Virginia will look for its fifth straight win over UNC when the Cavaliers travel to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Virginia (14-7, 5-4 ACC) has won six of the last seven against North Carolina (12-10, 3-6), including a 79-72 win at home Jan. 11. The Cavaliers have won at UNC two of the last three years.
The team's first meeting this season saw Virginia take a 48-30 halftime lead and withstand two second-half Heel rallies behind six three-pointers from junior guard Todd Billet. Three other Cavaliers scored in double figures as Virginia shot 49 percent from the floor.
The Cavaliers are coming off a 61-58 win over N.C. State Sunday. Virginia senior forward Travis Watson eclipsed 1000 career rebounds in the game, registering his eleventh double-double of the year with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Last Thursday, Virginia got its first ACC road win, knocking off then-No. 8 Maryland 86-78. No other ACC team has won a conference game at one of the top six teams' home venues.
Against Maryland, Virginia used a balanced scoring attack, as seven players scored at least seven points.
"Virginia is a heck of a basketball team," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "They're deep and they have one of the country's premier basketball players in Travis Watson. He's just sensational."
In the last four games, Virginia has had seven different players score in double figures, which is a big advantage according to sophomore forward Elton Brown.
"Any guy on this team can start," Brown said. "Everybody on this team can play defense, everyone on this team can score. There's really no starting five -- there's a starting ten."
The key to Virginia's last two wins has been a much-improved defense. The Cavaliers did not allow the Wolfpack to score in the final 2:56 of Sunday's game. Against the Terps, Virginia did not allow a field goal from the nine minute mark until a last-second layup, securing an upset win and ending a nine-game ACC road losing streak.
The win against Maryland "has definitely given us some confidence," Virginia freshman forward Derrick Byars said. "We weren't trying to let the Maryland win get to us. We just tried to stay focused on playing well and we got a win [against N.C. State]. We'll focus in on UNC now. We're back on track to getting where we want to be."
The Tar Heels snapped a five-game skid with a 61-60 win over visiting Florida State Saturday. Freshman guard David Noel hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds left as the Heels overcame a 57-53 deficit with 4:53 left to win. Sophomore forward Jawad Williams led UNC with 20 points, his fourth straight game with at least 19. Williams scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the team's first meeting with the Cavaliers.
Florida State held freshman Rashad McCants scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career, as he sat out the final 9:39 with a sore back. McCants had 16 against Virginia in January and had been averaging 18 points per game.
The last time Virginia won five straight over UNC was 1920, so the Cavaliers will have their hands full tonight.
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