Gameday Preview: North Carolina Hosts Virginia – Sat Feb 22nd 2025

The North Carolina Tar Heels (16-11, 9-6) host the lowly Virginia Cavaliers (13-13, 6-9 ACC) in the Dean Smith Center Saturday afternoon. Both teams come into Saturday’s matchup in winning form, both winning 3 of their last 4 matchups.

The Tar Heels completely drummed the North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-16, 3-12 ACC) Wednesday evening, 97-73. In a game that took place in the middle of a blizzard that offered free admission to anyone who could walk to the game, the Wolfpack seemed like they stayed in Raleigh. The Heels led wire to wire and had an almost 30 point lead at the half, 54-26. RJ Davis led the Heels with 21 points. Seth Trimble added 15 points off the bench, and electric freshman Ian Jackson added 12, all on 3 pointers. Jaden Taylor led the Wolfpack with 19 while former Tar Heel Dontrez Styles added 18. The Wolfpack look like they will be going first to worst as they will most likely miss the ACC tournament after a Final Four appearance last season.

The Virginia Cavaliers come into Chapel Hill on the heels of a blowout loss to the Duke Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1 ACC). Andrew Rohde and Dai Dai Ames led the Cavs with 15 points. 3-point specialist Isaac McKneely went 4-7 from the arc and finished with 14 points. All of this effort was not enough to stop the freshman duo of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel who scored 17 points a piece for the Blue Devils, as well as freshman Isiah Evans who came off the bench and added 17 of his own.

Key Points

North Carolina

• Play like your season depends on it. The Heels are still in the tournament hunt sitting in Joe Lunardi’s first four out group behind Oklahoma, SMU and Georgia. Every game for the rest of the season is a must win for the Tar Heels and they cannot slip up against any opponent.
• Get out to another hot start and keep the crowd entertained. UVA showed they are susceptible to runs against Duke. The Heels need to end this game as soon as possible, and a hot start will go a long way in doing that. 
• Can Ian Jackson find the magic again? Making 4 three pointers in a game is a great game for most, but Jackson has shown his ability to reach another level during his streak of 20 point performances. It has been a while since Jackson has reached this milestone, look for him to get hot against the Hoo’s.

UVA

• The Cavs must control the tempo. The Heels are built on getting out in transition and scoring quickly. If the Cavs allow the Tar Heels to play fast, they will literally be run out of the gym. 
• Get hot from three. Isaac McKneely has shown his ability to make the three pointer. If he can make 4+, and the Hoos make over 7, they can make this game close. 
• Rely on their recent form. Despite the loss to Duke, the Cavaliers have won 5 of their last 8 games including winning at rival Virginia Tech for the first time in 5 years. The Wahoos have the ability to play good basketball, they just need to execute.