Sports
Virginia Basketball | Virginia Entertains Texas Southern Thursday – Virginia University
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (3-0) hosts Texas Southern (0-2) in non-conference action on Thursday (Nov. 16). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
For Openers
• Virginia meets Texas Southern for the first time.
• UVA meets its first SWAC opponent since a 90-34 win over Grambling State on Nov. 22, 2016.
• UVA is 168-50 (.771) in non-conference action under Bennett.
• The Cavaliers have started 3-0 for the second straight season.
• UVA has scored 73 or more points in its first three games for the second consecutive season.
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 344-125 (.733) mark in 15 seasons at UVA and 413-158 (.723) 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 (11.3 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.7 rpg & 2.3 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 56 steals to pass Othell Wilson (222 steals from 1981-84) for first all-time at UVA.
• Isaac McKneely (10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 57.1% 3FG), Ryan Dunn (9.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.3 spg, 1.7 bpg) and Taine Murray (6.0 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 (6.3 ppg), Jake Groves (10.7 ppg) and Jordan Minor (3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and redshirts Leon Bond III (10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 72.2% FG) and Dante Harris (5.0 ppg, 2.7 apg) and newcomer Blake Buchanan (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) 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.
• UVA is shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from 3-point range and 63.3 percent from the free throw line.
• UVA has committed just 22 turnovers and has 2.36 assist/turnover ratio.
All-Time vs. Texas Southern
• Virginia meets Texas Southern for the first time.
Last Time Out
• Leon Bond III scored 16 points off the bench to help Virginia to an 80-51 win over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
• Ryan Dunn added 13 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in the win.
• Jake Groves chipped in 11 points and matched a career high with nine rebounds.
• UVA shot 64.3 percent en route to a 49-19 halftime lead.
• The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Aggies 42-24 and had just eight turnovers.
• Landon Glasper led the Aggies (0-3) with 18 points.
There’s No Place Like Home
• UVA is 233-54 (.812), including a 2-0 mark in 2023-24, in 18 seasons at John Paul Jones Arena.
• The Cavaliers finished 15-1 and 10-0 at home in ACC league play last season for the first time since the ACC expanded to a 20-game schedule.
• UVA is 195-38 (.837), including a 160-23 (.874) mark the past 12 seasons, at JPJ under Bennett.
• UVA has an ACC-leading 88 wins in league home games over the past 11 seasons. Duke is second at 87.
• UVA has won 10+ home games for 13 straight seasons.
On The Horizon
• Virginia plays Wisconsin in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday, Nov. 20. Tipoff at Suncoast Credit Union Arena is set for 6 p.m. on FS1.
