Sports
Men's Basketball Battles Florida in Charlotte Friday Night – Virginia University
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia plays Florida in a HOF Series contest on Friday (Nov. 10) night in Charlotte, N.C. Tipoff at Spectrum Center is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
For Openers
• UVA meets Florida for the first time since losing 65-39 to the Gators in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
• Florida head coach Todd Golden was the head coach of San Francisco when the Dons upset then-No. 4 Virginia 61-60 at the 2020 HomeLight Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
• UVA defeated Tarleton State 80-50 to improve to 13-2 in season openers under head coach Tony Bennett.
• UVA is 166-50 (.769) in non-conference action under Bennett.
Broadcast Information
• The Virginia-Florida game will be televised on ACC Network and streamed online at 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 342-125 (.732) mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 411-158 (.722) career mark in 18 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett passed Terry Holland (326-173, 16 seasons) as UVA’s all-time winningest coach with the win over Syracuse (1/7/23).
• Bennett recorded his 400th career 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.
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 (16 ppg, 7.0 apg, 4.0 rpg & 3.0 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 60 steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Isaac McKneely (15.0 ppg, 50% 3FG), Ryan Dunn (9.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2 bpg) and Taine Murray (5.0 ppg) also return. 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.
• Transfers Andrew Rohde (6.0 ppg), Jake Groves (9.0 ppg) and Jordan Minor, and redshirts Leon Bond III (12.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Dante Harris (7.0 ppg, 3.0 apg) and newcomer Blake Buchanan are main contributors.
Elijah Gertrude, Anthony Robinson and Christian Bliss will redshirt the season, while recruited walk-ons Desmond Roberts and Tristan How round out the roster.
• The Hoos are shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from 3-point range and 61.5 percent from the free throw line.
• UVA has enjoyed a +13 rebound margin and 1.88 assist/turnover ratio.
All-Time vs. Florida
• Virginia is 1-2 all-time against Florida in the series that dates back to the 1991-92 season.
• UVA meets Florida for the first time in the regular season and first time since suffering a 65-39 loss to the Gators in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
• UVA posted a 62-56 win over Florida in the 1992 NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
• Florida has won the last two contests, including a 71-45 win in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Last Time Out
• Reece Beekman had 16 points and seven assists to lead Virginia to an 80-50 win over Tarleton State in the season-opener on Monday, Nov. 6.
• Isaac McKneely added 15 points (4 of 8 3-pointers) and Leon Bond chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds in his collegiate debut after redshirting last season.
• Virginia drilled 10 of 22 3-pointers and finished 23 of 47 from the field for 48.9 percent.
• The Cavaliers out-rebounded Tarleton State 40-27 and committed just eight turnovers.
Hoos in Charlotte
• Virginia returns to Charlotte and Spectrum Center for the first time since posting a 1-1 record in the 2019 ACC Tournament.
• The Cavaliers would post six straight wins en route to its first NCAA championship after their 69-59 loss to Florida State in the 2019 ACC Tournament semifinals.
• Virginia is 13-19 all-time in Charlotte (3-2 vs. Davidson, 8-14 in the ACC Tournament, 2-3 in the NCAA Tournament).
• The Cavaliers are 3-4 at the former Time Warner Cable Arena and current Spectrum Center.
Bennett in Charlotte
• Tony Bennett played three seasons with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets (1992-95), averaging 3.5 points and 2.0 assists in 152 career games.
• Bennett met his wife, Laurel, in Charlotte.
• While at Washington State, Bennett led the Cougars to a 2008 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in Charlotte, falling to top-seeded North Carolina, 68-47.
On The Horizon
• Virginia hosts North Carolina A&T in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Tipoff at JPJ is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.