Virginia Basketball vs. North Carolina Recreation Preview, Rating Prediction
Virginia and North Carolina are set to resume a storied ACC rivalry because the Tar Heels go to the Cavaliers on Tuesday night time at John Paul Jones Area. After starting the season because the No. 1-ranked group within the nation, UNC stumbled by means of a four-game shedding streak, however have since recovered and are available into this matchup having gained six of the final seven video games. In the meantime, No. 13 Virginia appears to construct off of a 73-66 win over Syracuse on Saturday by taking down a North Carolina group that had UVA’s quantity final season. Each the Hoos and the Heels herald a 3-2 convention document and each groups are hoping to make use of this sport to propel themselves in direction of the highest of the ACC standings.
Learn on for a full preview of Virginia vs. North Carolina, together with particulars on the sport, an opponent scouting report, sport notes, and a rating prediction.
Recreation Particulars
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (11-3, 3-2 ACC) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (11-5, 3-2 ACC)
When: Tuesday, January tenth at 9pm ET
The place: John Paul Jones Area in Charlottesville, Virginia
Find out how to watch: ESPN
Find out how to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Find out how to pay attention: SiriusXM 83, SXM App 83 | Virginia Sports activities Radio Community – click here for affiliates
All-time sequence: North Carolina leads 133-60
Final assembly: UNC defeated UVA 63-43 within the quarterfinals of the ACC Event on March tenth, 2022
Opponent Scouting Report: North Carolina
2022-2023: 11-5, 3-2 ACC
Notable outcomes: Iowa State 70-65 L, Alabama 103-101 L (4OT), at Indiana 77-65 L, at Virginia Tech 80-72 L, Georgia Tech 75-59 W, Ohio State 89-84 W (OT), Michigan 80-76 W, at Pittsburgh 76-74 L, Wake Forest 88-79 W, Notre Dame 81-64 W
To say that expectations for this North Carolina males’s basketball season had been sky excessive would really be an understatement. With the Tar Heels returning 4 out of 5 starters from a group that went to the Ultimate 4 and misplaced within the nationwide title sport by three factors, UNC was the landslide decide as each the preseason favourite to win the ACC and the AP No. 1-ranked group within the nation.
The Heels gained their first 5 video games of the season, however did not encourage confidence as they survived early close-calls in opposition to UNCW, Charleston, Gardner-Webb, and Portland. A five-point loss to Iowa State on November twenty fifth despatched UNC right into a tailspin, shedding four-straight video games, together with a four-overtime thriller with Alabama, a 12-point loss at Indiana within the ACC/Massive Ten Problem, and a 80-72 defeat at Virginia Tech within the ACC opener.
Since then, nonetheless, the Tar Heels appear to have regained their composure, successful six of their final seven video games, together with back-to-back shut neutral-floor victories in opposition to Michigan and Ohio State. Like Virginia, North Carolina misplaced an in depth contest at Pittsburgh, however has since bounced again with a pair of high quality wins over Wake Forest and Notre Dame. It seems that the skilled and gifted Tar Heels are starting to play higher basketball with out the burden of a excessive rating and weighty expectations.
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Now, the Heels face an enormous check on the street in opposition to the No. 13-ranked Cavaliers, nevertheless it’s a Virginia group that appears remarkably comparable by way of personnel to the one which UNC swept final season by a mixed margin of 36 factors. North Carolina took down Virginia 74-58 in Chapel Hill to snap UVA’s seven-game successful streak within the sequence after which the Heels routed the Cavaliers 63-43 within the quarterfinals of the ACC Event, formally placing an finish to UVA’s NCAA Event hopes. This will likely be as a lot of a check for Virginia as it’s for North Carolina, because the Cavaliers must show how a lot they’ve improved since final season in opposition to a UNC group that had little bother operating them off the ground final 12 months.
Main North Carolina as soon as once more is dominant heart Armando Bacot, who seems nicely on his technique to successful ACC Participant of the Yr, as he at the moment leads the complete convention in each scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.2 rpg). Bacot had a legendary run final spring, recording a double-double in every of UNC’s six NCAA Event video games. The 6’11” senior and Richmond native has discovered one other gear this season, which is a scary sight for the Cavaliers, who merely had no reply for him final season – Bacot had a staggering 29 factors and 22 rebounds in UNC’s win over UVA in Chapel Hill. Kadin Shedrick and Francisco Caffaro must be bodily and good to keep away from stepping into foul bother, however the entire of UVA’s group protection must work collectively so as to maintain Bacot off the glass and out of the paint.
UNC’s backcourt duo of Caleb Love and RJ Davis are each averaging higher than 16 factors per sport and will definitely give Reece Beekman and Kihei Clark a lot to deal with on the offensive finish of the ground. Love may be streaky at occasions, however is at all times able to creating his personal shot, a necessary ability in opposition to a UVA protection that regularly forces opposing offenses to function late within the shot clock.
6’9″ wing Leaky Black is the group’s greatest defender. UNC had numerous success having Black guard Kihei Clark, who had two of his worst video games in opposition to the Tar Heels final season. Clark has been taking part in maybe the very best basketball of his profession to date this season and must proceed to take action whether or not he has Black or RJ Davis guarding him on protection.
Northwestern switch Pete Nance is UNC’s alternative for Brady Manek within the entrance court docket. Nance has been stable to date, averaging 10.9 factors and 6.1 rebounds per sport and pulling down three-pointers at only a excessive sufficient charge (34.0%) to stretch the ground. Nonetheless, Nance missed UNC’s final sport with a again harm and it is unclear if he’ll play at Virginia on Tuesday night time.
If Nance is out, that might imply extra minutes for former Virginia ahead Justin McKoy, however the Tar Heels have additionally skilled success operating lineups with 4 guards to go together with Bacot, as freshman level guard Seth Trimble and junior wing Puff Johnson have given the Heels stable contributions off the bench. It’s going to definitely be fascinating to see how Tony Bennett and the UVA teaching workers manages their very own lineups to counter North Carolina on this matchup.
Recreation Notes
- North Carolina is 133-60 in opposition to Virginia within the all-time sequence that dates again to the 1910-1911 season and UNC is available in with a two-game successful streak vs. UVA.
- Virginia had gained every of the earlier seven video games in opposition to North Carolina earlier than final season.
- UVA has a seven-game successful streak in opposition to UNC in video games performed in Charlottesville and the Cavaliers are 7-4 in opposition to the Tar Heels at John Paul Jones Area.
- Tony Bennett is 12-10 all-time as a head coach in opposition to North Carolina.
- Virginia, North Carolina, and Duke are tied for 4th place within the ACC standings, every with a 3-2 convention document.
Prediction
Tony Bennett has stated that each season is a race to enhance. North Carolina has improved considerably over the past a number of weeks since that four-game shedding streak, however the Tar Heels have but to totally rediscover the magic from their run to the nationwide title sport final season. Equally, the Cavaliers are nonetheless making an attempt to regain the momentum from their early-season success that earned them the No. 2 rating within the nation.
With each of those groups returning a lot of the identical personnel from final season, I anticipate Virginia to come back into this sport with a little bit of an additional edge because the Hoos try and avenge final 12 months’s losses to the Tar Heels. Extra importantly, UVA can lean on a definite residence court docket benefit. No ACC group has had a greater residence document in opposition to convention opponents over the past 11 seasons than Virginia (80-13) and UVA brings a seven-game residence successful streak in opposition to UNC into this matchup. In a showdown that’s more likely to come right down to the wire, the house court docket benefit will likely be a key issue that helps the Cavaliers pull out the shut victory.
Rating prediction: North Carolina 75, Virginia 77
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