By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — It was the sort of victory that can flip the trajectory of a season, and it came because Carolina came out swinging in the second half.
The No. 22 Tar Heels found the energy, hustle and determination that were absent in the first 18 minutes to produce the signature victory the Tar Heels desperately needed. They rallied from a 16-point late first-half deficit for a huge 85–80 victory at No. 14 Virginia on Saturday before a stunned crowd at John Paul Jones Arena.
The halftime reset was as much about mindset as it was about tactics. Hubert Davis said the answer was to meet Virginia’s physicality head-on after a flat start and a rough first 18 minutes.
“The only way, only road, only route, is you raise both of those fists, and you start swinging,” Davis said, also reminding his team of who they want to be on the open floor. “I want to be the fastest team in the country from free-throw line to free-throw line.”
UNC (16–4, 4–3 ACC) did that impressively with a blistering 51-point second half, fueled by better ball security and waves of transition attacks, to pile up the most points the Tar Heels have scored in JPJ Arena. Davis acknowledged the Cavaliers’ rebound domination (44–28 overall and 16–8 under the offensive glass).
Of Virginia’s 17 second-chance points, only three came in the second half.
“I thought we did a better job of not letting them score when they got offensive rebounds, but we took care of the basketball and were really efficient offensively,” said Davis after his team committed a four turnovers, the fewest by UNC since he became head coach, against a Virginia team (16–3, 5–2) known for its tough defense (the previous low was six against USC Upstate).
And when it came time to put the ball in the right hands late, Davis trusted Caleb Wilson coming out of a timeout and leading by two.
“Caleb’s not scared of the moment. It’s the exact opposite. He runs towards it,” Davis said.”
Wilson (20 points) led five Tar Heels in double figures (the first time since the opener against Central Arkansas that five had scored at least 10 points) and delivered the dagger. With 31 seconds left off a high ball screen, Derek Dixon slipped a pocket pass to Wilson, who scored the huge bucket.
“Just made the read,” said Dixon, who had 11 points and seven assists. “His defender stepped over. I hit him on the pocket pass. He made a good play.”
Wilson said the turnaround after halftime came from collective resolve and timely shot-making.
“We just played with pride, effort, and put a big stop on the defensive end. Just played with effort. We hit some big shots in the second half,” said Wilson, whose face lit up talking about how Jarin Stevenson took over in the second half. “He played ridiculous. It was crazy. He did stuff on both ends. He did everything.”
Stevenson produced his best half as a Tar Heel, with all his season-high 17 points in the second half after playing four scoreless first-half minutes. But it was much more than just his scoring. He drew a huge late charge and closed out on perimeter shooters.
“We came in the second half with an attitude of, ‘We’re gonna do what we need to do to win this game.’ I saw the opportunity and took a charge,” Stevenson said.
How did it feel to play free and decisive on a big road stage? He didn’t hide his smile. “Now it’s been a while, probably nothing like this.”
Seth Trimble (16 points, two 3-pointers) accelerated the comeback with two quick threes to open the second half and several drives for baskets. He’s seen Stevenson flash his potential in practice and loved seeing it translate when it mattered.
“When he’s free like that, he’s playing aggressive,” Trimble said. “It’s really fun to watch. He’s a really special player.”
Luka Bogavac (14 points, three 3-pointers) and others gave needed contributions on a day when Henri Veesaar was limited to a season-low seven points.
Davis said the difference was embracing the fight that Virginia demanded.
“In the first half, I felt like they kicked our tail,” Davis said. “In the second half, I felt like we met the fight.”
Most of the first half was rough for UNC, which came out flat and was on its heels.
After a Trimble layup, Virginia strung together 10 straight points, with two wide-open 3s that punished slow closeouts.
A Trimble steal that led to a Bogavac 3 ignited a 10–2 run, capped by a Wilson transition dunk to tie it at 14 at 13:46.
The Cavaliers surged again behind perimeter shot-making to build a 13-point lead at 6:27 and later pushed it to 15. Only a late flurry — a Bogavac 3-pointer and a step-back 3 by Dixon with five seconds left — trimmed it to 43–34 by halftime.
UNC’s avalanche hit immediately after halftime. Trimble buried two 3s, Wilson hammered a dunk off a Jaydon Young steal, Veesaar scored inside, Dixon drilled a 3, Wilson hit two free throws and Bogavac scored on a drive.
That was all part of a 19–7 burst that, paired with the late first-half run, made it a 26–7 flurry.
Then Stevenson took over, with eight points in a 12–3 push that nudged Carolina ahead by five on his jumper at 9:43.
Virginia, which lost its first home game of the season, landed a counterpunch with a 9–0 run to go up 71–67 at 5:25, but Stevenson stopped a 4½-minute drought with a wing three.
