Tar Heels Storm Back to Stun No. 14 Virginia in Charlottesville
For 20 minutes, No. 14 Virginia looked every bit the ACC heavyweight it’s been all season.
The Cavaliers built a 16-point lead late in the first half, controlled the glass, and had the sold-out John Paul Jones Arena rocking. But in the second half, North Carolina flipped the script - and then some.
The 22nd-ranked Tar Heels erased that double-digit deficit and closed with a flurry, pulling off an 85-80 comeback win that snapped Virginia’s five-game win streak and marked UNC’s first conference road win of the season. It also happened to be Carolina’s biggest comeback victory in over a decade.
Virginia (16-3, 5-2 ACC) still held a 74-72 lead with 3:51 left after Thijs De Ridder split a pair at the line. But the Cavaliers hit a cold spell at the worst possible time, coming up empty on four straight possessions. Meanwhile, North Carolina (16-4, 4-3) capitalized with ruthless efficiency, stringing together three consecutive three-point plays - two and-1s and a dagger triple - to take control with a 7-point lead and just 1:38 to play.
Malik Thomas tried to spark a late rally with a tough corner three, trimming the deficit to 81-77. Then Dallin Hall slashed through the lane for a layup to make it 81-79 with 50 seconds left. But UNC freshman Caleb Wilson, showing poise beyond his years, answered with a smooth, high-arching fadeaway off the glass over Johann Grünloh to push the lead back to four.
Thomas added a free throw to make it 83-80, but the Tar Heels once again leaned on their young talent. Another freshman, Derek Dixon, stepped to the line with 22.6 seconds left.
He hit the first, missed the second, but Wilson came up huge again - this time with the offensive rebound. UNC managed to drain a few more seconds before Seth Trimble missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving Virginia one last shot.
Thomas launched a deep three while falling to the floor, but it caught iron. Carolina grabbed the rebound, drew a foul, and added one more point at the line. Chance Mallory’s last-second heave fell short, and the Tar Heels walked off the floor with a statement win and a three-game streak in the all-time series.
A Tale of Two Halves
Virginia’s first half was textbook Tony Bennett basketball. The Cavaliers used three separate scoring runs to build a 43-27 lead with just over two minutes left before the break. They were winning the glass, defending well, and playing with rhythm on offense.
But Carolina didn’t fold. The Heels closed the half with a 7-0 burst to cut the deficit to nine, 43-34, heading into the locker room. That small run proved to be a momentum shifter.
Early in the second half, UNC came out swinging. A 9-2 run sliced the lead to three by the 16:30 mark, and from that point on, it was a back-and-forth battle. The Tar Heels finally regained the lead - their first since it was 2-0 - at 59-58 with just under 12 minutes to go.
Virginia responded with grit. Down 67-65, Mallory forced a traveling violation on Wilson, then tied it up with a floater.
Moments later, he drew a charge on Wilson, and De Ridder followed with a strong drive to put the Hoos back in front. De Ridder capped an 11-3 run with a slick spin move in the paint to make it 73-70 with under five minutes left.
But that’s when the momentum shifted - and fast. Virginia’s offense stalled, and the Tar Heels pounced.
A backcourt violation, missed jumper, two missed free throws by De Ridder, and an offensive foul on the Belgian big man opened the door. UNC kicked it down.
Jarin Stevenson, the Alabama transfer, delivered an and-1. Then Trimble followed with another.
Stevenson wasn’t done - he buried a triple to stretch the lead to 81-74. That 11-1 run proved to be the knockout punch, even as Virginia tried to rally late.
Stat Lines That Tell the Story
UNC’s second-half offense was red-hot. The Tar Heels shot 63.3% over the final 20 minutes, outscoring Virginia 51-37 after the break. They also turned 11 Cavalier turnovers into 19 points and dominated in transition, holding a 21-10 edge in fast-break points.
Caleb Wilson, the projected NBA lottery pick, led the way with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Stevenson added 17 - all in the second half - while Trimble (16), Dixon (14), and Luka Bogavac (11) rounded out a balanced scoring effort.
Virginia got a strong performance from De Ridder, who finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Thomas, Mallory, and Sam Lewis each added 11, while Hall and Ugonna Onyenso chipped in 8 apiece.
The Hoos shot 45% from the field and won the rebounding battle convincingly, 44-28. They also held UNC to just 12 second-chance points despite the Heels’ late offensive rebound from Wilson that helped seal the game.
But the Cavaliers couldn’t overcome the turnovers and the second-half defensive breakdowns. They fell to 10-1 at home, and for the first time this season, lost a game in which they won the rebounding battle.
Notable Numbers and Trends
- Virginia has now scored 80 or more points in 14 games this season - the most since 2000-01.
- The Cavaliers dropped to 1-1 against ranked opponents.
- The loss snapped an 11-game home win streak and a five-game overall win streak.
- Virginia is now 16-2 when leading at halftime.
- UNC’s comeback was their largest in 12 years.
- The Tar Heels now lead the all-time series 137-62 and have won three straight against UVA.
What’s Next
Virginia hits the road for back-to-back ACC matchups. They’ll face Notre Dame on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2), followed by a trip to Boston College on Saturday afternoon.
After a tough loss like this, how the Cavaliers respond will say a lot about their ceiling in what’s shaping up to be a competitive ACC race.