Justin Jackson scored a game-high 20 points in UNC's victory Saturday night.
No. 10 North Carolina had little difficulty cruising by No. 14 Virginia 65-41 in Saturday ACC primetime action.
Justin Jackson scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the first half as UNC quickly built an insurmountable lead helped by UVA's shooting woes. The Cavaliers —who have now dropped three straight games — finished just 27.8 percent from the floor and were just 2-of-20 from 3-point range.
Follow the thread below for a full recap of highlights, scores and reactions from Saturday's game:
Having lost four of six games following its five-game winning streak, No. 14 Virginia, with an 8-5 conference mark, has slipped out of ACC contention. It has been almost six years since the Cavaliers last lost three consecutive games, but they face a tricky trip to Chapel Hill to battle the No. 8 Tar Heels. North Carolina currently sits atop the ACC, but will have to earn its regular-season crown by facing four ranked teams in its final five games, starting with Saturday’s matchup.
Players to watch
Virginia guard London Perrantes, putting up 12.6 points per game this season, has been the Cavaliers’ leading scorer each of the last three games. He is the only Cavalier averaging more than 30 minutes per night.
North Carolina guard Joel Berry led the rout over North Carolina State on Wednesday night with 18 points, and he also leads the Tar Heels in assists (101) and steals (38) this year.
Key stats
Virginia’s last three-game losing streak came in Feb. 2011.
North Carolina leads the ACC in scoring with 87.7 points per game, while Virginia is allowing only 55.5 per night.
The Tar Heels are averaging 44 rebounds per game.
North Carolina is 13-0 at home this season and has won 15 straight in Chapel Hill.
Virginia beat North Carolina by five points in the regular season last year, but was ousted by the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament final.
Forward Justin Jackson leads the Tar Heels with an average of 18.5 points per game.
