UNC Basketball vs. UVA: Game preview, info, prediction and more
By Zack Pearson
The UNC Basketball program heads on the road to Charlottesville to take on No. 5 Virginia in Atlantic Coast Conference showdown
The North Carolina Tar Heels return to action on Sunday afternoon and the test doesn’t get much easier for them.
Following their embarrassing home loss to Ohio State on Wednesday night, UNC now has two losses on the season and is in the middle of a tough stretch. Now they have to go on the road to take on a Virginia team that was beaten on the road at Purdue.
This one won’t be easy folks.
The biggest problem for UNC so far this season has been their inability to score points outside of freshman sensation Cole Anthony. They managed just 48 against Ohio State and had to play without Armando Bacot for most of the game. UNC just couldn’t find a way to score and it got out of hand in the second half.
Now they go on the road to take on Virginia who is another good defensive team and UNC has had their struggles in Charlottesville over the years.
The Tar Heels will be short-handed for this one as Bacot will very likely miss the game according to head coach Roy Williams. That means UNC will enter with a lack of depth in the post and might have to go with their small lineup more than Williams would like. That caused some problems against a very big Ohio State team on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have some height in the post but it really shouldn’t be that big of a mismatch for UNC.
Still, the biggest question going into this game for the Tar Heels will be where does the scoring come from? Going up against a team that likes to slow the pace down and control the game might not be what this team needs. Especially after UNC shot just 27 percent from the field in the loss to Ohio State.
Buckle up folks, it could be another long game.
Key to Victory for UNC
Defense. Virginia is one of the top defensive teams in all of college basketball and we know what style Tony Bennett likes to play in Charlottesville. So I’m going with UNC’s defense on this one.
Even if UNC does struggle to score, they should still be able to hang with the Cavaliers. On the defensive end of the floor they really need to tighten up and limit the Cavaliers. Dominate the boards and don’t allow many second chances while contesting all shots.
Playing good defense should keep UNC in this one. But can they do that?
Player to Watch
Christian Keeling. The graduate transfer out of Charleston Southern has really struggled to start the season. He’s averaging just 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season while shooting 31.6 percent from the field.
Keeling hasn’t unlocked his full potential with the Tar Heels just yet and there is no better game than Sunday to do so. Knocking down some shots and seeing the ball go through the net should help his confidence. Once he breaks out of this stretch, he should be a valuable player to this Tar Heels lineup.
They need that to happen sooner, rather than later.
What you need to know
What? No. 7 North Carolina 6-2 (1-0 in ACC) AT No. 5 Virginia 7-1 (1-0 in ACC)
When? Sunday, December 8, 4:00 p.m. ET
Where? John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
TV? ACC Network
Radio? Tar Heels Sports Network
All-time series? UNC leads 103-38
Last meeting? Virginia beat UNC 69-61on Feb. 11 in the Dean Dome
Prediction? UNC 56, Virginia 54