What would you call Carolina’s thrilling 85-80 win at Virginia?
A) A season saver
B) A character check
C) A postseason rotation preview
D) A comfort creator
E) All of the above
In improving their ACC record to 4-3, the Tar Heels pulled off the biggest comeback victory by a visiting team at the John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ), which opened in 2006. It was also Virginia’s first loss at home this season and Carolina’s first conference win on the road after losing at SMU, Stanford and Cal.
With 1:31 left in the first half, Hubert Davis’ No. 22 (and seemingly fading) team trailed the No. 14 Cavaliers 43-27. As advertised, Virginia was controlling the glass and splashing in three-pointers. But in a crucial stretch, UVA did not score again before the break while the Heels finished a 7-0 run on Seth Trimble’s free throw and impressive threes by Luka Bogavac and Derek Dixon. Trimming the deficit to nine points might have broken a psychological barrier and, at the very least, provided fuel to the fire of the coaching staff’s halftime talk.
After the ‘Hoos bumped their lead back to 11, Trimble canned two long balls cut the deficit further back. After the teams traded a few more baskets, Jarin Stevenson went on a personal run of six points to start his 17-point second-half surge. His buckets reclaimed the lead and helped the Heels hang a loss on the stunned JPJ rowdies.
If Carolina can build off the dramatic rally, it could be considered a seasonal savior — or, at the very least, regain their reputation that had been backsliding since the two losses on the West Coast. A week off before traveling to face Georgia Tech (2-5 in ACC play) could solidify the lineup that Davis settled on Saturday and that turned the tides against Virginia.
Junior guard Jaydon Young started his second game before playing only seven minutes. Trimble’s two regular perimeter peers now look to be the freshman Dixon — who finished with with 11 points, 7 assists and 1 turnover in 33 minutes at point guard —and “Bombs Away” Bogavac, who has become more active on the floor despite playing fewer minutes over in his last six games. His 14 points and trio of three-pointers were his best in ACC play. The rest of the rotation appears to be the scoreless trio of Johnathan Powell, who led the Heels in rebounding with a season-high 7, Kyan Evans and Young.
Davis said of Dixon that it’s “pretty fun to watch because that’s something that I didn’t experience as a freshman. I wasn’t ready, and he’s not scared of the moment. He walks towards it, [is] playing really well right now and I’m happy for him. The plays that he made on both ends of the floor show how he continues to get better and better each time he gets out there.”
UNC guard Derek Dixon shoots and scores a three-pointer just before halftime of Saturday’s game vs. No. 14 Virginia. (Photo by Chance Bragg/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Dixon also had a game-high plus-22, meaning when he was on the floor the Tar Heels outscored Virginia by 22 points. Stevenson was second with plus-19. No one for Virginia matched those plus-minus stats.
Stevenson, a local player who’s become a favorite after transferring from Alabama, seems happy to be playing anywhere — especially how he came through in Charlottesville, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor that included two three-pointers and a critical “and one” layup that gave UNC the lead for good. His quick decision to draw a charge in the lane against ‘Hoos star Thijs De Ridder was also critical to helping seal the team’s 16th win.
“Jarin has all the giftedness as anybody on our team,” Davis said. “Athleticism, versatility…he can do a number of different things on both ends of the floor. He talked about the charge that he had, but he can guard on the perimeter, bigs in the post. We had him in when Henri was in foul trouble and we really didn’t lose anything. We probably gained something, because everybody on the floor could guard on the perimeter as well and they were looking for threes and driving opportunities. And then we found a play that worked for us [on offense] where we can get downhill or we can have a three or we can get it to the post… and it just worked for us. Jarin had opportunities and knocked down some big shots.”
The rotation has been so varied through 20 games, initially from Trimble’s broken arm and since from either offensive or defensive slumps. Stability should comfort the fans if the Heels have designated roles as starters and subs as the team approaches the February schedule, which starts with Syracuse and No. 6 Duke at home followed by a trip to Miami.
Carolina committed only four turnovers on Saturday, the fewest in the Hubert Davis era and the fewest since the Tar Heels set a school record of two in 2018. “We’re not a big turnover team,” Davis said, adding that his players got 19 points on 11 Virginia turnovers. “Our activity, we got steals, and deflections allowed us to get into the open court and transition from defense to offense, the way Jarin and Caleb [Wilson] did exactly what they were asked to do when teammates get open. That got us back into the game and gave us a lot of energy.”
Caleb Wilson finishes a dunk during the second half of UNC’s game vs. Virginia. The Tar Heels fast-break offense helped Carolina pull ahead and keep its lead against the Cavaliers. (Photo by Chance Bragg/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Shooting 49 percent from the floor (and 45 percent from outside) was a big help, since Virginia comfortably won the backboards 44-28 — which is only the second time this season Carolina lost the rebounding battle (first time was vs. Michigan State). The ’Hoos had 16 offensive rebounds that led to 17 points second-chance points. In the first half, it seemed like that stat would ultimately be the back-breaker for Carolina before the second-half adjustments led to better rebounding.
Virginia (16-3 overall, 5-2 in the ACC) plays a very different tempo than under former coach Tony Bennett, whose name will be on the court at JPJ. Ryan Odom, son of the former head coach at Wake Forest, employs a much faster tempo than Bennett and likes to use the entire floor on both both offense and defense. Because of the change in styles, Carolina’s 85 points was the most against Virginia since a 93-81 win in Chapel Hill in 2013. It was also the Tar Heels’ most points in Charlottesville since a 110-76 win in 2005.
The Cavs have a mostly new lineup that shoots and defends as well as any team in the ACC, so their early lead was no surprise for the 7-point favorite. The JPJ was jumpin’ until UNC’s late run sobered up the home crowd, and the atmosphere stayed tense to the very end.
The road win — given how Carolina has largely looked in hostile environments — is surprising and could almost be a restart for the Tar Heels, who needed it to boost confidence from their bench to their fan base. Whether it turns out to be a turning point to the season depends on their play and how our heartbeats hold up. But it was sure nice to get one when the worst might have been expected and UNC came out the gates slow against a formidable opponent.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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