No. 14 Virginia men’s basketball has crossed a critical threshold. Many of the Cavaliers’ (16-2, 5-1 ACC) marquee ACC matchups come on the road, a fact that all avid followers of Virginia basketball were acutely aware of entering the season considering how difficult it can be to win in raucous road environments.
Now, many of those road challenges are behind the Cavaliers, but they have little time to breathe — a date with No. 22 North Carolina Saturday awaits them. The noon game, which is already sold out, figures to bring the most raucous crowd John Paul Jones Arena has seen since the heyday of the Tony Bennett era.
So far, the road skew has presented little challenge for Virginia. After a gut wrenching triple overtime loss to Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers rebounded with a 15-point win over NC State, a nine-point win over a ranked Louisville squad and a tight victory over SMU, which was previously undefeated at home. Those three Quad 1 wins will no doubt boost Virginia’s resume in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
“I think everybody loves to play on the road,” Coach Ryan Odom said. “There’s something about going on the road and coming out victorious that makes it special. It builds toughness, it gives you confidence going forward that you can win in different environments.”
Virginia was rewarded with a bump in the AP Poll for its efforts, moving up two spots to No. 14. It escaped a brutal quartet of road games with just one loss — now, the Cavaliers’ most challenging road game of the season, coming against No. 5 Duke at the end of February, is the only major challenge remaining on the road. There is much to celebrate as the Cavaliers return to Charlottesville.
With challenges still ahead of them, though, Virginia remains wary. There is little time to appreciate what the Cavaliers have done so far because the South’s Oldest Rivalry awaits them Saturday.
In many ways, the game could not be better-timed. The Tar Heels (15-4, 3-3 ACC) are skidding down the rankings, falling from No. 14 all the way to No. 22 after dropping games to Stanford and California, both played on the West Coast. Virginia, riding a wave of quality wins, slid right into North Carolina’s place.
The Cavaliers are statistical darlings for the first time in decades, perhaps, thanks to a dynamic offense and a stifling defense under Odom. Ranked as No. 7 in the country by Torvik and No. 13 by NET and KenPom — three critical statistical rankings broadly indicative of NCAA Tournament seeding — Virginia is finally playing a brand of basketball that pundits and analysts alike can appreciate.
The Cavalier style of play is characterized by aggressive three-point shooting, strong rebounding on both ends and dynamic guard play, and the talking heads are loving it. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi predicts that Virginia will earn a No. 4 seed in March Madness — other prediction outlets agree.
Standing in stark contrast is North Carolina. The Tar Heels, led by star freshman forward Caleb Wilson, have fallen out of favor with the statistical models thanks to their recent road woes.
Much of the reason for their struggles stems from defensive lapses — Torvik has North Carolina ranked at No. 55 in adjusted defensive efficiency over the course of the season, but the Tar Heels rank all the way down at No. 244 since Jan. 1. Before a rebound victory over Notre Dame Wednesday, North Carolina allowed at least 84 points in each of its last four games, including a 97-point drubbing at the hands of SMU.
These struggles have come despite the overwhelming talent present on the Tar Heel roster. North Carolina fielded a four-person high school recruiting class featuring Wilson and three four-star recruits.
Seven-foot junior center Henri Veesaar completes a dangerous duo with Wilson — the two lead the team in scoring with 17.1 and 19.8 points per game, respectively. Freshman guard Luka Bogavac — one of those four-star recruits — came to the Tar Heels this season with two seasons of professional basketball experience in Montenegro under his belt, but senior guard Seth Trimble has provided more reliable production thus far. All four are capable of carrying the load on offense.
“They provide a stiff challenge,” Odom said. “Wilson’s tremendous, one of the best freshmen in the country … In space, he’s really tough to deal with. He can make hard shots.”
Despite their recent losses, North Carolina remains highly dangerous. It will require another excellent defensive effort from Virginia to stifle the many sources of production available to Coach Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels. Odom is particularly concerned about the formidable transition offense run by Davis, a longtime staple of the North Carolina program.
“[North Carolina has] always had one of the best transition offenses in the history of college basketball,” Odom said. “We’ve gotta make sure that we’re doing a great job of getting our defense set on every possession and trying to force as many hard shots as we can.”
Another potential deciding factor in the game will be rebounding, an area of strength on both sides. Virginia leads the ACC in rebounds per game, but North Carolina ranks third in the conference — the Tar Heels possess the size and physicality to dominate the boards if the Cavaliers fail to clear the paint consistently.
Despite the pedigree, drama and heightened stakes, Odom echoed a sense of confidence entering the marquee matchup that recent Virginia basketball teams have lacked. Perhaps, despite the presence of the national spotlight for the first time in a few years, the lights will not be too bright for the Cavaliers.
“This is just the next game on our schedule, and there certainly will be a lot of eyes on this one,” Odom said. “This group has been really good at focusing on the task at hand and what’s right in front of them.”
Read More
Top six Virginia sports events to look forward to this semester
By Lauren Halak | YesterdayWhether at JPJ, the AFC, Scott Stadium or Palmer Park, Virginia’s home slate for the spring gives Cavalier fans plenty to look forward to.
Five moments that defined Virginia sports in 2025
By Mariam Tafwed | 2 days agoThrough historic upsets, clinched titles and national headlines, the Cavaliers delivered one of the most thrilling years to be a Virginia fan yet.
