UNC vs. Virginia - Player of the Game: Joel Berry

There were not many choices for UNC’s player of the game against Virginia. In fact, there’s probably only two. With that being the case, it’s probably okay to pick the guy who scored 35% of the Tar Heels’ points.

As UNC’s offense tanked against the Cavaliers, Joel Berry managed to hang near the top of the sinking ship for the longest.

Berry led the Tar Heels with 17 points, also accumulating eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He shot just 7-17 from the field, which accounted for nearly half of the Tar Heels’ made field goals. If you take out his shots, UNC’s already bad 29.6% field goal percentage drops to 24.3%. He did turn the ball over twice, but he was hardly the biggest offender on that front.

The only other possible candidate for this would be Kenny Williams. The junior scored 11 points on 4-9 shooting, going 3-6 from three. He scored six of Carolina’s first eight points way back when it looked like the game was going to be close. Williams also finished with four rebounds and three assists. He was also one of just two people, the other being Brandon Robinson, who played more than a minute and didn’t turn the ball over.

No one played particularly well for North Carolina against Virginia. Considering that and the almighty struggles they had on offense, it’s alright to just go with the guy who had nearly a third of the Tar Heels’ points.