UNC heads to Charlottesville for a Top 25 matchup with Virginia, where several individual battles could shape Saturday’s outcome.
No. 22 North Carolina faces its toughest road test of the season Saturday when it travels to play the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers.
North Carolina (15-4, 3-3 ACC) rides a 90-69 win over Notre Dame that snapped a two-game skid, highlighted by its best defensive effort in weeks. The Irish shot just 36% from the field and 32% from 3, finishing with 69 points, UNC’s stingiest outing since the opener. Offensively, Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon paced a balanced Tar Heels attack.
Virginia (16-2, 5-1 ACC) presents a far stiffer challenge than Notre Dame. The Cavaliers are highly efficient on offense, averaging 84.0 points per game, and, in typical Tony Bennett fashion, they remain defined by their defense. Virginia leads the ACC in field goal percentage defense (38.1%), 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.9%), effective field goal defense (43.5%) and blocks per game (6.4). The Cavaliers also rank third in the league in scoring defense, allowing 67.5 points per game.
PF Thijs De Ridder (6-9, 235)
De Ridder was one of the top young players in Europe after he helped lead Bilbao Basket to Liga ACB, Spain’s top league, and FIBA Europe Cup titles, averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 Liga ACB season.
The 22-year-old Belgian freshman has shown the rest of the country what he can do. He is Virginia’s leading scorer at 16.1 points per game and is averaging 6.2 rebounds. He is shooting 53.3% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.
G Malik Thomas (6-5, 215)
Thomas is averaging 13.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the field and 36% from 3. His numbers have been even better in conference play, as he is averaging 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 44.7% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc.
C Johann Grunloh (7-0, 238)
Grunloh, from Germany, is another European product. He is averaging 8.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, solid numbers for the Cavaliers. He also can step out and shoot, hitting 32.4% from 3-point range. But he is best known for his shot-blocking; he is second in the ACC and 13th nationally with 2.5 blocks per game.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Three Virginia players to watch
Category: General Sports
