Feb. 25, 2012
Game Notes (.pdf)
North Carolina Tar Heels (24-4, 11-2 ACC) vs.
Virginia Cavaliers (21-6, 8-5 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
Tipoff: 4 p.m.
Site: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Va.
Television: ESPN - Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Len Elmore (analyst)
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network - Jones Angell (play-by-play), Eric Montross (analyst), Dave Nathan (host)
National Radio: Regular-season games are available nationally on Sirius/XM satellite radio and via subscription on UNC's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
On the Web: TarHeelBlue.com; @UNC_Basketball
Records/Series History
Carolina Record: 24-4, 11-2 ACC (16-1 home, 6-2 away, 2-1 neutral)
Virginia Record: 21-6, 8-5 ACC (13-1 home, 6-4 away, 2-1 neutral)
Series History: UNC leads, 126-49
Recently: UNC has won eight of the last nine meetings and 12 of the last 15
Roy Williams vs. UVa: 13-4 (11-3 at UNC, 2-1 at Kansas)
National Rankings
UNC: #7 AP/#7 coaches
Virginia: #25 AP/unranked coaches
TAR HEELS LOOK FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT ROAD WIN SATURDAY TO STAY ATOP ACC STANDINGS
North Carolina (24-4, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) will try to keep pace with Duke atop the ACC standings when it visits Virginia (21-6, 8-5 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
ESPN will televise the game nationally, with Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action.
The Tar Heels enter this weekend's action with an 11-2 ACC record, tied for first place in the conference with Duke. Virginia is in fourth place at 8-5.
Carolina has won five consecutive ACC road games, beating Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Maryland, Miami and NC State away from Chapel Hill since losing at Florida State on Jan. 14. The Tar Heels are 46-24 on the road in ACC play in nine seasons under head coach Roy Williams, winning almost two of every three league road games in the Williams era.
The Tar Heels have gone 27-5 in their last 32 ACC games, closing 2009-10 by winning two of three conference contests, going 14-2 in 2010-11 and starting this season 11-2.
Carolina is coming off one of its best offensive performances of the season, an 86-74 win on the road at NC State on Tuesday. Virginia beat Virginia Tech on the road on Tuesday night.
UNC is ranked No. 7 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls this week. Virginia is No. 25 in the AP poll and unranked by the coaches.
UPCOMING: After Saturday's game, the Tar Heels will return to Chapel Hill for Senior Night against Maryland next Wednesday (Feb. 29), then close out the 2011-12 regular season at Duke next Saturday night.
WILLIAMS ONE WIN FROM 250 AT CAROLINA
Head coach Roy Williams enters Saturday's game with a record of 249-66 in nine seasons as the North Carolina head coach and needs one win to reach the 250-win plateau in Chapel Hill. Williams' career record is 667-167 in his 24th season overall.
THE SERIES VS. THE CAVALIERS
Carolina leads the series with Virginia, 126-49.
The Tar Heels have won eight of their last nine games against Virginia, only losing a 2010 decision in Chapel Hill since January of 2006.
Carolina has an all-time record of 43-31 at Virginia, including a 2-0 record at John Paul Jones Arena (UNC wins in Feb. 2008, Jan. 2009 and Jan. 2011).
Carolina has won three games in a row in Charlottesville. The Tar Heels haven't won four games in a row at Virginia since 1976-79.
UNC is 4-2 in Charlottesville under head coach Roy Williams with wins in 2005 (110-76), 2008 (75-74), 2009 (83-61) and 2011 (62-56) and losses in 2004 (72-74) and 2006 (68-72).
The Tar Heels went 23-18 in University Hall in Charlottesville prior to the opening of John Paul Jones Arena.
Roy Williams is 13-4 vs. Virginia as a head coach, including an 11-3 mark at Carolina and a 2-1 mark at Kansas.
TWO WEEKS AGO IN CHAPEL HILL
Tyler Zeller had 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals and Harrison Barnes and John Henson both posted double-doubles as Carolina defeated Virginia, 70-52, on Saturday Feb. 11 in the Smith Center.
Virginia's four previous losses in the 2011-12 season had been by a combined 10 points.
Barnes finished with 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds despite shooting 4 for 15 in the game.
Henson shot 4 for 11 and finished with 10 points and 10 boards.
Carolina grabbed 52 rebounds in the game to Virginia's 32 and had 23 offensive boards to the Cavaliers' eight. As a result, the Tar Heels scored 23 points off its offensive rebounds and Virginia had nine such points.
Barnes, Henson and Zeller combined for 30 rebounds while the entire Virginia team combined for 32 rebounds.
UNC used a 22-5 run to seize control of the game, turning a two-point deficit at 41-39 into a 15-point lead at 61-46 with under seven minutes to play.
Only three players came off the Tar Heel bench to play in the game, those being Stilman White, Justin Watts and James Michael McAdoo. The trio combined for 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers.
Carolina hit just 1 of 10 three-point attempts as a team. Reggie Bullock hit the lone three-pointer for the Tar Heels, shooting 1 for 6 from behind the arc.
UNC shot just 35.3 percent from the floor as a team, including 32.3 percent in the first half and 37.8 percent after the break. The Tar Heel defense held the Cavaliers to 36.4 percent in the game, including 30.8 percent in the decisive second half. 
