With a two-and-a-half game lead on Florida State in the ACC standings, Virginia Basketball will look to widen the gap – and all but cement their hold – between first place and second place, in a pivotal top-25 showdown.
The Cavaliers enter Monday’s tilt fresh off their fourth-straight win, taking down North Carolina in a stout defensive showing on Saturday afternoon. In a 60-48 victory, Virginia held the Tar Heels to just 0.83 points per possession, as well as clips of 42.9% (2PT) and 12.5% (3PT) – all the while allowing zero UNC players to reach double-figures.
In holding the Tar Heels to just 48 points, it is now the second-straight game where the Cavaliers have held a team under 50 points, having held Georgia Tech to just 49 points days prior – the first time UVA has held back-to-back opponents under 40 points since December 2019, when they held UNC and Stony Brook to 47 and 44, respectively.
They will meet a Florida State squad that just played its first game in nearly two weeks, having been forced to go on pause due to COVID-19 protocol after a January 30th loss at Georgia Tech. The Seminoles returned in dramatic – but victorious – fashion, topping Wake Forest on Saturday in an offensive affair that yielded a 92-85 win for Florida State in overtime.
The Seminoles featured a quintet of double-digit scorers, with RaiQuan Gray spearheading an offense that scored 1.21 points per possession, shot 48.0% (12-25) from outside, and were a blistering 26-35 (74.3%) from the charity stripe. With 24 points and 12 rebounds, Gray led all scorers in the game – with M.J. Walker (14), Scottie Barnes (13), Malik Osborne (12), and Anthony Polite (12) joining him.
While Gray was, obviously, the star of the game, Florida State’s win was only made possible through the heroics of star freshman Scottie Barnes, who scooped in the game-tying layup with just 0.1 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime:
Scottie Barnes came up CLUTCH to send the game to OT! @FSUHoops | @ScottBarnes561 pic.twitter.com/BeN4hjH5Q8
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) February 13, 2021
They will now meet a Virginia team that, despite not scoring as efficiently as Florida State in its last tilt, saw three players reach double-figures, with Jay Huff tallying game-highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) – as well as blocks (4) – which is an impressive stat, considering he went head-to-head with UNC’s deep and highly-touted frontcourt. Rounding out UVA’s double-digit scorers were Sam Hauser (17) and Trey Murphy III (12).
The ninth-ranked Cavaliers are currently sitting in first in the ACC with an 11-1 record – and with a comfortable two-and-a-half game lead over nationally-ranked Florida State and Virginia Tech squads. This game could ultimately decide who will win the ACC regular-season title – and Virginia will have to follow through in some key areas to come away with the crucial victory.