Game Preview: Virginia Basketball vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

The Cavaliers host the Knights after an 11-day break

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Dec 17, 2021 4:21 PM EST

The Cavaliers got a much-needed 11-day break after losing two of their last three games. The last of which was a very disappointing 52-49 loss at JMU that showed that Virginia still has a great deal of work to do this season, especially offensively. UVA scored just one point over a stretch of nearly 13 minutes in the first half and the Hoos had just 14 points on the board at halftime. Virginia played much better in the second half, but it was not enough and the Cavaliers lost to JMU for the first time ever. Now, Virginia gets one last non-conference game against Fairleigh Dickinson to tune up before beginning the gauntlet of ACC play next week.

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (6-4) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (0-9)

When: Saturday, December 18th at 2pm

Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia

How to watch: ACC Network

All-time series: Virginia leads 1-0

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 88-61 on December 6th, 1988

By the Numbers

Virginia Cavaliers vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
Virginia	By the Numbers	FDU
61.0	Points Per Game	61.0
55.8	Opponent PPG	81.1
43.3%	Field Goal %	37.6%
39.8%	Opponent FG %	47.6%
30.2%	Three-Point FG %	31.8%
33.3%	Opponent 3PT FG %	34.8%
-2	Rebounding Margin	-83
+16	Turnover Margin	-17

Opponent Outlook: Fairleigh Dickinson

Expectedly, there have not been many things for the winless Knights to hang their hats on this season. FDU began the year with a tough stretch of games against major conference opponents Seton Hall, Northwestern and St. John’s, losing to each by a wide margin. The Knights then lost by 10 points or less against NJIT, Princeton, and Manhattan, before suffering double-digit losses against Drexel, La Salle, and Fairfield. FDU scores 61.0 points per game as compared to 81.1 points allowed.

FDU has two players averaging in double figures: junior guards Brandon Rush (13.2 points per game) and Devon Dunn (12.0 points per game). Dunn also shoots 38.0% from three and sophomore guard Sebastien Lamaute shoots 47.6% from three.

What to Watch For

Virginia shaking the rust off

The time off could be perceived as an advantage or a disadvantage for Virginia. On the one hand, the Cavaliers will be more rested than the Knights, who played a game on Wednesday night. On the other hand, UVA will likely have to shake some rust off early on after not playing a game for 11 days. Virginia has been prone to slow starts this season and that could be even more of a factor this time around.

Hungry FDU

FDU comes into this game with an 0-9 record. Inevitably, the Knights will be very motivated to beat Virginia and pick up their first victory of the season. However, the Cavaliers have also lost two out of their last three games and will be eager to get back on track. There is no excuse for the Hoos to get out-worked or out-hustled in this one.

Confidence-booster before ACC play

Three weeks ago, Virginia was on a four-game winning streak and the Cavaliers seemed to be making the adjustments needed to have a shot at winning their sixth ACC regular season championship since 2014. Since then, UVA has gone 1-2 and would have gone 0-3 if not for some late heroics by Jayden Gardner to beat Pittsburgh at the last second in the ACC opener. This game against FDU is Virginia’s last chance to tune-up against a non-conference opponent before beginning the full ACC schedule, where every game is crucial towards winning the regular season title and building an NCAA Tournament resume.