With only three regular-season games remaining, No. 18 Virginia returns home to face No. 10 Florida State tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers (20-6, 8-3 ACC) ride a five-game winning streak into the contest after defeating Longwood Tuesday, 81-40. The victory came just one day after a close win against North Carolina last Monday, 82-78.
"We need to get ready for the [ACC] Tournament, and we might have to play back-to-back games, so we needed this," freshman forward Telia McCall said after the win.
The Cavaliers face a Florida State team that also is coming off five straight wins, including a 69-59 victory against No. 19 Georgia Tech Feb. 15.
The Seminoles (23-4, 9-2 ACC) are led by senior forwards Jacinta Monroe and Alysha Harvin, who average 13.2 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Florida State's scoring offense is ranked third in the ACC, and the Seminoles lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage, averaging 38.3 percent from behind the arc.
The Cavaliers are led on both sides of the floor by senior guard Monica Wright, who averages 22.7 points per game and 3.6 steals - good for first on the team and best in the ACC.
"All 10 players are going to have to give you minutes. All 10 players are going to have to step up whether they are tired or not," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said.
A victory would propel Virginia into a tie with the Seminoles for second place in the ACC and would continue the Cavaliers' momentum heading into a Feb. 26 contest against Duke, which is ranked first in the conference.
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