- It's time to party like it's 1999—with eyes on a slightly different outcome. W&M hosts Virginia at Kaplan for the first time since '99, a game that saw the Cavaliers down the Green and Gold 71-42. More recently, the two interstate foes met last December in Charlottesville. Virginia also won that game, 60-44, with four different Tribe athletes scoring seven points each. Wednesday evening's tilt also marks the first time W&M has squared off against an ACC school at home since a 2OT loss to Virginia Tech on Dec. 18, 2010.
- Virginia brings a 10-game win streak into Williamsburg as the Cavaliers are one of 15 undefeated teams remaining in NCAA I women's basketball. The squad is coming off a 78-36 victory against UNCW, with four players notching double-digit scoring performances. Virginia is also receiving votes in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
- The dynamic backcourt duo of Sydney Wagner and Riley Casey has been the spark behind W&M's offense so far this season. Both preseason All-CAA First-Team selections, the graduate students continue to pack the stat sheets. Nationally, they rank among the country's leaders in minutes played—Casey: 17th at 36.9, Wagner: 33rd at 36.1. Among their fellow CAA players, the tandem sits top 3 in 3-point field goals per game (Casey: 3.1, Wagner: 2.9) and top 5 in 3-pt field goal percentage (Casey: .500, Wagner: .364).
- There's no place like home for Wagner, who, in her last two games at Kaplan Arena, was 15-34 from the field, 8-of-15 from behind the 3-point arc. Against Richmond (12/1/22), she posted season-highs in points (26) and field goals made (8). On Sunday against Coppin State, she followed up with 20 points, plus season-highs in assists (5) and 3-point field goals made (4). Going back to last season, Wagner has reached double-digits in 13 of her previous 14 games.
- After her history-making back-to-back 31-point performances against George Mason and Army, Casey continues to find a way to put points on the board. In 36 minutes of work against Richmond (12/1/22), she racked up 13 points, five assists, and three steals. Then, on Sunday against Coppin State, she scored seven of her 19 points in OT and went a near-perfect 10-of-11 from the free throw line. That performance came in a season-high 41 minutes; the second time this season she's hit the 40-minute mark.
- One of the most prolific scorers in the country, Casey has the stats to back that title up. She ranks 7th nationally in points per game (20.7), 16th in 3-point field goals per game (3.1), and 23rd in 3-point field goal percentage (.500). In the CAA, she sits second in scoring and 11th in field goal percentage (.432). Casey is racking up accolades for her efforts as well. Last month, she was named CAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week (11/28/22) and W&M Student Athlete of the Week (11/29/22).
- Junior Caitlin Wingertzahn is enjoying perhaps her best stretch of games for the Green and Gold. In the win over Army (11/27/22), she set several career-highs, including points (10), and minutes (25:02) before following it up against Richmond (12/1/22) with 23 minutes of strong work off on the bench. In the waning OT seconds against CSU (12/4/22), she connected on what proved to be a game-changing block, keeping the Eagles from potentially taking the lead.
- Freshman Kayla Rolph had a breakout game against Coppin State on Sunday afternoon. In 20:12 off the bench, her highest mark this season, she recorded career-bests in points (7), rebounds (8), and assists (3).
- The Tribe rank among the CAA leaders in several 3-point shooting categories. W&M leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.347) and 3-point field goals made (7.4/per game). Of course, the Green and Gold have long built a reputation as a deep-scoring threat. Last season, the squad led the CAA in 3-point percentage (.323) and wrapped up the year third in conference in 3-pointers made per game (6.2).
- The Green and Gold will not leave the state of Virginia during the nonconference slate, playing six home games in Kaplan Arena and another five contests on the road against Commonwealth rivals (VCU, Old Dominion, George Mason, Longwood, Norfolk State).
- The Tribe was picked seventh in the CAA preseason standings by vote of the league coaches. Drexel was the preseason pick to win the league with 10 first-place votes.
