By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Fighting through the NCAA tournament bubble, North Carolina continues to play well during a stretch where any loss would likely end the Tar Heels’ chances.
The Tar Heels jumped to an early 19-point lead and fought some lulls on both ends to come away with an 81–66 victory Saturday at the Smith Center over Virginia for their third consecutive victory, never trailing in any of those games.
Coach Hubert Davis said that the team’s mentality changed after the loss at Clemson on Feb. 10 that has ignited the win streak.
“Our practices, from that point on, have been different,” he said. “They’ve been feisty, extremely competitive, short-tempered. The competitive fight has been there. Whatever it ends up in terms of what it looks like, I feel like we’re getting better. I was just really proud of the guys.”
UNC (17–11, 10–6 ACC) will have to keep that momentum going Monday at Florida State, and a big reason the Tar Heels still have a shot at an NCAA berth is the recent play of graduate forward Jae’lyn Withers.
With 16 points and 10 rebounds while scoring a team-high four 3-pointers, Withers produced his second double-double of the season and fifth as a Tar Heel with fiery play.
Withers’ penchant for talking junk to the other team is part of his aggressive style, but it got him into trouble.
He had something to say, including a few “magic words,” for the Virginia bench after firing in a 3-pointer because they had been chirping at him.
“Somebody said, ‘We’re living; let him shoot,’ ” said Withers, who has 43 points in the last three games. “I said, ‘You better put your hand up.’ But it was a little bit more vulgar language.”
Coach Davis probably didn’t like the language and repeated an old saying from Coach Dean Smith that, “A lion never growls after a kill,” but the coach loves the intensity.
“I always was a big fan of J-Wit because he plays with emotion, and he’s got a fire inside of him to always want to compete, and he’s playing his best basketball since he’s been here,” Davis said. “When he plays well, he completely changes our team on both ends of the floor.”
Davis said that Withers is starting to see things from a different perspective since this is his last college season.
“I think the consistency of his defense, his rebounding, his shot-making, his play-making — we need his experience,” Davis said. “One of the things that I’ve told him over and over again, and a lot over the last two weeks, is that this team desperately needs his wisdom in terms of experience. He’s seen everything.”
UNC made 9 of 16 3-point attempts (a season-high 56.3%) — for its best 3-point percentage under Coach Davis and since shooting 58.8% (10 of 17) against Georgia Tech on Dec. 6, 2021 — and dominated the boards 34–21.
Withers was a big factor in both.
Withers’ performance at the four spot has a cascading effect: It allows freshman Drake Powell (11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) to play at the three, his natural position.
“He checks so many boxes defensively,” Coach Davis said of Powell, who did a good job on Isaac McKneely, who led the Tigers with 17 points. “I thought Drake’s length bothered McNeely. I think the combination with him and Wit, gives us a really nice, big athletic lineup that really helps us on both ends.”
Jackson, who shared the scoring lead for UNC with 16 points and three 3-pointers, said the last three games have been fun.
“I think we’ve taken the challenge defensively,” Jackson said. “We’ve been locked in more defense and took pride in it a lot more, and our preparation has been amazing, from practice to understanding what’s coming. It’s been great.”
Ven-Allen Lubin continues to be a force inside, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. That scoring balance helped UNC overcome a rough shooting game from RJ Davis (12 points on 3 of 14 from the floor and 0 of 4 from 3-point range.)
“Our competitive mindset has been there,” Davis said. “We’ve been willing to compete on both ends. Sometimes, when things are not going our way, we may make a mistake and they may make a run. But I think our maturity has been really great.”
Coach Davis was asked why it took so long for UNC to begin to play like that.
“Who cares? It’s here now,” Davis said.
Carolina quickly took control with a 21–2 run to open the game — including 15 straight points — with Virginia’s only bucket coming after beating the press.
Virginia took nearly nine minutes to score a bucket in the half-court offense. McKneeley’s jumper with 11:12 left in the first half ended a more than five-minute Cavaliers scoring drought. That started a 14–3 Virginia run to cut its deficit to eight.
McKneeley’s 3-pointer cut UNC’s lead at seven with 2:41 left before UNC finished the first half on a 7–2 run to lead 46–34 at halftime.
An 11–3 Virginia run pulled the Cavaliers within eight on a transition McKneely layup with 13½ minutes left. A pair of Jackson free throws nearly two minutes later gave UNC a 14-point advantage, and Virginia never got its deficit down to single digits after that.
