Virginia Tech Dominates No. 10 UNC in Blacksburg, Ends Tar Heels’ Four-Game ACC Win Streak

The road woes against conference competition continued Monday night in Blacksburg for the 10^th-ranked Tar Heels, who were thoroughly outplayed in an 80-69 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Coming into the game, Virginia Tech (14-6, 3-4 ACC) was at the bottom of a large number of defensive categories amongst ACC teams.

Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, however, the Hokie defense kept UNC (16-5, 5-3 ACC) from ever getting too comfortable on the offensive end.

The Tar Heels—who are now 1-3 on the road in ACC play–led by as many as seven points in the first half, but settled too often for perimeter shots against a Virginia Tech team without much size on the interior.

UNC also struggled to get production from anyone other than point guard Joel Berry and forward Luke Maye.

Both players scored a team-high 23 points, with Maye adding a team-high nine rebounds and Berry grabbing another seven. All other Tar Heels combined to go 8-for-28 from the field—including 3-for-13 from behind the three-point line.

Virginia Tech, meanwhile, refused to allow UNC to get easy baskets in transition and became just the third team to outrebound head coach Roy Williams’ squad this season.

The Hokies also had six players score at least eight points and drilled 12 of their 30 attempts from three-point range—creating the perfect storm for a signature upset.

“They’ve given up high percentages for most of the season, but they were more aggressive,” Williams told reporters after the game. “They were into it more. Their sense of urgency was much greater than ours.”

The loss also ended a four-game win streak for the Tar Heels, who had played three of those contests inside the friendly confines of the Dean Dome.

Virginia Tech took the lead for good after closing the first half on a 15-2 run and never looked back.

Much like the last time UNC traveled to its neighbor to the north—a similarly embarrassing loss at Virginia—this game saw the team put its worst habits on display.

Movement on offense was stagnant. Effort was spotty. Add in the poor shot selection and lack of success on the boards and you have a group that completely strayed from the identity its head coach tries to build year in and year out.

“We have some issues, and that’s my responsibility,” Williams said. “I used to say that I shouldn’t have to coach effort and intensity. But I’m trying to coach that, and I’m not doing a very good job of it.”

Up Next:

UNC is scheduled to return home this weekend to host rival NC State at the Dean Dome on Saturday. Tip-off for that game is set for noon.

Game Notes:

• The Tar Heels had previously won their last seven games against Virginia Tech, a streak dating back to Feb. 2010.
• Luke Maye and Joel Berry combined to make 19 of their 35 attempts from the floor, while also being UNC’s top two rebounders.
• UNC’s lone win on the road in conference play was a one-point victory at Notre Dame which required a bit of luck, as Fighting Irish point guard TJ Gibbs’ shot at the buzzer bounced out of the rim after appearing like it was on the way down.

 

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Cover photo via Matt Gentry (Associated Press)