Historic blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures could not deter UVA fans last Saturday as they faced off against their oldest Southern rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. John Paul Jones Arena was exploding with screams from seats filled to the rafters, with Hoos ready to watch a tough matchup with the 22nd-ranked team in the country. As the game began, our first half looked phenomenal.
Throughout the first half, UNC’s easy shots were few and far between. Despite their screens and motion, the Hoos were playing close coverage, picking up open players, and keeping the ball beyond the arc. UNC shot 11 for 31, a whopping 36% from the field. Virginia was able to scoop up 15 defensive rebounds compared to UNC’s six offensive rebounds. The Cavaliers played strong defense and attacked the glass on missed shots, keeping the ball in their possession.
In comparison, the Hoos were able to find great looks on offense. The Cavaliers were able to shoot 16 successful baskets on 35 attempts, 46% from the field! We had great runs, scoring nine points at a time at one point, and just as we were attacking the rim on defense, so were we on offense. The Cavaliers recovered well on bad shots, picking up multiple second chance shots, sometimes even third or fourth chance opportunities. We were able to build up to a resounding 16 point lead with two minutes left in the half.
Then, UNC went on a run.
A couple tough misses from Virginia met with some sharp shooting from the Tar Heels, cut the lead to nine going into halftime, and it didn’t get much better coming out. The hearty first half defense faltered just enough to let the Tar Heels find some rhythm. Quick passes to the paint led to easier shots and the Heels were simply hitting their stride outside the paint. The Tar Heels ended up shooting 19-for-30 overall in the second half, including 13 from inside the paint. The 63% success rate was almost double the success rate they had in the first half.
On the counter side, the Cavaliers were struggling to find their rhythm in offense. UNC was playing great coverage, forcing bad shots. The Cavaliers only shot 13 for 29 from the field in the second, with 12 of the attempts coming from three and only two of the attempts being successful. Seven turnovers in the second half led to quick scores for the Tar Heels. Unfortunately, this hard-fought battle ended in a 80-85 loss to our rivals to the south.
However, while it was a tough defeat, there was plenty to admire about this game, especially in the first half. The Cavaliers demonstrated great ability to cinch down on high mobility defense and force contested shots from mid-to-long range. Throughout the whole game, they were finding good shots from the paint, the fault in the second was mainly on the poor percentage from three. Of course, as always, they also showed great teamwork and ball mobility, with Mallory, Thomas, Lewis, and De Ridder all scoring above 10 points, led by De Ridder’s dropping 20 points. We built a good lead, while UNC simply hit a marksman run in the second.
A tough loss against a ranked team like UNC is not the end of the world, especially given our win over Louisville on the 13th. The Cavaliers are still showing great offensive and defensive work, and with the potential to maintain their best capacity in all forty minutes might bring us to break into the top 10. The Hoos’ next bout is against Notre Dame, where they look to pick up a solid win over a .500 opponent. Go Hoos!
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