Key Takeaways From No. 14 Virginia’s Loss to No. 22 North Carolina

The Virginia Cavaliers faced a frustrating loss to North Carolina today.

Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers entered today's matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels with the intention of extending their five-game winning streak. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers dropped the game 85-80 toward the end, leaving them unable to defend their court at John Paul Jones Arena.

This loss now brings Virginia's overall record to 16-3 and its conference record to 5-2. Until now, the Cavaliers have only been defeated by Butler (80-73) and Virginia Tech (95-85). However, they bounced back ratherquickly for their second ACC meeting of the season, but it looks like they've started to lose some of their momentum.

With the disappointing loss now behind them, here are a few key takeaways from the game earlier this afternoon.

UVA Unable To Pull Ahead

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Virginia and North Carolina maintained a fairly close score throughout most of the first half. Once halftime rolled around, the score was 43-34, giving the Cavaliers a bit of an edge over UNC. They followed a similar pattern for a majority of the second half, but at times, the Tar Heels pulled ahead ever so slightly.

Crunch time started as the clock dwindled, putting immense pressure on both programs. At this point, North Carolina was ahead, and by the time the buzzer went off, UNC had won by five points. The 85-80 loss meant UVA had ended its streak and had been handed another loss by an ACC opponent.

Thijs De Ridder Leads the Pack

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Freshman Thijs De Ridder has been one of Virginia's key headliners this year, despite his young age. The 6'9'' forward wrapped up the day with 20 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while shooting 63.6% from the floor. He tied North Carolina's Caleb Wilson in points, but led both programs in rebounds.

Today's performances brought his averages to 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, shooting at 53.3% from the floor.

UVA Must Get Back on Track

Virginia Cavaliers guard Malik Thomas | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Bottom line, Virginia has heavily relied on bursts in the second half of their games, but this afternoon showed a drastic difference. Not only were they unable to pull ahead at the end, despite watching them do so before, but communication on the court appeared off. Of course, this element will have a detrimental impact on any game.

The Cavaliers now have a few days to refocus before they take on Notre Dame on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. EST. If UVA wants a lasting run in the ACC this year, they must fix the communication and get themselves back to a winning mindset.