University of North Carolina Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Charlottesville, Va.
Noon
North Carolina
16-4,4-3ACC
85
at
80
Virginia
16-3,5-2ACC
1
2
F
North Carolina
34
51
85
Virginia
43
37
80
Jarin Stevenson
Photo by: MAGGIE HOBSON
UNC MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tar Heels Roar Back To Win At No. 14 Virginia, 85-80
January 24, 2026 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — No. 22 North Carolina trailed by as many as 16 points late in the first half before rocketing back for an 85-80 road win at No. 14 Virginia on Saturday afternoon in John Paul Jones Arena.
After trailing, 43-27, with 2:05 left in the first half, the Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers, 58-37, the rest of the way to rally for their first Atlantic Coast Conference victory on the road this season. Carolina shot 63.5 percent in the second half.
Jarin Stevenson led the rally with 17 second-half points, scoring all his points after halftime in just 16 total minutes of action. He drew an offensive foul on the defensive end, then nailed a three-pointer for an 81-74 lead with 1:38 to play.
Caleb Wilson hit a jumper, followed by free throws from freshman Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac in the final 22 seconds to preserve the big road win.
Wilson scored 20 points for the Tar Heels, posting his 14th 20-point effort in 20 games and tying Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06) for the most 20-point games by a UNC freshman with 11 regular season games remaining.
Seth Trimble was efficient with 16 points on 5 of 6 shooting (including 2 of 2 from three-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free throw line with five rebounds. Bogavac hit three three-pointers and scored 14 points, his best offensive output since scoring 15 against East Carolina on December 22. Dixon started his third consecutive game at point guard and continued to thrive, scoring 11 points with a season-high seven assists and four rebounds.
Thijs De Ridder led Virginia with 20 points and eight rebounds, hitting 7 of 11 shots. After the Cavaliers hit six three-pointers in the first half, they hit just two in the second to finish 8 for 27 (29.6 percent) from behind the arc.
The Cavs outrebounded Carolina, 44-28, the highest rebound margin by a Tar Heel opponent this season, and dominated second-chance points, 17-7.
Virginia hit six first-half three-pointers and led by as many as 16 points in the first half, eventually leading, 43-34, at halftime.
Carolina clawed back, using a 19-6 rally to pull within three at 49-46 early in the second half. The Tar Heels eventually took the lead on a dunk by Stevenson with just under 12 minutes to play, setting up a tense final 12 minutes.
How It Happened
First Half
• Virginia started the game on a 10-2 run before the first timeout before the Tar Heels roared back to tie the score at 14-14.
• The Cavalier defense held Carolina without a field goal for nearly five minutes as it built a double-digit lead midway through the half.
• A three-pointer by Malik Thomas gave UVA a 42-27 lead with 2:41 remaining until halftime. It was UVA's sixth basket from behind the arc.
• Bogavac hit three first-half three-pointers to help keep the Tar Heels within striking distance, finishing the half with a team-high 11 points.
• Bogavac and Dixon both hit three-pointers in the final minute to pull Carolina within nine at 43-34 at halftime.
• Virginia outrebounded the Tar Heels, 26-16, and dominated second-chance points, 14-5, and points in the paint, 20-10.
• Carolina warmed up later in the half but shot 35.5 percent in the first 20 minutes while UVA was 45.7 percent, including 40.0 percent from three-point range (6 for 15).
• Wilson had 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting with two assists and two blocks.
Second Half
• Trimble hit a pair of three-pointers in the first two minutes after intermission as UNC started the half on a 10-6 run to pull within five at 49-44.
• Carolina hit three triples in the first four minutes of the second half, creeping back within three points at 52-49 after a three-pointer from Dixon.
• Carolina hit 11 of its first 15 shots in the second half (73.3 percent).
• UNC took its first lead since early in the game on a dunk by Stevenson off a nice assist by Henri Veesaar to make it 59-58 with 11:57 to go.
• Carolina shot 14 for 19 (73.6 percent) from two-point range in the second half and 5 for 11 (45.5) from three.
