UNC Gameplan Has 2 Winning Pillars Entering Virginia Showdown

North Carolina takes on the No. 14-ranked team in the country, the Virginia Cavaliers, today.

This is a huge opportunity for an upset victory for the Tar Heels and to carry over their momentum from their win against Notre Dame this week.

This game is very important for UNC’s NCAA Tournament seeding. A win today can put them in a great position; a loss could result in some second-guessing for the Tar Heels.

Here are two keys for UNC versus UVA:

Contain the sharpshooters

The Tar Heels have struggled to guard the 3-point line as of late, and the Cavaliers have some guys who will make you pay. Jacari White and Malik Thomas are the two names that come to mind.

White is a terrific shooter who is shooting 50% from three this season. This will be his third game back from injury, so his minutes are still slowly ramping up. So his production will depend on the minute restriction.

Thomas, on the other hand, has been on fire as of late. He has scored 42 points over the past two games, including making 12 out of his last 18 3-pointers.

UNC must key on these two snipers, or it could be a rough day for the Tar Heels. UNC did improve guarding the three-ball in the second half against the Fighting Irish, so it will be interesting to see if that defensive momentum will carry over to today.

Guard rotation must stay fluid

After many lineup changes, head coach Hubert Davis found a good guard rotation in their last outing. Davis went with three guards in the starting lineup, which included Seth Trimble, Derek Dixon and first-time starter Jaydon Young. Even if Young is off from the field, he can still impact the game with his defense and leadership. That is what makes him so effective and valuable; he does not need the ball to be able to help his team win.

Luka Bogavac, Jonathan Powell and Kyan Evans all contributed off the bench. This was a huge game for Evans in his new role. He has struggled this season but may have found his footing off the bench. Evans played just 10 minutes but knocked down three 3-pointers.

Davis has adjusted the guard rotation the past few games, so a key to watch is how the guards go in and out today. For how well the rotation worked last week, it would be a shame if Davis did not give the same rotation another shot.

So, although the rotation has changed as of late, expect Davis to run with this rotation against the Cavaliers today.

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