No. 9 Virginia squares off against Columbia

Published

Columbia (1-2) vs. No. 9 Virginia (2-0)

John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 9 Virginia hosts Columbia in an early season matchup. Each team won at home in their last game. Virginia earned a 65-34 win over James Madison on Sunday, while Columbia won 75-63 over Binghamton on Wednesday.

SENIOR STUDS: Virginia has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff, Braxton Key and Kihei Clark have combined to account for 79 percent of all Cavaliers points this season.

FUELING THE OFFENSE: Mike Smith has either made or assisted on 53 percent of all Columbia field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has 23 field goals and 17 assists in those games.

STIFLING DEFENSE: Virginia has held opposing teams to 34 points per game this season, the second-lowest figure among all Division I teams.