Virginia (9-5, 3-1 ACC) travels to North Carolina (10-4, 2-1) for an ACC contest on Saturday. Tipoff at Smith Center is set for 1 p.m.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-North Carolina game will be televised on ESPN and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
- The game will also be broadcast on Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
- Live statistics will be available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
Virginia Notes
- UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (9.9 ppg & 4.2 apg) and Reece Beekman (6.9 ppg, 4.4 apg & 2.1 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15.4 ppg & 7.6 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (12 ppg).
- Clark has played 107 games at UVA and is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (43.4%) and 3-point percentage (42.1%).
- The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
- Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21.
- Kadin Shedrick (6.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg & 2.9 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (3.1 rpg) anchor the paint, while Kody Stattmann (33.3% 3FGs), Taine Murray (44.4% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (38.1% 3FGs), Carson McCorkle (33.3% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter and provide perimeter depth.
North Carolina Notes
- Carolina has shot 50% or better from the floor in the second half in each of the last eight games and 10 times in 14 games this season. The Tar Heels have shot 50% or better three times in the first half this season.
- Carolina is shooting 52.9% from the floor in the second half and holding its opponents to 44%. The opponents are shooting just 37.0% in the second half in Carolina’s 10 victories.
- Caleb Love has made 30 three-pointers in the first 14 games. Last year as a freshman, Love made his 30th three in the Tar Heels’ 28th game (in the ACC Tournament semifinal vs. Florida State).
- Love has improved his three-point percentage from 26.6% as a freshman to 44.1% this season.
- Love is 9 for 17 from three over the last three games.
- Bacot leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.638) and rebounding (10.4), is sixth in blocks (21) and ninth in scoring (15.6). He leads UNC in all four categories.
- Bacot led UNC in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks in 2020-21. If he repeats in all four categories he would become the first Tar Heel ever to lead the team in those categories in consecutive seasons.
- Bacot is the first Tar Heel to start a season with 10 double-doubles in the first 14 games since Mitch Kupchak, who had 10 in the first 13 games in 1974-75.
- Bacot has double-doubles in each of the last five games. Garrison Brookshad six consecutive a year ago.
- UNC has held its opponents to 65 or fewer points in each of its last seven victories. It’s the first time UNC has held the opponents under 70 points in seven consecutive wins since doing that in eight straight wins in 2011-12.
- Carolina has won three times this season when it allowed fewer than 60 points (53 by UNC Asheville, 51 by Michigan and 50 by App State).
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