Notes
• The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but was moved up to a noon start time due to forecasted wintry weather in the area.
Up Next
After a week off, Carolina will return to action on the road next Saturday at Georgia Tech.
After trailing, 43-27, with 2:05 left in the first half, the Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers, 58-37, the rest of the way to rally for their first Atlantic Coast Conference victory on the road this season. Carolina shot 63.5 percent in the second half.
Jarin Stevenson led the rally with 17 second-half points, scoring all his points after halftime in just 16 total minutes of action. He drew an offensive foul on the defensive end, then nailed a three-pointer for an 81-74 lead with 1:38 to play.
Caleb Wilson hit a jumper, followed by free throws from freshman Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac in the final 22 seconds to preserve the big road win.
Wilson scored 20 points for the Tar Heels, posting his 14th 20-point effort in 20 games and tying Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06) for the most 20-point games by a UNC freshman with 11 regular season games remaining.
Seth Trimble was efficient with 16 points on 5 of 6 shooting (including 2 of 2 from three-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free throw line with five rebounds. Bogavac hit three three-pointers and scored 14 points, his best offensive output since scoring 15 against East Carolina on December 22. Dixon started his third consecutive game at point guard and continued to thrive, scoring 11 points with a season-high seven assists and four rebounds.
Thijs De Ridder led Virginia with 20 points and eight rebounds, hitting 7 of 11 shots. After the Cavaliers hit six three-pointers in the first half, they hit just two in the second to finish 8 for 27 (29.6 percent) from behind the arc.
The Cavs outrebounded Carolina, 44-28, the highest rebound margin by a Tar Heel opponent this season, and dominated second-chance points, 17-7.
Virginia hit six first-half three-pointers and led by as many as 16 points in the first half, eventually leading, 43-34, at halftime.
Carolina clawed back, using a 19-6 rally to pull within three at 49-46 early in the second half. The Tar Heels eventually took the lead on a dunk by Stevenson with just under 12 minutes to play, setting up a tense final 12 minutes.
How It Happened
First Half
• Virginia started the game on a 10-2 run before the first timeout before the Tar Heels roared back to tie the score at 14-14.
• The Cavalier defense held Carolina without a field goal for nearly five minutes as it built a double-digit lead midway through the half.
• A three-pointer by Malik Thomas gave UVA a 42-27 lead with 2:41 remaining until halftime. It was UVA's sixth basket from behind the arc.
• Bogavac hit three first-half three-pointers to help keep the Tar Heels within striking distance, finishing the half with a team-high 11 points.
• Bogavac and Dixon both hit three-pointers in the final minute to pull Carolina within nine at 43-34 at halftime.
• Virginia outrebounded the Tar Heels, 26-16, and dominated second-chance points, 14-5, and points in the paint, 20-10.
• Carolina warmed up later in the half but shot 35.5 percent in the first 20 minutes while UVA was 45.7 percent, including 40.0 percent from three-point range (6 for 15).
• Wilson had 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting with two assists and two blocks.
Second Half
• Trimble hit a pair of three-pointers in the first two minutes after intermission as UNC started the half on a 10-6 run to pull within five at 49-44.
• Carolina hit three triples in the first four minutes of the second half, creeping back within three points at 52-49 after a three-pointer from Dixon.
• Carolina hit 11 of its first 15 shots in the second half (73.3 percent).
• UNC took its first lead since early in the game on a dunk by Stevenson off a nice assist by Henri Veesaar to make it 59-58 with 11:57 to go.
• Carolina shot 14 for 19 (73.6 percent) from two-point range in the second half and 5 for 11 (45.5) from three.
Notes
• The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but was moved up to a noon start time due to forecasted wintry weather in the area.
Up Next
After a week off, Carolina will return to action on the road next Saturday at Georgia Tech.
Team Stats
UNC
UVa
FG%
.492
.453
3FG%
.455
.296
FT%
.682
.700
RB
28
44
TO
4
11
STL
5
2
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
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