Virginia @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2019 ) Pittsburgh 49, Virginia 73

Virginia appears to have put a mid-season swoon behind it and is attacking an NCAA Tournament berth. The Cavaliers seek a seventh win in eight games when they visit Pittsburgh on Saturday in the only game between the teams this season.

Virginia scored a season-high 78 points in a 13-point win over Boston College on Wednesday in reaching 10 ACC wins for a school-record eighth straight season. "This is some really good offense, but whatever you do, don’t get too comfortable," coach Tony Bennett said afterward. "I thought defensively in the second half, we were not at our best. ... We were more efficient, more guys scoring and I think there is a comfort level in the last few games that has showed, even against Louisville (an 80-73 loss on Feb. 8)." Pittsburgh dropped its sixth game in the last eight in Tuesday's 82-67 home loss to No. 8 Florida State, but coach Jeff Capel was quick to circle the wagons for a team that has already surpassed last season's win total and has more ACC wins then the last two years combined. “It was a dumpster fire that I took over,” Capel said referring to his replacement of Kevin Stallings after the 2017-18 season. “I’ve been here for a little bit over a year. We need time to recruit, and we have to win some recruiting battles. It’s going to happen, but it’s not going to happen right away.”

TIME: Noon ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT VIRGINIA (18-7, 10-5 ACC): Kihei Clark (10.6 points, 6.2 assists) had 17 points and eight assists, while Braxton Key (10.0 points, 7.2 rebounds) finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four blocks against the Eagles. Italian Tomas Woldetensae (7.2 points) has provided the Cavs a lift since joining the starting lineup, averaging 11.7 points and hitting 46 percent beyond the arc in 7.6 attempts per game. Jay Huff ranks third in ACC games in block percentage (9.2), fourth in effective field-goal percentage (60.0) and sixth in defensive rebound rate (20.8).

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (15-12, 6-10): Au'Diese Toney (9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds) scored a team-high 15 points, while fellow sophomore Xavier Johnson (11.8 points, 5.1 assists) added 12 points, seven assists and a career-high five steals, but the Seminoles held a 53-15 edge in bench points in splitting the season series. Johnson moved past Sam Clancy into third place at Pitt in points through a player's sophomore season (830). The Panthers have struggled on defense, ranking last in ACC games in effective field-goal percentage (51.9) and defensive rebound percentage (66.3), while ranking last on offense in effective field-goal percentage (44.0).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Virginia has won four straight in the series and 11 of 12. The Cavaliers have won four of the last five at Pitt.

2. The NCAA and Pittsburgh have announced a negotiated resolution of Level II violations committed by the men's basketball and football programs between August 2015 and March 2018.

3. Pitt trailed at the half to Florida State 38-33, marking the ninth time in ACC play the Panthers have trailed at the half. Pitt is 4-10 overall when trailing at the half.

PREDICTION: Virginia 58, Pittsburgh 51