Can UNC keep it going vs. Virginia?
by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina finally looked like North Carolina. The Tar Heels rolled over NC State Wednesday night, playing the type of basketball they’ve been known for: fast-paced, chasing loose balls, cutting to the basket, fighting for rebounds. That translated into a 97-73 win over their rival, improving them to 16-11 on the season and 9-6 in the ACC. Now the Heels will try to ride that momentum as they take on Virginia on Saturday in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers (13-13, 6-9) are coming off a lopsided loss to Duke but had won three in a row before that. Tip-off is set for 4:00 on WBT.
It’s a new era in Charlottesville, as longtime coach Tony Bennett retired before the season and former Charlotte 49ers coach Ron Sanchez took over. Virginia continues to play slow-down ball and have struggled to score most of the season. The Cavaliers are playing better recently, though, they’ve actually scored over 70 points in five straight games. They still rely a lot on the 3 – they knock down nearly 38% from behind the arc, that’s 25th in the nation. Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman graduated so Isaac McNeely now runs the offense, he leads the team with 13.7 points per game. McNeely teams with point guard Andrew Rohde, who’s adds 9.2 points a contest. Forward Blake Buchanan leads the team in rebounding.
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Virginia’s vaunted pack line defense hasn’t been as effective this season as in years past, as the Cavaliers rank 29th in the country in scoring defense after not finishing lower than 6th since 2011. Losing Beekman certainly hurt – he held UNC star guard RJ Davis to just one of 14 shooting in last season’s matchup. And the Tar Heels have had a lot more success scoring the basketball with Jae’lyn Withers and Ven-Allen Lubin in the starting lineup. Freshman Drake Powell has also stepped up recently along with fellow rookie Ian Jackson, who is a big factor in the UNC’s success – the Heels are 11-5 when Jackson scores in double figures.
UNC has won four of the last six match-ups against Virginia and is 26-6 against the Wahoos in the Dean Dome. The Tar Heels have superior talent and should be able to keep their modest win streak going. Go Tar Heels