He and Trimble then completed three-point plays in a 9–0 answer that made it 81–74 on a Stevenson 3-pointer with 1:38 left.
The Cavaliers clawed within two on a Malik Thomas 3-pointer and a Dallin Hall layup with 49 seconds to go. After UNC’s timeout, the decisive Dixon-to-Wilson connection restored a two-possession cushion with 31 seconds remaining.
After Thomas and Dixon traded 1-for-2 trips to the free-throw line, Wilson secured a vital rebound. Following a late Virginia miss, Bogavac went to the line and closed it out for the five-point final margin.
For a team that had taken some lumps on the road, this was a statement. Wilson said the lesson is as simple as it is powerful.
“That’s huge.” He added that adversity can clarify identity: “It’s all we know until next. Great win, a great field.”
De Ridder led Virginia with 20 points, with Thomas, Sam Lewis and Chase Mallory each contributing 11.
Notes
— Carolina gets a week off before visiting Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. Saturday (ACC Network). The Yellow Jackets (11–9, 2–5) lost 77–63 at home on Saturday against No. 18 Clemson and visit Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. Tuesday (ACC Network).
— It was UNC’s largest deficit overcome in a win since rallying from 16 down in the second half to beat UCLA 76–74 in New York on Dec. 21, 2024. UNC was behind by 11 points in the second half, marking the first win when trailing by double-digits in the second half since that UCLA game.
— Carolina’s 85 points are its most against Virginia since a 93–81 win in Chapel Hill in 2013, and the most in Charlottesville since a 110–76 win at University Hall in 2005.
— Wilson tied Rashad McCants’ UNC freshman record (set in 2002-03) by scoring in double figures for the 20th consecutive time to begin his college career.
— Jonathan Powell led UNC with a season-high seven rebounds. It was the first time someone other than Wilson or Veesaar led UNC in rebounding since Powell co-led with Wilson against Michigan State..
— The four turnovers equal the sixth-fewest in UNC history and were the fewest since the Tar Heels set the single-game school record with two against Duke on Feb. 9, 2018.
— Wilson’s 14th 20-point game tied Tyler Hansbrough’s UNC freshman record and tied Rashad McCants’ freshman record by startinghis career with 20 double-figure scoring games.
— N.C. State’s women beat Virginia 78–76 in overtime in a game that started about 30 minutes after the men’s game.
— UNC wore early-1980s Jordan era light blue throwback uniforms,
— For the second consecutive game, Zayden High was the first center off the bench rather than Stevenson.
— Young started for the second consecutive game but played only 7 minutes, 11 seconds.
— Ivan Matlekovic (right hand in a cast) and James Brown (foot in a boot) weren’t in uniform.
— Carolina won in Charlottesville for the second consecutive game, extending its lead in the all-time series to 133–62, including 46–18 in Charlottesville, and cut Virginia’s edge in John Paul Jones Arena to 8–6 with their third straight win overall against Virginia.
No. 22 UNC 85, No. 14 Virginia 80
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 7–0 | 18–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 7–1 | 17–4 | 32 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–2 | 16–3 | 13 |
| Miami | 5–2 | 16–4 | 37 |
| N.C. State | 5–2 | 14–6 | 29 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 4–3 | 16–4 | 27 |
| SMU | 4–3 | 15–5 | 30 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 4–3 | 14–5 | 15 |
| Virginia Tech | 4–4 | 15–6 | 51 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 68 |
| Syracuse | 3–4 | 12–8 | 77 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 60 |
| Boston College | 2–4 | 9–10 | 157 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–5 | 11–9 | 146 |
| Wake Forest | 2–5 | 11–9 | 67 |
| Notre Dame | 1–5 | 10–9 | 81 |
| Florida State | 1–6 | 8–12 | 115 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–6 | 8–12 | 121 |
* — Through Thursday games
Saturday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina 85, No. 14 Virginia 80
No. 18 Clemson 77, Georgia Tech 63
N.C. State 71, Pittsburgh 72
No. 5 Duke 90, Wake Forest 69
Miami 85, Syracuse 76
No. 23 Louisville 85, Virginia Tech 71
SMU 83, Florida State 80
Boston College at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Wake Forest at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 14 Virginia at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN U
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday’s games
California at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Miami, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday, Jan. 31, games
No. 5 Duke at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN
Pittsburgh at No. 18 Clemson, noon, ACC Network
No. 14 Virginia at Boston College, 1:30, The CW
No. 22 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at No. 23 Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN
N.C. State at Wake Forest, 3:45, The CW
California at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Syracuse, 6 p.m., The CW
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 19 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 14 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 23 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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