Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
When: Saturday, February 7th, 4:00 PM
TV: Raycom Regional
Livestats: SCACC Hoops
Liveblogging: No
Records: UNC 20-2, 6-2 ACC; UVa 7-11, 1-6 ACC
Previous Result: UNC 83 UVa 61
So UNC plays UVa twice before they see Duke once? I hate the unbalanced schedule.
By definition this is a trap game. UNC could get caught looking ahead to Duke but it would take a lot of looking ahead for the Heels to drop a game to a team as bad as UVa. Virginia has lost six straight coming into this game. Sylven Landesberg continues to be the whole answer for the Cavs on offense and having already seen this team once with this one at home, I expect a dominating performance from the Heels.
UNC has had three full days to absorb the lessons from the Maryland game. I imagine Roy spent quite a bit of time focusing on the defensive problems from Tuesday night. There is also the news concerning Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves no longer being options on the floor. Granted this has already been factored into the way the Heels have been playing so on one level it does not lead to much change in the way the team plays together outside more minutes for certain players. The adjustment for the team is mental. Yes they have been playing without Ginayrd and in two games without Graves but there was also hope, especially where Ginayrd was concerned that he would return thus solving some of the defensive woes. Now that has been laid to rest meaning the Tar Heel players, more specifically Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Bobby Frasor must raise their games on the defensive end. The question is whether we see any of that against Virginia. Eight games out from the end of the regular season is just as good a time as any to starting ramping up your play.
UNC 110 UVa 60