North Carolina looks to win their fifth consecutive game when they travel to Virginia for the first half of Big Monday. The Tar Heels won the ACC regular-season title over the weekend and will be the one seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Cavaliers have slid all the way to a 9-7 conference record, but they were able to snap a four-game losing streak with a win over NC State.
This game will tip off at 7:00 PM Eastern time and can be seen on ESPN, online at ESPN.com/watch, and the WatchESPN and ESPN mobile apps.
No. 8 North Carolina (25-5, 13-3 ACC)
It's been a dominant stretch for UNC as they've taken the regular season crown. Prior to smacking down Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels took down Louisville and made Virginia struggle mightily on offense just over a week ago. The defense held the Cavaliers to just 41 points, and their opponent missed their first 17 3-point attempts on the night.
Senior forward Kennedy Meeks (12.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg) picked up his second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Pittsburgh. Junior forward Justin Jackson (18.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) led the team with 23 points, most of that coming from hitting 5-of-11 3-point attempts. That was his third straight game with 20 or more points.
No. 18 Virginia (19-9, 9-7 ACC)
are well-known for that great defense, but it hasn't mattered with how low the offense has shrunk. Lucky for them before this big matchup, they found some of their mojo in a 70-55 win over NC State. Virginia hit an astonishing 11-of-16 3-pointers -- freshman guard Kyle Guy (7.4 ppg) shook the team draining five of them and finished with 19 points.
As expected, the Cavaliers have been sliding in tournament projections. They currently sit as a 4 or 5 seed after their win, but this upcoming test will truly show if the offense has gotten it back together. They'll hope Marial Shayok (9.3 ppg) revives himself after putting up zero points in just 12 minutes of action last time out.
North Carolina is a two-point favorite on the road. They are 16-12 at the spread as a favorite but are only 3-9 on the road.
