After getting blown out in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, North Carolina and Virginia will look to bounce back in a very early edition of one of the conference’s hottest rivalries.
The Big Ten-ACC Challenge offers opportunities for schools in two of the nation’s best conferences to make an early-season statement. Unfortunately for North Carolina and Virginia, the statement was made at their expense as the ACC powerhouses were blown out by Ohio State and Purdue respectively.
Wednesday’s game in Chapel Hill was only a two-point contest at the half, but Ohio State clamped down on the Tar Heels in the second half, outscoring North Carolina 45-22 to turn a potentially close game into a blowout. The Tar Heels had no answer for Ohio State’s defense, knocking down only 17 of their 62 field goal attempts for a pathetic 27.4 field goal percentage.
Things didn’t go much better for the Cavaliers, who were walloped by the Purdue Boilermakers 69-40 in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight matchup, which Virginia won in controversial fashion. The only consolation for Virginia was that their loss was at Purdue, meaning their defeat was slightly less embarrassing than North Carolina’s.
The difference between the two efforts was that North Carolina underachieved on offense while Virginia wasn’t that far off from their usual output. The Cavaliers have the nation’s most dominant defense, allowing a ridiculous 43.9 points per game, but they score just 53.3 a night, which is one of the worst offensive units in America.
The Pack Line defense could have a significant impact on this contest since this is the first time that North Carolina’s very green lineup has ever seen it. While Cole Anthony and the Tar Heels can put up points on pretty much anyone, the Pack Line defense is a new look since it makes it extremely difficult for the opposition to score in the paint.
This matchup also features two of the country’s best coaches in Roy Williams and Tony Bennett, who each have national championships on their resume. Since Bennett arrived at Virginia in 2009 the Cavaliers have had an edge on the Tar Heels, winning nine out of 16 meetings, including the last four dating back to 2017. This is the first of two meetings between the ACC powerhouses, with the return trip to Chapel Hill coming in February.
How to watch North Carolina at Virginia
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 8
- Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Venue: John Paul Jones Arena
- TV: ACC Network
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: -4.5 UVA (The Action Network)
- Prediction: Virginia
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