North Carolina
Why Duke’s Loss to North Carolina Was Huge for Virginia and Their Quest To Be ACC’s Top Team
In one, if not the best game of the season, North Carolina took down Duke on a buzzer beating shot, handing the Blue Devils their first conference loss of the season. For good reason, Duke has been the heavy favorite to win the regular season crown in the ACC, but this loss opens up the door for some other teams to make a charge for the No. 1 seed in the conference and one of those teams is Virginia.
The Cavaliers have continued to fly under the radar this season, despite a 20-3 record. Not only that, but this team is a triple overtime loss to Virginia Tech and a blown double digit lead to North Carolina away from being 22-1 and unbeaten in ACC play. They lost those games, but they still have a chance to be the best team in the conference down the stretch of the season.
Can they catch Duke?
Right now, Virginia is tied for second in the ACC with NC State, who they blew out in Raleigh earlier this season. Duke and Clemson are 10-1 in the conference while the Cavaliers and the Wolfpack are 9-2 while North Carolina and Miami are 7-3.
For the Cavaliers to catch up to Duke, all they have to do is win out. That is easier said than done, but there is only one game that the Cavaliers are going to be underdogs in the rest of the way and it is the game against the Blue Devils on the road. Win that, you win the tiebreaker over them and with a loss from Clemson (they play Duke this Saturday), then you are looking at a team that will finish with the best record in the conference and be the regular season champion in the ACC.
Since blowing the lead against North Carolina, Virginia has won four in a row, despite not playing their best in games against Notre Dame and Boston College. Here is their schedule the rest of the way:
At Florida State (Tuesday)
vs Ohio State (Saturday)
at Georgia Tech (2/18)
vs Miami (2/21)
vs NC State (2/24)
at Duke (2/28)
vs Wake Forest (3/3)
vs Virginia Tech (3/7)
The three game stretch against Miami, NC State, and Duke is going to determine the ceiling for this team. If they can sweep those games, they have a strong chance at finishing as the regular season champion in the ACC while also positioning themselves to be a top seed in the ACC Tournament.
It is a tall task and Virginia has been up and down, even in their wins, but Ryan Odom has an opportunity to continue to do something special in his first season in Charlottesville as the head coach and don’t be surprised if you look at the ACC Tournament bracket at the end of the season and see that the Cavaliers are at the top.
More Virginia Basketball News:
Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Fire crews are responding to a brush fire near Howard Gap Road in Hendersonville on Friday evening.
The fire is across the street from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and near the Highlands Square Shopping Center.
Henderson County Fire Marshal Glen Gillette said crews are fighting “blowdown from Helene.”
NEW WILDFIRES IGNITE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOREST AMID WORSENING DROUGHT
Around 11 p.m., the fire appears larger than it did an hour ago because crews are backburning, which refers to using fire to help control the wildfire.
Dana Fire Department Chief Jimmy Womack said that what was a 3-acre fire an hour ago will be an 8-acre fire due to back burning. He said the fire is 80% contained.
Womack said the cause of the fire is unknown, but one of the conditions contributing to the blaze is the Helene blowdown.
“There’s a lot of blowdown in these woods behind us. That’s what creates most of the problem,” said Womack.
Womack said there has been no property damage and no injuries have been reported for this fire in the woods that 24 personnel are fighting. They got the call to arrive at 6:05 p.m.
LOCAL NEWS
Dana Fire and Rescue and Henderson County Fire Department are supporting the U.S. Forest Service with this fire.
Glen said no structures are threatened at this time and Howard Gap Road is closed.
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This story will be updated as new information is discovered.
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