The UNC basketball program's double-digit victory over NC State was fun, but now the focus turns to Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
Make no mistake: every game remaining on the schedule is essentially a "must-win" for the Tar Heels as they hope to keep their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
While the Cavaliers are in the midst of a mediocre season of their own, they would love nothing more than to roll into Chapel Hill and leave with a victory.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 16-11
Conference Record: 9-6
Home Record: 10-2
Away Record: 4-6
Neutral Site Record: 2-3
Virginia Cavaliers
Overall record: 13-13
Conference Record: 6-9
Home Record: 9-6
Away Record: 3-5
Neutral Site Record: 1-2
Key Players
North Carolina
RJ Davis (Gr. Guard) – 17.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Ian Jackson (Fr. Guard) – 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Seth Trimble (Jr. Guard) – 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Virginia
Isaac McKneely (Jr. Guard) - 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Elijah Saunders (Jr. Forward) - 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists
Andrew Rohde (Jr. Guard) - 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
This isn't your typical Virginia team that we've grown accustomed to. A lot of that has to do with the sudden departure of head coach Tony Bennett just weeks before the start of the 2024-2025 season.
For North Carolina it's simple: keep applying pressure on the defensive side of the floor. When the Tar Heels force stops (or better yet, turnovers), it opens up ample opportunities in transition, an area in which this group can certainly thrive in.
The same keys are going to be very important for this group for the remainder of the season: create space to let the guards drive to the basket, get out in transition and lock in defensively.
If North Carolina can do those things, they should find a lot of success over the final stretch of the regular season.
Something to Watch for
We saw another change in the starting lineup this week as Drake Powell was inserted back into the first five unit.
With the way he's been playing as of late, Jae'Lyn Withers will likely stay at the "stretch four" spot for the forseeable future. The lineup that Hubert Davis elected to use against the Wolfpack was the closest we've seen to a "traditional" lineup, even though the backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis is a tad undersized.
Will there be more changes for Saturday's game? Is this something that Davis will adjust based on the matchups?
Regardless, the starting unit we most recently seen worked well. Maybe they should stick with that group for now.
Projected Starters
No. 3 Elliot Cadeau (So. 6’1)
No. 4 RJ Davis (Gr. 6’0)
No. 9 Drake Powell (Fr. 6'6)
No. 22 Ven-Allen Lubin (Jr. 6’8)
No. 24 Jae'Lyn Withers (Gr. 6'9)