Virginia scored 80 or more points in only two of its 32 games last season under interim coach Ron Sanchez.
The Cavaliers (2-0) will look to hit that mark for the third time in three games for coach Ryan Odom this season when they host Hampton (1-1) on Tuesday night in Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia ushered in a new era of faster-paced offense and pressure defense with wire-to-wire wins last week against Rider and North Carolina Central, launching a combined 66 3-pointers, averaging 84 points per game and blocking a total of 20 shots.
The Cavaliers’ deep rotation of transfers and other newcomers includes 7-footers Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso.
“When they’re both out there, they’re a nightmare to deal with,” said point guard Dallin Hall, a graduate transfer from BYU.
Hall and freshman Chance Mallory give Virginia a pair of playmakers in the backcourt.
“With me and Chance, it’s super fun,” Hall said. “I love the opportunity to get off the ball a little bit. He’s a really good passer. So it’s fun to play with another really good passer and find those catch-and-shoot opportunities and have another guy to take some pressure off you handling the ball.”
Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder leads Virginia in scoring (20.5 ppg) and is second on the team in rebounding (7.5).
Hampton opened its season with a narrow loss at Milwaukee before blowing out Mid-Atlantic Christian 103-43 in its home opener on Thursday.
The Pirates received 74 points from their bench in the lopsided victory and held the Mustangs to 23.6% shooting from the field.
“It was a great atmosphere tonight,” second-year Hampton coach Ivan Thomas said. “There was a lot of energy tonight both in the stands and among our players. We scored a lot of points, but I was very proud of the way we played on defense.”
Xzavier Long powered the Pirates with 16 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists in the opener against Milwaukee but did not play against Mid-Atlantic Christian. He is one of 11 Hampton players with at least one made 3-pointer this season.
