Women’s notebook: UVA to host Cavalier Classic this weekend

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s basketball team hosts the Cavalier Classic Tournament Saturday and Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena. Minnesota, East Carolina and Liberty will be playing in the tournament.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, 2 pm: Virginia (6-0, 1-0 ACC) vs Minnesota (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, 5 pm: ECU (4-1, 0-0 American) vs Liberty (2-2, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)

Sunday, 2 pm: Virginia vs East Carolina
Sunday, 5 pm: Minnesota vs Liberty

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• All four games will stream online on ACCNX through the ESPN app. It is available through participating TV providers that carry ACCN
• Sunday’s game between Virginia and East Carolina will be televised on the ACC Network
• All of the 2022-23 Virginia women’s basketball games are available locally on the radio on NewsRadio 1070 AM and 98.9 FM WINA
• Live stats be available
• Links are posted on VirginiaSports.com

CAVALIER CLASSIC

• Starting as the precursor to the ACC Tournament in 1976, the Cavalier Classic Tournament’s official name has changed several times through the years but has taken place every year except 2020. This is the 36th Cavalier Classic Tournament
• North Carolina captured the first title in 1976
• Minnesota won the tournament title in 2003
• Virginia captured 24 of the 29 Cavalier Classic team titles
• Since 2014, the tournament has deviated from the previous format and does not have a declared champion, playing instead as a true “classic” tournament with set match-ups
• Liberty will be the designated road team in the second game each day. Virginia will be the home team in the first game of the day each day

VIRGINIA NOTES

• Virginia is off to a 6-0 start to the season for the first time since 1997-98. The last time UVA started the season 7-0 was its 8-0 start to the 1992-93 season
• The six-straight victories are the longest win streak for the team since winning eight in a row during the 2017-18 season (Dec. 17- Jan. 11)
• Virginia is coming off a 62-41 win against Campbell on Wednesday. The Cavaliers led 22-18 after a low-scoring first half, but exploded for 40 points after the break
• UVA outscored the Camels 21-8 in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers are outscoring teams 181-76 in the final 10 minutes this season, an average of 10.0 points more than their opponents in the final period
• The Cavaliers are averaging 47.2 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the ACC. The team has not averaged more than 37 rebounds per game in the last five years and have been in the bottom two of the ACC each of the last three seasons
• UVA leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game at 17.2
• The Cavaliers are top-20 in the nation in three rebounding categories: +14.2 rebounding margin (19th), 47.2 rebounds per game (15th) and 17.2 offensive rebounds per game (18th)
• Mir McLean is leading the team in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game
• McKenna Dale had eight rebounds in the win against Campbell, her highest rebounding total in her time at UVA
• Virginia has four players averaging double figures
• Camryn Taylor continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures in five of six games this season and all but four games she played in last year
• Virginia is averaging 43.6 points per game in the paint this season

QUICK NOTES ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• UVA guard Alexia Smith played two seasons for the Golden Gophers, appearing in 52 games with 13 starts, averaging 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. She is averaging 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game
• UVA will play two Big Ten opponents in its next three games, taking on Penn State on Wednesday (Nov. 30) in the ACC/B1G Challenge and Minnesota in the opening game of the Cav Classic
• UVA alumna J’Kyra Brown is in her first season as the Director of Recruiting at East Carolina. She began her playing career at ECU, but transferred to UVA after her freshman year, playing three seasons for the Cavaliers (2015-18). She finished her career with 131 made-three-pointers, tying for 10th in the UVA record book with Dawn Staley and Mikayla Venson. She scored a combined 950 career points in her collegiate career between ECU and Virginia, with 766 of those coming in her three seasons as a Cavalier
• ECU head coach Kim McNeill and associate head coach Corey McNeill spent five seasons on Joanne Boyle’s coaching staff at UVA (2011-16), with Kim being promoted to associate head coach in 2013
• Minnesota leads the all-time series 3-2. The last meeting between the two teams was a 90-68 victory for the Cavaliers in Minneapolis in 2012 in an ACC/B1G Challenge game
• East Carolina leads the all-time series 3-2. The Pirates won the last meeting 54-51 at JPJ Arena during the 2020-21 season

ON THE HORIZON

Virginia plays at Penn State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the ACC/B1G Challenge. The game will stream on B1G+ ($).