After a difficult but expected loss to Duke, the writing was on the wall for Virgina. The team had been outrebounded 41-21 and gave up 16 second-chance points, a performance that Interim Coach Ron Sanchez called “unacceptable” after the game.
Against a much smaller North Carolina side, however, the same thing happened. The Tar Heels (17-11, 10-6 ACC) outrebounded the Cavaliers (13-14, 6-10 ACC) 34-21 and scored 15 second-chance points en route to an 81-66 win, a result foreshadowed by the 21-2 lead they mounted only eight and a half minutes into the game.
“When you dig a hole that deep, you’re going to be climbing uphill the entire game,” Sanchez said. “Especially against a team that plays with that pace offensively and in transition.”
The Cavaliers did some things right, especially in forcing and scoring off turnovers. Virginia stole the ball seven times in the first half — more than its per-game average of 5.2 — and scored 12 points off those turnovers.
Junior guard Isaac McKneely scored his 1,000th point as a Cavalier off a layup in the second half, and his 17 points led the entire game despite his shooting only 2-7 on threes. Sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames was the only other Cavalier in double digits with 12 points, while five Tar Heels scored over 10.
But in terms of making the most out of possessions, North Carolina outdid Virginia consistently throughout the game — securing second-chance opportunities and finding high percentage shots.
The first half may have ended with competitive, back-and-forth basketball, but it certainly did not start that way. Virginia scored its first basket — a Blake Buchanan layup — over three minutes into the game, but did not score again until a McKneely midrange jump shot over five minutes later.
During that stretch, the Tar Heels managed to reach their largest lead of the game — a 19-point cushion held immediately before that McKneely jumper — and maintained a consistent scoring threat throughout the first half.
This was supported by their rebounding, as they scored 11 second-chance points to the Cavaliers’ zero. A first-half rebounding split of 17-5 for North Carolina spelled out exactly how they had secured that large lead while Virginia’s scorers were still cold. Sanchez, who has not been afraid of calling out his players for poor rebounding performances of late, echoed that sentiment.
“I think rebounding is an isolated, personal, individual thing,” Sanchez said. “You can drill it all day, but at some point somebody has to say, ‘I’m going to go get it.’”
McKneely’s 13 points in the first half led the game, but the hot Tar Heels made six of eight attempts from beyond the arc in that same span, despite not being a particularly strong three-point shooting team. They also shot 14 free throws, making 12, while the Cavaliers shot 5-5. With 20 minutes left to play, North Carolina led 46-34.
Virginia started the second half poorly, too — not nearly to the same degree, but the 12-point deficit quickly rose to 17, as the Cavaliers shot 1-7 through the first four minutes and let junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin run unchecked for four big points and two rebounds.
From there, all that the Tar Heels had to do was hold their double-digit lead. Virginia certainly found some success and cut the lead to single digits several times but with an advantage created in the opening minutes of the game, North Carolina had its work cut out for it, and strong performances from its starters coupled with decent defense and continued rebounding success kept them ahead for the remainder of the match.
“[North] Carolina is talented,” Sanchez said. “Their guards are good. Some of the shots they made weren’t wide open threes. Some were at the end of the clock, one-on-one separation step backs. The best thing you can do is contest and try not to foul.”
In the second half, the Cavaliers shot a paltry 1-11 from three — they were forcing shots in an attempt to cut the deficit, but, as had been the case to start the game, shots simply were not falling.
Though he led the team in rebounds at six, the worst minutes for Virginia were when Buchanan was on the floor. The Tar Heels are a small team, so it makes sense why Sanchez opted to give the 6-foot-11 big the starting spot.
But the two other Cavalier big men were much more productive for the team when on the floor, though they both found themselves in foul trouble in the second half. Redshirt freshman Anthony Robinson played solid perimeter defense, and his high-level physicality allowed him to make a difference on the interior while Buchanan shied away from contact.
Freshman forward Jacob Cofie nailed a three-pointer and scored nine points on the game, and his ability to see over the small North Carolina team and make the most of his passing allowed Virginia to find a handful of easy baskets. Cuts of his own also allowed McKneely and junior guard Andrew Rohde to find him at the rim for high-percentage dunks.
For the first time since the Cavaliers faced No. 22 Memphis in December, Rohde did not have more assists than he had turnovers, logging four of each. Sanchez attributed this to Ames getting himself in foul trouble, saying that the increased offensive burden might be to blame.
“Andrew’s been playing really good basketball,” Sanchez said. “He had to play extended minutes today … when you get fatigued, it impacts your play. And we’re asking Andrew to do a lot.”
Virginia might already have a secure berth to the ACC Tournament with its six conference wins, but this loss, against a smaller team, while continuing to face rebounding woes and failing to string together productive offensive play, bodes poorly.
The Cavaliers will finish their quick North Carolina road trip Wednesday against a strong Wake Forest before hosting No. 18 Clemson March 1. It is entirely plausible that the Cavaliers will enter their last two games on a four-game losing streak, and gaining some momentum entering the tournament will be of utmost importance.
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