Tar Heels Seek to End Prolonged Dry Spell

“Since my return as an assistant and later as head coach, we’ve never secured a victory in Virginia. I’m aware of that, and I believe they are too. However, our motivation is to perform at our best. Our drive is to keep improving and relish the opportunity to compete against a formidable program like Virginia on their home court, especially this late in the conference season when so much is at stake. That’s the exciting part.” — UNC coach Hubert Davis discussing the Tar Heels’ eight-game losing streak on the road against Virginia and their pursuit of the ACC regular-season title.

“It’s a different style of play because they tend to play at a slower pace, whereas we prefer a faster tempo. When two contrasting styles clash, adjustments need to be made. Our approach for this game is to exercise patience while ensuring we maintain our pace and minimize turnovers. It’s challenging to mount a comeback against them once you’re trailing, so we need to adopt a mindset of focusing on smaller gains rather than attempting grandiose plays.” — UNC forward Armando Bacot assessing the strategic differences between the Tar Heels and Virginia.

Pregame Overview:

UNC embarks on their final road trip of the regular season as they face off against Virginia. The top four teams in the ACC standings clash on Saturday, with Duke visiting fourth-place Wake Forest and Carolina squaring off against third-place Virginia. Both UNC and Duke boast identical records of 12-3 in the league, with the Tar Heels holding the tiebreaker after defeating the Blue Devils 93-84 three weeks ago. UNC has faced eight consecutive road losses against UVa and hasn’t emerged victorious at John Paul Jones Arena since February 25, 2012. While Carolina boasts a 6-2 record in road games this season, the Cavaliers have an impressive 14-1 record at home.

UNC enters this match fresh off a 96-81 victory against Virginia Tech last weekend and will approach Saturday’s game following an open date on their ACC schedule. Historically, ACC teams have struggled in games following their built-in breaks, with only one victory recorded since the start of league play. However, recent wins by Pittsburgh at Virginia, NC State at Clemson, and Notre Dame at Louisville indicate a potential shift in this trend. UNC aims to extend this streak to four victories by defeating Virginia on Saturday.

Following their trip to Charlottesville, UNC will play three of their final four regular-season games at home. The Tar Heels face a quick turnaround with a matchup against Miami at the Smith Center on Monday night. This game marks the second meeting between UNC and Miami in a span of 17 days. Subsequently, UNC will host NC State and Notre Dame before concluding the regular season with a rematch against Duke on March 9.

Cormac Ryan Finding His Shooting Form:

Graduate transfer guard Cormac Ryan joined UNC this season