PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball squad will shake off their Thanksgiving dinners as they prepare to face the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Friday, November 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. from John Paul Jones Arena.

The Hawks head to Virginia after an impressive team win over Marist College at home on Saturday, November 22, 70-59. Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. posted a career-high 20 points with eight boards, while Da'Shawn Phillip tallied 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.

Last Time We Met

The lone meeting between the Hawks and Cavaliers in program history came in Charlottesville on December 27, 2011. Virginia earned a 69-42 win in the matchup.

The Cavaliers entered the 2011 faceoff ranked 23^rd in the nation, and opened the game with a 9-0 run before the first UMES points. Ronald Spencer knocked down the first Hawk shot, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds.

Hillary Haley led the Hawks with 11 points and was the top scorer for the team in the contest.

Haley nailed a critical three with 5:35 to play in the first half, cutting the lead to eight and snapping a Cavalier run. Ultimately, Virginia pulled away from the visiting Hawks.

Scouting the Cavaliers

Virginia enters the matchup at 4-0 and ranked #5 in the AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll. Three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett has led his squad past ranked foes Baylor and Illinois on the young season.

The Cavaliers faced fellow-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe North Carolina Central to open the 2022-23 season, grabbing a 73-61 win to start their streak.

Through the first four games, the Cavaliers have been led by senior guard Armaan Franklin's 16 points and four rebounds per game. Junior guard Reece Beekman has served as the team's main distributor with a team-high 24 assists through four games while ranking second with 11 points per game.

On the glass, redshirt junior forward Kadin Shedrick holds a team-high in rebounds-per-game (5.8) while ranking third on the team in scoring (10.8).

While the Hawks enter following an inspiring home win over Marist, Virginia brings an entirely different challenge to the table.

"Virginia is a historic basketball program with a future Hall of Fame coach in Tony Bennett," head coach Jason Crafton said. "We must be at our best for 40 minutes to have a chance. We have a great game plan and I believe our guys are ready for the challenge."

The contest will be available to stream on ESPN+. To watch, visit https://es.pn/3JyuDaF.