Cavaliers host Hokies in Smithfield Commonwealth Clash

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia (9-6, 3-2 ACC) hosts in-state rival Virginia Tech (8-6, 0-3) in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

For Openers

• Virginia (9-6, 3-2 ACC) hosts in-state rival Virginia Tech in the first of two meetings between the teams.
• The Virginia-Virginia Tech game is part of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, which is a head-to-head, points-based athletics competition between the schools.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Virginia Tech game will be televised on ESPN2 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 available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.

The Head Coach

• Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 304-109 (.736) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 373-142 (.724) 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).
• UVA is 152-64 (.704) in ACC play (85-22 at home & 67-42 away), 171-33 (.838) at home and 152-45 (.772) in non-conference action (86-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
• Bennett ranks third all-time in winning percentage (.704) among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC wins.

Hoo Are These Cavaliers?

• The Cavaliers 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 (9.9 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.3 ppg, 4.4 apg & 2.2 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15 ppg & 7.5 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (12 ppg).
• Clark has played 108 games at UVA and is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (41.9%) and 3-point percentage (42.6%).
• 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 in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (6.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg & 2.8 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (2.9 rpg) anchor the paint, while Kody Stattmann (39.1% 3FGs), Taine Murray (42.1% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (38.1% 3FGs) and Carson McCorkle (33.3% 3FGs) provide perimeter depth.

Virginia All-Time vs. Virginia Tech

• Virginia is 95-57 all-time vs. Virginia Tech, including a 40-13 mark in Charlottesville, in the series that dates back to 1914-15.
• Virginia Tech ended Virginia’s four-game winning streak in the series with last season’s 65-51 win in Blacksburg.
• The Cavaliers have a two-game winning streak at John Paul Jones Arena.
• The Cavaliers are 4-1 in their last five games against the Hokies.
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 16-7 all-time vs. Virginia Tech.

Last Time vs. The Hokies

• Keve Aluma scored a game-high 29 points and added 10 rebounds as then-No. 20 Virginia Tech defeated then-No. 8 Virginia 65-51 at Cassell Coliseum on Jan. 30, 2021.
• Virginia Tech trailed the Cavaliers, 47-44, but went on a 19-0 run to claim the win.
• The Cavaliers were held scoreless for 7:13 during the run.
• Jay Huff led UVA with 13 points, Kihei Clark scored 10 and Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III added 10 each, respectively.
• UVA went 10 of 28 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 30-24.

More on The Commonwealth Clash

• The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech across all school-sponsored sports with 21 individual event points on the line.
• The school that accumulates 11 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy.
• The UVA-VT game is worth a half point in the Clash and the Hokies lead this year’s Clash 3-1.
• UVA captured the Clash in 2015, 2016 and 2019, while Virginia Tech has won the Clash in 2017 and 2018. The 2020 and 2021 clashes were canceled due to the pandemic.

Last Time Out

• Armando Bacot scored 29 points and had 22 rebounds to lead North Carolina (11-4, 3-1 ACC) to a 74-58 win over Virginia (9-6, 3-2) in ACC action at Smith Center on Saturday, Jan. 8.
• Bacot recorded the first 20-point, 20-rebound game vs. UVA since Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan had 21 points and 23 rebounds vs. the Cavaliers on Feb. 22, 1997.
• Brady Manek had 19 points and Caleb Love added 16 for UNC.
• Reece Beekman led the Cavaliers with 13 points and Armaan Franklin added 12 and Jayden Gardner chipped in 10.
• UNC outrebounded Virginia 36-28 and had 14 second chance points.

On The Horizon

• Virginia hosts Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 15. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 4:30 p.m. on Regional Sports Networks.