It was a rough Saturday for the Virginia Cavaliers, who fell to the no. 10 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels 54-44 in a crucial ACC battle. The defeat marks Virginia's second straight loss - and their third in their last four games.
In addition, the Cavaliers, who sit in third in the ACC with an 11-6 record, have now fallen 2.5 games behind first-place North Carolina in the ACC standings, and have all but been eliminated from a chance at the regular season title barring a massive collapse by the Tar Heels down the stretch.
It was a story of recurring issues for the Cavs, with offensive struggles once again being the main difference maker Saturday. Despite the issues, there were a few silver linings, including some new faces getting a bigger role in the rotation. Regardless, it remains clear that there needs to be some significant changes to the offense down the stretch should this team want to play meaningful postseason basketball.
Had Virginia pulled off the upset versus the Tar Heels, they would've been on the cusp of punching their NCAA tournament ticket while also improving their seeding. Instead, the Cavaliers once again move in the wrong direction in the tournament picture. While the 'Hoos still remain on the right side of the bubble, it makes their final three regular season matchups more important than ever. Virginia's final three matchups include back-to-back road games at Boston College and Duke before closing out the regular season at home versus a pesky Georgia Tech team.
While winning two of those three games should be enough to punch a spot in the NCAA tournament and earn them a double bye in the ACC tournament, it could still make for a rather uneasy trip to Washington DC for the ACC tournament. Should the 'Hoos win all three of those games, they may be able to earn the no. 2 seed in the ACC tournament.