CHARLOTTESVILLE — Good thing Virginia postponed Saturday’s Tony Bennett court dedication due to weather concerns.
Doomed by a defensive performance that would have incensed the program’s iconic former coach, UVA lost to North Carolina 85-80 at John Paul Jones Arena.
Ryan Odom, the Cavaliers’ first-year big whistle, was none too amused either.
“Just really, in general, a poor defensive performance,” he said, lamenting his team’s atypical lack of intensity and communication.
No coach valued and embodied defense more than Bennett, who retired in October 2024. But although Odom orchestrates a far faster pace than Bennett, the No. 14 Cavaliers (16-3, 5-2 ACC) have defended effectively for most of the season.
Saturday, especially the second half, was the antithesis of effective.
Led by Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson, a 6-foot-10 reserve wing, the No. 22 Tar Heels scored 51 points after intermission on a mere 32 possessions. That’s a staggering 159 points per 100 possessions against a UVA squad whose defensive norm is 98.5 points per 100 trips.
Stevenson scored all 17 of his points, a season-high, after intermission, making six of nine shots and half of his four attempts beyond the 3-point arc.
“He was aggressive,” Odom said, “… and he was open.”
Stevenson had plenty of help. Fellow big Caleb Wilson, an NBA-bound freshman, scored 20 points, while guards Seth Trimble and Luka Bogavac combined for 30 points without a turnover.
Indeed, turnovers were another indicator of Virginia’s tepid defense. Carolina (16-4, 4-3) committed a season-low four, one in the second half, a primary reason the Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers 19-2 in points off turnovers.
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Carolina also won the fast-break battle, outscoring Virginia in transition 21-10, a function of the Cavaliers 11 giveaways, four by 20-point scorer Thijs De Ridder, and their failure to get back defensively after missed shots.
“We really pride ourselves on crashing (the offensive glass),” point guard Dallin Hall said, “and they knew that.”
But every UVA opponent knows that. What Carolina did that others could not was punish Virginia for it.
“Just our transition defense was not where it needed to be throughout the entire night,” Odom said.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 16 points in the opening half, but the Tar Heels closed the period on a 7-0 run and followed up by scoring on 16 of their first 19 possessions after intermission.
When Stevenson dunked off a feed from Henri Veesaar, Carolina led 59-58, its first advantage since 2-0.
The game was on.
“The first half, I thought they kicked our tail (physically),” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “In the second half, I thought we met the fight.”
“The end of the first half was a killer,” Odom said. “The start of the second half — another killer.”
There’s no better way for a first-year ACC basketball coach to earn credibility: Start knocking off the conference’s national championship brands.
Odom’s first opportunity was Jan. 3 at NC State, two seasons removed from a charmed run to the Final Four. The Cavaliers won 76-61 behind Sam Lewis’ season-best 23 points.
Ten days later, Virginia traveled to Louisville, which last year finished a game behind Duke atop the ACC standings. The Cavaliers prevailed 79-70 as Johann Grunloh scored a season-high 16 points and blocked four shots.
Saturday brought North Carolina to Charlottesville. No opponent stirs veteran UVA faithful more than UNC. Not Duke and certainly not Virginia Tech.
The Cavaliers and Tar Heels first met in 1911, and Saturday marked the rivalry’s 199th renewal, the most-played series in Virginia basketball history.
Bennett elevated the program to new heights during his 15 seasons, including the 2019 national championship, and no rivalry symbolized that rise like Virginia-Carolina. He finished 14-11 against the Tar Heels, unheard-of success for UVA in the series.
Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams demanded that his Carolina teams play fast, but Virginia rarely let them.
During a four-season stretch that began in 2015-16, UNC finished a combined 121-32, averaged more than 83 points a game, won an NCAA title and advanced to another Elite Eight. In that same span, the Tar Heels were 2-5 against Virginia, averaging 59 points in the process.
The best of those four Carolina squads, the 2017 national champs, lost at JPJ in the regular season’s penultimate game 53-43, the fewest points the Tar Heels have scored since a pre-shot-clock, 47-40 loss at Duke in 1979.
Conversely, Saturday’s 85 points were the most Carolina has scored in Charlottesville since 2005, when the eventual national champions cruised 110-76 at University Hall.
In losing their first three ACC road games this season — at SMU, Stanford and Cal — the Tar Heels allowed their opponents to shoot 43.1% beyond the arc. Virginia managed 29.6% Saturday, 16.7% in the second half.
“We didn’t get them to chase us enough,” Odom said. “But ultimately, we scored 80 points. You have to defend.”
“That’s when we’re a top team in the country,” Hall said, “when we’re locked in defensively.”
David Teel, david.teel@virginiamedia.com
