Tale of the Tape: Stony Brook at No. 9 Virginia

The ninth-ranked Virginia men’s basketball team is back in action tonight against non-conference opponent Stony Brook at John Paul Jones Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by the ACC Network.

The Cavaliers (8-1, 2-0 ACC) have had 10 days off for exams and will conclude the non-ACC slate over the remaining week-and-a-half of 2019, with games against South Carolina and Navy on the horizon.

Virginia took care of business against longtime conference rival North Carolina on Dec. 8, 56-47, and could be closer to getting senior Braxton Key back on the floor soon, perhaps as early as this evening (read more here). Key hasn’t played since injuring his wrist against Arizona State in the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off championship game at the end of November. He recently returned to practice and Tony Bennett said he hopes to have the 6-foot-8, 230-pounder back in the mix “sooner rather than later.”

UVA got positive minutes from newcomers Tomas Woldetensae (11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown), Francisco Caffaro (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Justin McKoy (4 points, 5 boards) in the win over the Tar Heels, and Bennett would love to see continued contributions from the youngsters to provide added depth and scoring come conference time.

The Cavalier bench outscored Carolina, 25-10, as the ‘Hoos stayed perfect in conference play.

Virginia is at No. 10 nationally in the latest KenPom ratings (1st AdjD, 141st AdjO), while SBU checks in at No. 169 overall (139th AdjD, 218th AdjO).

The Wahoos, a 17-point favorite tonight, will be going up against the visiting Seawolves (7-5, 0-0 America East) for the first time. Stony Brook has dropped its last three road games (at Delaware, Hofstra and Providence) with home wins against Manhattan and Brown sprinkled in between.

Junior wing Elijah Olaniyi (6-5, 205 pounds) leads the Seawolves in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game. He posted a season-high 30 points in the win over Brown, and has scored in double figures in all but one game thus far. Olaniyi has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season.

SBU senior guard Makale Foreman (14.2 ppg) from nearby Hargrave Military Academy is another threat from the perimeter, boasting a team-best 36 triples made on the year.

The Seawolves joined the Division I ranks in the 1999-2000 season and have qualified for one NCAA Tournament after winning the America East championship in 2016. The team posted a 24-9 record last season and fell in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational, and suffered just one losing season over its previous eight campaigns (13-19 in 2017-18).