We’re at the point in the season where winning games won’t be enough for this UNC Basketball team. Unlike many past seasons, the boys from Chapel Hill don’t have 25 wins and a top-four seed locked up already. They don’t have anything locked up, in fact, other than maybe an NIT bid. The upcoming schedule means much more than just tuning up for yet another romp through March Madness.
It’s imperative that the Heels get wins, sure, but what they really need are quality wins. And luckily for them, Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers will be visiting the Dean Dome on Saturday, offering them a chance for just that. Today we’ll look at three keys for Carolina to finally get what they’ve spent all season searching in vain for: a quality win.
If I could handpick one opponent right now for these Heels to face with their season on the line, it would be Virginia. Not because I think the Heels match up particularly well with the Cavaliers. Nor because Virginia looked eminently beatable as they got thrashed by a sub-.500 Boston College squad on Wednesday. No, I’d choose Virginia because the Cavaliers traditionally give the Tar Heels more problems than any other ACC team, Duke included. If Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, and the rest want to prove they’ve turned a corner, getting over the hump against the ‘Hoos is the way to do it.
If you have a flaw, Virginia will find it. It’s like trying to slip a lie past Charlie Cale on Poker Face. Sloppy with the ball? They’ll turn you over. Fall asleep on defense? They’ll use every second of the shot clock and find your weak point. Like to run? They’ll grind you into dust in the halfcourt. I hate when Carolina plays Virginia. Absolutely hate it. It’s like going to the dentist. They double everything in the post and play with fantastic discipline. More talented teams often leave the court after losing by some score like 54-52 and wonder what just happened.
If the second half against Notre Dame is any indication, Carolina might finally understand what the stakes are. They’ll have to in order to defeat a Virginia team that already knocked them off in Charlottesville. Here are three ways the Tar Heels can boost their chances of leaving the Dean Dome with a season-defining win.