Virginia Hosts No. 25 North Carolina Thursday In ACC Home Opener

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia faces its second-consecutive ranked opponent when it hosts No. 25 North Carolina on Thursday (Jan. 5) at John Paul Jones Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live online as part of Cavaliers Live, UVa’s live audio and video streaming offering. Live statistics will also be available at VirginiaSports.com, and the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on WINA 1070 AM in the Charlottesville area.

Virginia (12-3, 0-1 ACC) is coming off of a 77-66 loss at seventh-ranked Duke on Monday (Jan. 2) in its conference opener. That loss snapped a seven-game Cavalier win streak.

Virginia is led by senior guard Ariana Moorer (Woodbridge, Va.), who averages 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and sophomore guard Ataira Franklin (Bowie, Md.) who averages 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 20 three-point field goals made. Franklin notched her first double-double of the season (third of her career) at Duke, tallying 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

In the frontcourt, Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) and Simone Egwu (Odenton, Md.) have started all 15 of the Cavaliers’ contests. Shine leads the squad by averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, which ranks 14th in the ACC.

Junior guard Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.) has stepped into a starting role for the injured China Crosby (New York, N.Y.) and ranks third in the league with 3.1 steals per game.

North Carolina (11-2, 1-0 ACC) opened up conference play with a 65-63 victory over Miami at home. The Tar Heels are led by the league’s top scorer, Chay Shegog (17.3 points per game).

Virginia trails the all-time series with UNC, 32-45, but the teams have split the last two meetings. An 82-78 double-overtime victory in 2010 for the Cavaliers was the last meeting at JPJA. Last season in Chapel Hill, UNC prevailed 64-52.

In all-time meetings in Charlottesville, Virginia leads the series 18-13.

UVa leads the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents 51.1 points per game, but North Carolina has the league’s third-most potent offense, as the Tar Heels average 79.3 points per game.

Similarly, Virginia is limiting opponents to 25.6 percent (74 of 289) from behind the 3-point line, but North Carolina shoots 34.7 percent from 3-point land and has connected on 69 of 199 attempts this season.

Following Thursday’s game, Virginia travels to Clemson on Sunday (Jan. 8) for a 2 p.m. contest.