Virginia battles Louisville on Big Monday

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia (11-8, 5-4 ACC) hosts Louisville (11-8, 5-4 ACC) in an ACC Big Monday contest on Monday, Jan. 24. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

For Openers

• Virginia (11-8, 5-4 ACC) meets Louisville (11-8, 5-4 ACC) in the first of two meetings in 2021-22.
• Virginia and Louisville are tied for seventh in the ACC at 5-4.
• The Virginia coaching staff will wear pullovers and sneakers in support of The American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer – Suits And Sneakers Week (Jan. 24-30).
• The nationwide event unites basketball coaches, players and communities representing college and high school programs for a common cause – saving lives from cancer.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-NC State game will be televised on ESPN 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 306-111 (.734) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 375-144 (.723) 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 154-66 (.700) in ACC play (86-23 at home & 68-43 away), 173-34 (.836) at home and 152-45 (.772) in non-conference action (86-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
• Bennett ranks third all-time in winning percentage (.700) 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 (8.9 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (8.3 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.6 rpg & 2.3 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (13.9 ppg & 6.8 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (12.3 ppg).
• 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, 5.1 rpg & 2.7 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (3.9 ppg & 3.8 rpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick started the first 16 games, while Caffaro has started the last three contests.
• Kody Stattmann (39.4% 3FGs), Taine Murray (38.1% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (36.4% 3FGs) and Carson McCorkle (33.3% 3FGs) provide perimeter shooting off the bench.

Virginia All-Time vs. Louisville

• Virginia is 17-5 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that began in 1923-24.
• The Cavaliers earned their 10th ACC regular-season title with a 68-58 win at Louisville in the lone meeting last season.
• UVA has a two-game winning streak vs. Louisville and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
• UVA is 11-2 vs. the Cardinals in ACC action.
• UVA has held Louisville to 59 or fewer points in 10 of 14 contests since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014-15.
• Tony Bennett is 12-2 vs. Louisville as head coach at Virginia.

Last Time vs. The Cardinals

• Sam Hauser had 24 points as then-No. 21 Virginia (17-6, 13-4 ACC) defeated Louisville (13-6, 8-5 ACC) 68-58 for its 10th ACC regular-season title on March 6.
• Hauser scored 14 of his season-high 24 points in the second half as UVA improved to 7-2 all-time at KFC Yum! Center.
• Trey Murphy III added 17 points and Jay Huff chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.
• UVA held Carlik Jones to six points on 2 of 15 shooting.
• UVA shot 51.8 percent and made 11 of 11 free throws
• UVA outrebounded the Cardinals 34-30 and committed just five turnovers in the victory.

Last Time Out

• Jericole Hellems scored 21 points and Tarquavion Smith added 20 as NC State downed Virginia 77-63 on Jan. 22 at PNC Arena.
• The Wolfpack shot 60 percent and drilled 12 3-pointers, including nine from Hellems (5) and Smith (4).
• Armaan Franklin led the Cavaliers (11-8, 5-4 ACC) with 14 points, while Jayden Gardner added 13 points and Reece Beekman chipped in 12 points.
• The loss ended UVA’s 11-game winning streak at PNC Arena
• NC State’s 77 points were its most vs. UVA since scoring 79 in the ACC Tournament on March 9, 2007
• Former Cavalier Casey Morsell added 10 points for NC State.

On The Horizon

• Virginia travels to Notre Dame in an ACC contest on Saturday, Jan. 29. Tipoff at Purcell Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.