Snowy conditions projected for the East Coast has forced a slight change to the UNC basketball program's scheduled contest against No. 14-ranked Virginia.
Instead of a 2:00 PM EST tip-off, the game has been moved up two hours to a noon start, as the snow isn't expected to hit the Virginia area until later in the afternoon. With that in mind, the goal is to get the game in and allow the Tar Heels time to return home safely, hopefully carrying a win back to Chapel Hill in the process.
The Cavaliers have had a quick turnaround in Ryan Odom's first season at the helm, as the program has risen to a top-25 ranking. They have been red-hot in ACC play, rolling off consecutive victories against NC State (in Raleigh), Cal, and Stanford, while winning back-to-back games on the road against Louisville and SMU.
We know the Tar Heels have struggled a bit in conference play, but a win over the Cavaliers would be a gigantic step in the right direction for Hubert Davis' squad.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 15-4
Conference Record: 3-3
Home Record: 12-0
Away Record: 1-3
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Top-25 Wins: 2
Virginia Cavaliers
Overall record: 16-2
Conference Record: 5-1
Home Record: 10-0
Away Record: 4-1
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 19.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Seth Trimble (Sr. Guard)- 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists
Virginia
Thijs De Ridder (Fr. Forward)- 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Malik Thomas (Sr. Guard)- 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Chance Mallory (Fr. Guard)- 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Status Quo
If North Carolina wants any shot of pulling off the upset, they need to do two things:
Defend the three-point line and make their attempts at the free-throw line.
Virginia has no problem connecting from three-point land. They currently knock down 37.1% of their attempts from beyond-the-arc, and multiple players in their regular rotation knock down at least 36% of their attempts.
If North Carolina's issues of defending the perimeter continue, the Tar Heels will be in for a long afternoon in Charlottesville.
In the event of a close game, the Tar Heels need to capitalize at the free throw line. One of the nation's worst free throw shooting teams, UNC needs to figure out a way to improve in this area, one that will be a major weakness down the stretch leading into postseason action.
They are called "free throws" for a reason. We have the guys who can get to the line, now we need guys who can capitalize when they head to the charity strike.
Something to Watch For
UNC has used four different starting lineups over the last five games.
Jaydon Young made his first start as a Tar Heel in the win over Notre Dame, a move Hubert Davis claimed was made due to that respective unit's success in the second half of the loss to Cal.
With Virginia featuring a ton of size and shooting ability, how will Davis deploy the starting unit in this one? Will Young get another crack with the starters or will Davis revert to Jarin Stevenson to help provide some size?
At this point, who knows. Whoever starts the game, we all just hope its the right recipe for success for that given game.
Projected Starters
No. 3- Derek Dixon
No. 7- Seth Trimble
No. 15 Jarin Stevenson
No. 8- Caleb Wilson
No. 13- Henri Veesaar