Tar Heels Aim to End Prolonged Dry Spell
No. 10 North Carolina (20-6, 12-3) vs. Virginia (20-7, 11-5)
Location: Charlottesville, Va. — John Paul Jones Arena
Date: Saturday, February 24
Time: 4 p.m.
TV Broadcast: ESPN (Dave O’Brien, Cory Alexander)
Radio Broadcast: Tar Heel Sports Network (Jones Angell, Tyler Zeller)
Notable Quotes:
UNC coach Hubert Davis reflected on the Tar Heels’ struggles in Virginia: “Since my return as an assistant and head coach, we’ve never managed to secure a win in Virginia… Our focus is on playing our best and facing a formidable opponent like Virginia on their home court, especially this late in the conference season.”
UNC’s Armando Bacot discussed the challenge of facing Virginia’s contrasting style of play: “Their slower pace contrasts with our preference for a faster game. We need to maintain patience while sticking to our tempo and minimizing turnovers… We have to approach this game with the mindset of consistency rather than aiming for big plays.”
Pregame Notes:
UNC’s Last Road Trip: North Carolina embarks on its final regular-season road trip outside the state to face Virginia. The top four ACC teams, including Duke visiting Wake Forest, will clash on Saturday. UNC and Duke currently share the top spot in the ACC standings. The Tar Heels have struggled on Virginia’s court, losing eight consecutive away games against them and not securing a victory at John Paul Jones Arena since February 25, 2012.
UNC’s Recent Performance: The Tar Heels are coming off a 96-81 victory against Virginia Tech last weekend and have had an open date in their ACC schedule leading up to this game. Historically, ACC teams have struggled in games following open dates, but recent wins by other ACC teams suggest a trend reversal. UNC aims to continue this trend with a win against Virginia.
Upcoming Schedule: Following the game in Charlottesville, UNC will play three of its last four regular-season games at home. The Tar Heels will face Miami at home on Monday before hosting NC State and Notre Dame. The regular season concludes with a match against Duke in a highly anticipated rematch.
Cormac Ryan’s Contribution: Graduate transfer Cormac Ryan joined UNC to provide outside shooting prowess. Although he initially struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 31.7%, he has shown improvement in recent games, making 10-of-21 attempts from 3-point range in the last three games after a dry spell of seven games without a 3-pointer.
