GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: Friday, November 28, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, Va.)
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Queens Game Notes
 
QUEENS (3-4 OVERALL, 0-0 ASUN)
 
THE MATCHUP
Friday evening marks the first-ever meeting between Queens and Virginia, and the Royals fifth matchup with a first-time opponent this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Queens is coming off a 90-79 loss at Furman last Sunday in Greenville. Despite shooting 26 percent from the perimeter coming into the game, the Paladins caught fire, draining a season-high 12 threes.
 
DOUBLE FIGURES
The Royals offense has been spreading the wealth over the last two games as five different players have reached double figures in both outings.
 
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Despite being a fresh face in Division 1, the Royals have risen to challenges over the last four years, playing multiple power college basketball programs, including Villanova, Ole Miss, BYU, Duke, and Clemson.
 
ELITE SHOOTER
Chris Ashby ranks fourth in the nation in threes made this season, sitting behind Jadin Booth (Samford), Brycen Blaine (Charleston Southern), and Gage Lattimore (North Carolina Central).
 
DISHING DIMES
The Royals offense has flowed well the last three games, in part due to exceptional ball movement. The Royals have averaged 19.0 assists during those three outings, including 20 dimes against Sacred Heart. This season, the Royals are 3-1 when facilitating at least 16 assists in a game, and 0-3 on the year when not meeting that mark.
 
PERIMETER GAME
Queens enters Friday night 53^rd in the country, and first in the ASUN with 28.9 threes attempted per game. The Royals have buried 40 threes over their last three games, including 16 against Sacred Heart and 15 against UNCG, both of which were top 10 in a single game in program history. On the other hand, the Royals have done an elite job defending the perimeter, holding opponents to 29 percent, which ranks 69th in the country and third in the ASUN.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Rookie sensation Jordan Watford earned his first career start last week against UNCG. The Lancaster, South Carolina native ranks 10^th in the ASUN with 3.0 assists per game while adding 8.9 points per outing.
 
MR. DO-IT-ALL
A 6-6 guard-forward combo from Gainesville, Florida, Nasir Mann has consistently drawn the NBA player comp of Josh Hart from head coach Grant Leonard, in part due to his ability to do it all. This season, Mann is averaging 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. The dynamic playmaker ranks 12^th in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding.
 
SCORING TRIO
The veteran trio of Yoav Berman, Chris Ashby, and Nasir Mann has taken the league by storm as all three rank in the top 15 in scoring. Ashby leads the Royals with 14.4 points per game, which is 11^th in the league. Mann is close behind with 14.0 points per game, which is 12^th in the league, and Berman is adding 13.9 per game which is 13^th in the league.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP REBOUNDING
Since joining the league, Queens has ranked top three in the ASUN in rebounding every season. The Royals sit 10^th in the league in rebounding, but have won the glass in three of their last four matchups. When the Royals win the battle on the boards in Division 1, they are 41-16 overall.
 
TRIMMING THE TURNOVERS
After a sluggish start in the turnover category, averaging 15.8 through the first five games, Queens has shown drastic improvements over the last two games, only committing 10 total against UNCG and Furman.
 
 
VIRGINIA (5-1 overall, 0-0 ACC)
HISTORIC START
Head Coach Ryan Odom became the first UVA coach to start his tenure 5-0, surpassing Henry Lannigan who started 4-0 in 1905-06.
 
OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT
A key to success for the Cavaliers has been scoring 80+ points in five of their first six games, a mark that hasn't been done in school history.
 
CRASHING THE GLASS
Virginia prides itself on crashing the glass as the Cavaliers rank 17^th in the nation in rebounds per game, and second in the nation in offensive rebounds per game.
 
ELITE SHOOTER
San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas was one of 20 players named to the Preseason 2026 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award. Thomas led the WCC with 19.9 points per game on 39-percent shooting from deep last season. This year, the graduate student is averaging 14.3 points, which is second on the team.
 
HAPPY HOMECOMING
Head Coach Ryan Odom grew up in Charlottesville while his father, Dave Odom, served as an assistant coach on the UVA staff. Odom brings proven success to the Cavaliers program, which won the National Championship in 2019. Odom led VCU, Utah State, and UMBC to the NCAA Tournament and was at the helm of the UMBC program that took down Virginia in 2018, the first time a No. 16 seed took down a No. 1 seed.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.