Tale of the Tape: #2 Virginia vs. Pitt

With just a week remaining in the regular season, second-ranked Virginia resumes ACC action Saturday afternoon against last-place Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers (25-2, 13-2 ACC) are the hottest team in the conference having won their last five games, and will be gunning for their eighth win against the Panthers since joining the ACC in 2013-14. Pitt has only beaten the Wahoos once during that stretch (Jan. 2017 in OT).

UVA comes into the contest as an 18½-point favorite. The ‘Hoos are still 1st overall in the KenPom ratings (2nd AdjD, 4th AdjO) and 2nd in the NET rankings. Saturday’s opponent ranks 93rd according to KenPom (59th AdjD, 166th AdjO) and 118th in the NET.

Pitt (12-16, 2-15) hasn’t won a game since Jan. 14, dropping 11 straight. The Panthers are 0-9 in true road games.

First-year coach Jeff Capel inherited a Pitt team that finished 8-24 last season and 0-18 in ACC competition. Things were looking up at the end of December, as the Panthers enjoyed a 10-3 mark heading into ACC play, but Capel’s squad has hit a wall after picking up two early wins against Louisville and Florida State.

A pair of freshmen — Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens — have been major contributors for the struggling Panthers. Johnson leads the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), assists (4.5 apg) and minutes (30.5 a game), while McGowens does a little of everything and scores close to a dozen points a night.

Senior transfer Jared Wilson-Frame provides a boost from the outside, as he has connected on a team-best 74 3-pointers on the year.

The Cavaliers are coming off of a 30-point waxing of Georgia Tech Wednesday and will look to keep the momentum rolling into the postseason. De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome combined for 37 points to lead the way against the Yellow Jackets.

With eight more 3-pointers, Kyle Guy (215 career makes) will pass J.R. Reynolds (221) and Sean Singletary (222) and move into 4th on the school’s all-time list.

Virginia concludes the regular season with a quick trip to Syracuse Monday night before returning to JPJ to face Louisville in one week on Senior Day, Saturday at 4 p.m.