Game Notes: Virginia hosts Pitt in ACC hoops opener

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia (5-3) hosts Pitt (2-5) in its ACC opener on Friday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network.

For Openers

• Virginia (5-3) opens its 69th season of Atlantic Coast Conference action vs. Pitt.
• The Cavaliers have a 13-game winning streak in ACC openers and are 12-0 in ACC openers under head coach Tony Bennett.
• Virginia is 33-35 all-time in ACC openers.
• The Cavaliers posted a 50-49 win over Notre Dame in last year’s ACC season opener at John Paul Jones Arena.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Pitt game will be televised on ACC Network and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
• 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 as a 300-106 (.739) mark in 13 seasons at Virginia and 369-139 (.726) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• Bennett won his 300th game at Virginia with the 61-43 victory against Lehigh on Nov. 26, 2021.
• The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided the Cavaliers to their 10th ACC regular-season championship in 2020-21.
• In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and a school-record 35 wins.
• Bennett has led UVA to 10 consecutive postseason appearances (2012-21) and seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).

Hoo Are These Cavaliers?

• We play defense, take good shots, share and take care of the basketball, rebound, and play more defense.
• UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (10.9 ppg & 4 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.3 ppg, 3.8 apg & 2.5 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (14 ppg & 8.3 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.8 ppg).
• Clark has played 101 games at UVA and has a 10-game 3-point streak dating back to last season, while Beekman ranks seventh nationally with 20 steals.
• The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
• Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range for the Hoosiers in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg & 3 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (4.3 rpg) anchor the paint, while Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr., Malachi Poindexter, Kody Stattmann and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth.

Virginia All-Time vs. Pitt

• Virginia is 17-4 all-time vs. Pitt in the series that dates back to 1957-58.
• UVA has won six straight contests vs. the Panthers, including a 73-66 tilt last season at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Virginia has won 13 of the last 14 games against Pitt, including a 7-1 record in Charlottesville.
• UVA is 10-1 against Pitt since 2013-14 when the Panthers joined the ACC.
• Tony Bennett is 10-2 all-time vs. Pitt.

Last Time vs. the Panthers

• Sam Hauser scored a season-high 23 points and Tomas Woldetensae added 14 points off the bench in then-No. 14 Virginia’s 73-66 win over Pitt on Feb. 6, 2021.
• UVA broke the game open with a 16-0 second-half run, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jay Huff and two more from Hauser.
• Hauser shot a blistering 8 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, while Woldetensae matched season highs in points and 3-pointers (4).
• UVA shot 53.2 percent from the field (50 percent from 3).
• Justin Champagnie led Pitt with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Panthers outrebounded the Cavaliers, 33-27, and scored 42 of their 66 points in the paint.

Last Time Out

• Jordan Bohannon scored a game-high 20 points to lead Iowa to a 75-74 win over Virginia in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest on Nov. 29 at John Paul Jones Arena.
• UVA trailed by 21 points in the first half but gained a 71-70 lead on a 3-pointer by Taine Murray at 1:36 of the second half.
• Joe Toussaint’s bank shot with eight seconds left won it for the Hawkeyes, who shot 53.6 percent (10 of 21 from 3).
• Kihei Clark’s (15 points) floater with two seconds left bounced off the rim.
• Murray gave the Hoos a lift off the bench with a career-high 14 points, while Jayden Gardner led UVA with 18 points.
• UVA tied a season high with nine 3-pointers (7 in the second half).

On The Horizon

• Virginia travels to JMU for a nonconference tilt on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Tipoff at Atlantic Union Bank Center is set for 6:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.