2 Concerning Negatives from North Carolina’s Win Over Virginia

The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off an impressive comeback win over the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon at the John Paul Jones arena. After falling behind by 16 late in the first half, North Carolina headed into halftime with a nine-point deficit after orchestrating a quick 7-0 surge in the final seconds before the halftime whistle.

The two threes made by Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac proved to be monumental baskets, as the Tar Heels carried that momentum over in the second half, overtaking Virginia en route to an 85-80 win. While it was a positive result for North Carolina, there were a couple of negative aspects that need to be addressed before the NCAA tournament in March.

Starting Out of the Gates Slowly

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

A major reason for the Tar Heels facing an uphill climb was the team's underwhelming start to the contest. After the tip-off, North Carolina looked up at the scoreboard and was instantly down 10-2, which has been a re-occurring them for the Tar Heels. Against SMU and California, North Carolina faced a sizeable deficit moment into game, instantly giving the players a feeling of unevenness, which would carry on for the entire game.

That was on course to transpire again, but those past instances resulted in an extra sense of urgency to start the second half.

Yes, it was a great teaching moment, and something the team can build off of, but in March, this team may not be afforded a learning experience to utilize in another game, as a slow start can suddenly end its season in the tournament.

Rebounding

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) blocks out California Golden Bears guard Nolan Dorsey (21) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Tar Heels were outrebounded 44-28, including 16-8 on the offensive glass. North Carolina's success has been predicated on the ability to control the tempo of the game through rebounding.

"I felt like we rebounded better," Hubert Davis said. "I know we got killed on the boards by 16, but I feel like we rebounded better in the second half. What ignites us in transition, what allows us to get out, and there were two or three pitch-aheads even after a made basket. I felt like we rebounded better and we really were able to get some easy layups, easy points early in the possession."

Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, who both average more than eight rebounds per game, were held to five combined boards on Saturday. If those two are marginalized, the Tar Heels will most likely lose that game. North Carolina was able to overcome that on Saturday, but that cannot become a trend for the frontcourt tandem.

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