UNC Basketball looks to end losing streak at Virginia

The UNC basketball program has had its fair share of struggles on the road at Virginia. Can this year’s group end the team’s current skid?

Charlottesville, Virginia has not been a friendly place for the UNC basketball program as of late.

You have to go back to 2012 for the last time the Tar Heels won a game at John Paul Jones Arena, as they’ve lost seven consecutive road contests in this rivalry since.

Coming off a convincing victory over Notre Dame, can the Tar Heels, who remain unranked in the AP Top 25 polls, take down the Cavaliers, who currently are viewed as the 13th-best team in the country?

It won’t be easy by any means, but it’s certainly not out of the question.

Key to Victory for North Carolina

When the Tar Heels take the floor on Tuesday night, they’ll be facing a very similar-looking Virginia team from a season ago.

Let’s not forget: North Carolina handled the Cavaliers in both matchups last year, but should not use that as an excuse to take them lightly.

It may be essentially the same group of personnel, but this group has gotten better. Guard Kihei Clark is back and playing some great basketball, but we all remember how Leaky Black’s lockdown defense caused Clark to struggle mightily over their two matchups.

The way North Carolina won last year’s matchups focused on three key points: Armando Bacot dominates, the Tar Heels out-rebound the Cavaliers, and Black slowing down Clark offensively.

Bacot must be his typical physical presence down low, as Virginia will look to have all hands on deck in an effort to out-rebound the Tar Heels’ dominant post force. If he can control the paint, it will only open up more opportunities for other Tar Heels to do damage, which will be key in a game that has the makings of going down to the wire.

Something to Watch

Hubert Davis stated on Monday that Pete Nance will be a game-time decision, as he’s believed to be making progress off his recent lower back injury.

If Nance is ready to go, he’ll be expected to retain his starting spot. If he doesn’t, how does Davis fill the void?

Does he elect to start Seth Trimble once again, potentially even giving him the assignment of Clark early on, or will Davis give someone like Puff Johnson, who is coming off a very strong performance, the nod?

Last Meeting

The last meeting between these two teams came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 ACC Tournament, as the UNC basketball program took home a 20-point victory. The No. 3-seeded Tar Heels were led by Brady Manek, who scored a game-high 21 points.

Projected Starters

No. 4 R.J. Davis (Jr., 6-0, 175) – 16.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 16.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Gr., 6-9 205) – 7.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
No. 32 Pete Nance (Gr. 6-11, 230) – 10.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Sr., 6-11, 235) – 18.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg

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