UNC vs Virginia Preview

The Tar Heels enter Tuesday night's tilt against Virginia with a two-game winning streak on the line.

James Guillory/USA Today Sports

After improving to 8-0 at home with wins over Wake Forest and Notre Dame, North Carolina hits the road once again for a matchup with the Virginia Cavaliers. 

At 3-2 in ACC play, the Tar Heels are presented with an opportunity to make a jump in the standings and earn their second Quad One win of the season.

In their way is Virginia, the No. 13 ranked team in college basketball, led by head coach Tony Bennett. 

They have yet to win in Charlottesville since 2012, losing seven consecutive matchups.

The Cavaliers sit at 11-3 overall and tied with North Carolina for fourth in the conference.

Offensively, Virginia is one of the most balanced attacks in the country with all five starters averaging between 11.4 and 9.4 points per game. 

Fifth-year guard Kihei Clark leads the way with 11.4 points, while fellow backcourt mate Armaan Franklin and forward Jayden Gardner each record 11.3 points per contest

Juniors Reece Beekman (9.8 points) and Kadin Shedrick (9.4 points) round out the starting five.

Clark, who serves as the best playmaker on the roster, paces the conference with 6.3 assists per game. 

The Cavaliers rank first in the league with 16.3 assists per game, in addition to leading the league in scoring defense (59.57 points). They are also effective from beyond the arc, shooting 38 percent from three-point range, good for second in the conference.

Visiting John Paul Jones Arena is a North Carolina team riding a two-game winning streak.

As Preseason ACC Player of the Year Armando Bacot continues to lead the conference in both scoring (18.8 points) and rebounding (11.2 rebounds), the Tar Heels have turned in back-to-back impressive performances, including a boost from their bench.

North Carolina has received a double digit scorer off of the bench in consecutive games, including 23 total points from reserves in their 81-64 win over Notre Dame.

With forward Pete Nance questionable after leaving last Tuesday's win over Wake Forest due to injury, the trio of Leaky Black, Puff Johnson, and Seth Trimble have stepped up to the plate in the scoring column, combining for 47 points over the last two games.

Aiding their efforts has been guard R.J. Davis, who has improved his shooting efficiency and his safety with the basketball. Davis has shot 47 percent over the last four contests with just five turnovers in that span.

As he and the Tar Heels look to pull off an upset on the road, they hold an advantage on the glass over Virginia, pulling down over seven more rebounds per game than the Cavaliers.

The key to victory however, will be the ability to take care of the basketball and play inside-out through Armando Bacot. With a slow-paced game on the horizon, there will be limited opportunities to make up for mistakes or dig themselves out of a hole.

Can North Carolina continue their impressive play against a tough Virginia squad?