games and a lot of that has to do with UVa's shooting in the second half. In the last 13 games, Virginia shot 51.3 percent (204-398) in the second half and averaged 45 points. In three of the 13 games, UVa has shot better than 60 percent in the second half - Florida State (Jan. 16) - 64.5 percent (20-31), Clemson (Jan. 27) - 66.7 percent (22-33), and Maryland (Jan. 31) - 64.5 percent (20-31).

Conversely, in the first half of the last 13 games, UVa shot 41.1 percent (173-421) and averaged 37.5 points.

Making Free Throws
Virginia has made the most of its opportunities from the free throw line this season as the Cavaliers are shooting an impressive 73.7 percent (529-718) overall and 74.1 percent (280-378) in ACC play. UVa leads the ACC in accuracy from the charity stripe both overall and in ACC games.

UVa has shot 75 percent or better from the free throw line 15 times in 27 games. The Cavaliers' best performance from the free throw line is 88.6 percent (31-35) against N.C. State (Jan. 6). UVa's lowest effort from the foul line is 46.4 percent (13-28) versus Bucknell (Dec. 28).

The Cavaliers have three players who are shooting 80 percent or better from the free throw line. Here is a list of UVa's 80 percent or better free throw shooters:

100 Points on the Road
Virginia scored 104 points in its victory over Clemson (Jan. 27) and it marked the first time since the 1982-83 season the Cavaliers reached the century mark in an ACC road game. The last time Virginia scored 100 points in an ACC away game was on March 2, 1983 when the Cavaliers defeated Wake Forest 107-74 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum and Memorial Coliseum both served as home courts for the Deacs).

50 Points
Virginia has held three of its opponents to 50 points or less this season. UVa limited Virginia Tech to 48 points in its 64-48 victory (Nov. 24) for its season low. Virginia held Bucknell to 49 points in a 99-49 victory (Dec. 28) and Long Island University to 50 points in a 96-50 triumph (Nov. 17).

When UVa limited Virginia Tech to 48 points, it marked the fewest points the Cavaliers have allowed in a game under head coach Pete Gillen. The previous record for fewest points allowed in a game under Gillen was 50 by Dartmouth last season (Jan. 2, 2000) and Long Island University earlier this season (Nov. 17).

Prior to holding Virginia Tech to 48 points, UVa's opponents were averaging 75.8 points per game during Gillen's tenure. Virginia held the Hokies nearly 28 points below that average.

117
Virginia's offense was rolling in its victory over Coastal Carolina (Nov. 20). The Cavaliers lit up the scoreboard in the 117-78 victory with the 117 points tying for the fourth highest single game output in school history. UVa also scored 117 points against Baldwin-Wallace (117-83) in the 1972 season. The school record for points in a game is 128 vs. George Mason (128-98) in 1995. The second highest output is 124 points against Johns Hopkins (124-60) in the 1983 season, while the third highest point total is 118 vs. BYU-Hawaii (118-84) in the 1982 season.

The Cavaliers' 117 points are the most the team has scored since a 115-111 triple overtime loss to Georgetown in last season's NIT.