The No.1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6) and No.2-seeded Virginia Cavaliers (26-6) meet in the fifth round of the ACC tournament at the Verizon Center. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Tar Heels come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, blowing out Notre Dame 78-47 in the 4. Marcus Paige was the game’s leading scorer with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-68 win against Miami (FL) in the 4. Malcolm Brogdon led the game in scoring by registering 24 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Brogdon has upped his play over the last five games for the Cavaliers, averaging 22.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.4 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as North Carolina currently ranks ninth in the nation in offensive efficiency and Virginia is fifth in defensive efficiency. Also, the sharp-shooting offense of the Cavaliers ranks 23rd in eFG% at 54.8%, while the Tar Heels are sixth-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (47.5%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first matchup 73-68. Paige had a stellar game with 16 points, three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and four three-pointers.
Notes
In its last game, North Carolina won by a margin of 31 points. Virginia is 8-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. North Carolina has an 11-0 record in blowouts.
The Virginia Cavaliers rank 15th for their offensive rating of 116.3. The North Carolina Tar Heels have a defensive rating of 99.8 (ranked eighth).
The Virginia Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the nation with a FG% of 49.2%. The North Carolina Tar Heels are undefeated with a 1-0 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. North Carolina is 94th and 24th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Virginia ranks 23rd and ninth in these categories.
The North Carolina Tar Heels rank fourth in assists per game with an average of 18.3. The Virginia Cavaliers are among the worst in the country with 14.5 assists per game (ranked 101st).
North Carolina, the 54th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.5 per game. Virginia does worse, ranked 232nd with 2.9.
North Carolina is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking seventh. Virginia ranks just 323rd in defensive rebounds.
The North Carolina Tar Heels make an average of 6.8 steals per game. When the Virginia Cavaliers allow 6 or more steals, they are a dazzling 13-1.
