Three takeaways from North Carolina’s ACC basketball victory over Virginia
Don’t look now, but North Carolina is making a move.
After an 81-66 victory over Virginia on Saturday at the Smith Center, the Tar Heels have won three straight games and four of their last five.
UNC has notched its 10th ACC win. The Heels, No. 45 in the NET rankings before Saturday, should continue to bump their way up the scale used by the NCAA selection committee to set its tournament field next month.
“The sky’s the limit for us,” UNC center Ven-Allen Lubin said. “We just want to continue to stack wins and get a run going. Not let down. Keep our foot on the gas.”
Understandably, UNC won’t get much of a bump after Saturday. The Cavaliers (13-14 overall, 6-10 ACC) came to Chapel Hill sitting No. 103 in the NET despite winning three of their last four games.
Three days after blitzing N.C. State on a snowy night, streaking to a 28-point halftime lead, the Tar Heels (17-11, 10-6) bolted to a 21-2 lead over the Cavaliers with a 15-0 run in the opening half.
The Heels’ early dominance was so complete that the Cavaliers did not have a rebound — a rebound — in the first 7 ½ minutes of the game. Virginia coach Ron Sanchez used a timeout to try and slow down the onslaught, only to have Isaac McKneely, the Cavs’ leading scorer, put up an air ball off a set play. So it went for Virginia early.
The Cavaliers, led by McKneely, did their best to claw back in the game. McKneely, a junior guard and one of the ACC’s purest shooters, had 13 first-half points, and Virginia pulled within seven points before the Heels took a 46-34 halftime lead.
Virginia remained patient in the second half, running its offense and taking good shots for the most part. But the Heels responded when they needed to, with a Drake Powell 3-pointer, an R.J. Davis drive, a dunk by Lubin or a Seth Trimble layup — whatever was needed — to maintain a lead that always seemed comfortable enough.
Jae’Lyn Withers had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Heels. Ian Jackson scored 16 points and Lubin 14 in a balanced UNC offense. McKneely had 17 points for Virginia.
UNC, since the blowout loss to Clemson, has not trailed at any point in their three wins — a first for UNC since the 2018-19 season.
“Our practices from that point on have been different,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “They’ve been feisty, extremely competitive, short-tempered. The competitive fight has been there.”
Three takeaways from the game:
Withers continues to get it done
The Jae’Lyn Withers resurgence continues. Again in the Heels’ starting lineup, the 6-9 forward again had a big impact, finishing the first half with 11 points and five rebounds in notching his double-double.
Withers took a trio of 3-point shots in the opening half and drained them all. He’s feeling it. After going 5 of 8 from 3-point range in the wins over Syracuse and N.C. State, Withers isn’t hesitating when he’s open.
In the first half, Withers made a 3 in front of the Virginia bench and then picked up a technical foul after directing a few words at the bench. There were some groans from the crowd, but Withers later earned one of the biggest cheers, draining a second-half 3 from the left corner while getting fouled..
Withers also is a worker on defense. On one first-half play, Virginia’s Taine Murray tried to back Withers in under the basket for a shot. Withers would have none of it, swatting away the ball away.
In the second half, Withers grabbed a loose ball under the basket and scored, breaking in a quick flex. Given the way he has played recently, it seemed appropriate.
“He’s got a fire inside him to always want to compete,” Davis said. “He’s playing his best basketball since he’s been here.”
Beaten on the boards
It’s hard to win games when every rebound becomes a struggle. So it went for Virginia most of Saturday’s game.
The Cavaliers are a scrappy, fundamentally sound team — a trait that remains entrenched in the UVA program despite the abrupt resignation of Tony Bennett as coach before the season.. But they were hurt Saturday on the boards.
The Heels had a 17-8 rebounding edge in the first half and an 11-0 advantage in second-chance points. By game’s end, it was a 35-21 rebounding lead and 17-2 edge in second-chance points.
UNC’s Davis, like most coaches, continually stresses rebounding — every day, every practice, every game. He liked what he saw Saturday, especially Withers with a team-best four offensive boards.
“Getting to the offensive glass has been a huge change for us,” Davis said.
Powell continues to improve
Drake Powell continues to get better and better for the Tar Heels, another reason for UNC’s improved play of late.
The 6-6 freshman from Pittsboro is a smooth operator on the court. He has quickness. He can shoot. He plays with a degree of fearlessness.
“He checks so many boxes,” Davis said. “The combination of Drake and (Withers) gives us a big, athletic lineup.”
Powell can hound players defensively, using his wingspan to make passing uncomfortable for opponents. The Heels had him matched against McKneely at times Saturday, and he accepted the challenge.
Earlier this season, Powell blocked a shot with both hands, an impressive display of hops, timing and anticipation, later saying he was emulating a play he saw made by Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM.