Jackson’s three-point play on a driving shot capped a 12-2 run to balloon UNC’s lead to 20 with 6:10 remaining.NOTES — It’s a quick turnaround for UNC, which plays at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN) at Florida State. The Seminoles (16–11, 7–9) lost 89–81 at Louisville on Saturday. … This is the third time Carolina has won at least three consecutive games, including a four-game streak from Jan. 4 at Notre Dame to Jan. 15 vs. California. … This is the 48th time UNC has won at least 10 regular-season ACC games. … Virginia had 21 rebounds, the second straight game an opponent had 21 rebounds, which ties the fewest against a Hubert Davis team. … Carolina leads the series with Virginia 136–62, including 69–9 in Chapel Hill and 27–6 at the Smith Center. … Hubert Davis is 5–2 against the Cavaliers. … It was the first UNC-Virginia game in which one team scored at least 80 points in 19 meetings. … UNC led by 10 points at halftime for the seventh time, and fourth in ACC play, scoring at least 40 first-half points for the 10th time and third game in a row. … UNC honored the 2024 ACC champion men’s golf team during a second-half time out. … It’s the first time UNC hasn’t trailed in three consecutive games since the 2018–19 season (Stanford, Tennessee Tech and St. Francis).
UNC 81, Virginia 66
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Duke | 15–1 | 24–3 | 2 |
| No. 25 Louisville | 14–2 | 21–6 | 25 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 14–2 | 22–5 | 22 |
| SMU | 11–5 | 20–7 | 39 |
| Wake Forest | 11–5 | 19–8 | 62 |
| North Carolina | 10–6 | 17–11 | 45 |
| Stanford | 8–7 | 16–10 | 85 |
| Pittsburgh | 7–9 | 16–11 | 55 |
| Florida State | 7–9 | 16–11 | 88 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–9 | 13–14 | 128 |
| Virginia Tech | 6–9 | 11–15 | 158 |
| Virginia | 6–10 | 13–14 | 102 |
| Notre Dame | 6–10 | 12–15 | 100 |
| California | 5–10 | 12–14 | 123 |
| Syracuse | 5–11 | 11–16 | 145 |
| N.C. State | 4–12 | 11–16 | 118 |
| Boston College | 4–12 | 12–15 | 193 |
| Miami | 2–13 | 6–20 | 217 |
Saturday’s games
North Carolina 81, Virginia 66
No. 25 Louisville 89, Florida State 81
N.C. State 85, Wake Forest 73
Boston College 69, Georgia Tech 54
Notre Dame 76, Pittsburgh 72
No. 18 Clemson 79, SMU 69
Virginia Tech 81, Miami 68
No. 3 Duke 110, Illinois 67
California at Stanford, 10 p.m., ESPN2
Monday’s game
North Carolina at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 3 Duke at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., ACCN
No. 25 Louisville at Virginia Tech, 9 p.m., ACCN
Wednesday’s games
Notre Dame at No. 18 Clemson, 7 p.m., ACCN
N.C. State at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Virginia at Wake Forest, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Boston College at Stanford, 9 p.m., ACCN
SMU at California, 11 p.m., ESPNU
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 15 | Tuesday | W, 84–76 | at No. 19 Memphis | Exhibition |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 127–63 | vs. Johnson C. Smith | Exhibition |
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | W, 90–76 | vs. Elon | 1–0 |
| 8 | Friday | L, 92–89 | at No. 17 Kansas | 1–1 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 107–55 | vs. American | 2–1 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 85–69 | at Hawai’i | 3–1 |
| Maui Invitational | ||||
| 25 | Monday | W, 92–90 | Dayton | 4–1 |
| 26 | Tuesday | L, 85–72 | No. 1 Auburn | 4–2 |
| 27 | Wednesday | L, 94–91, OT | No. 11 Michigan State | 4–3 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 94–79 | vs. No. 2 Alabama | 4–4 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Saturday | W, 68–65 | vs. Georgia Tech | 5–4, 1–0 ACC |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 93–67 | vs. LaSalle | 6–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 90–84 | No. 3 Florida | 6–5 |
| CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | W, 76–74 | UCLA | 7–5 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | W, 97–81 | vs. Campbell | 8–5 |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | L, 83–70 | at Louisville | 8–6, 1–1 |
| 4 | Saturday | W, 74–73 | at Notre Dame | 9–6, 2–1 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 82–67 | vs. SMU | 10–6, 3–1 |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 63–61 | at N.C. State | 11–6, 4–1 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 79–53 | vs. California | 12–6, 5–1 |
| 18 | Saturday | L, 72–71 | vs. Stanford | 12–7, 5–2 |
| 21 | Tuesday | L, 67–66 | at Wake Forest | 12–8, 5–3 |
| 25 | Saturday | W, 102–96, OT | vs. Boston College | 13–8, 6–3 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 73–65 | at Pittsburgh | 13–9, 6–4 |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | L, 87–70 | at No. 3 Duke | 13–10, 6–5 |
| 8 | Saturday | W, 67–66 | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–10, 7–5 |
| 10 | Monday | L, 85–65 | at No. 23 Clemson | 14–11, 7–6 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 88–82 | at Syracuse | 15–11, 8–6 |
| 19 | Wednesday | W, 97–73 | vs. N.C. State | 16–11, 9–6 |
| 22 | Saturday | W, 81–66 | vs. Virginia | 17–11, 10–6 |
| 24 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at Florida State | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | Noon | vs. Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 4 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ESPNU |
| 8 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 11– 15 | Tues.–Sat. | ACC tournament Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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