The ACC basketball season is underway, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are off to a 1-1 start in conference play.
UNC (Saturday) suffered a setback at SMU 97-83, but the Broncos (12-2, 2-0 ACC) look every bit the conference favorite. North Carolina still has a tough schedule heading into 2026, with upcoming games against Wake Forest (Jan. 10), Stanford (Jan. 14), Cal (Jan. 17) and Notre Dame (Jan. 21).
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On Monday afternoon, UNC learned the start time for its toughest remaining games of the month. The Tar Heels will face Virginia on Saturday, January 24 at 2 p.m.
The Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 ACC) are off to a hot start in year one under Ryan Odom, who has a proven track record of success at UMBC, Utah State and Virginia Commonwealth University. UVA’s leaders on the field include Belgian forward Theis De Ridder, transfers Malik Thomas and Jakari White, and freshman Chance Mallory.
Last February, North Carolina defeated Virginia 81-66 at home as part of the NCAA Tournament’s end-of-season campaign. UNC last visited Charlottesville in February 2024, winning 54-44 for its first road win in the “South’s oldest rivalry” since 2012.
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Even though the Tar Heels and Cavaliers only met once during the regular season, both teams are expected to dance in March. North Carolina knows how to beat good teams – and UVA is another one of the many teams on the schedule.
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This article originally appeared in Tar Heels Wire: UNC-Virginia basketball kickoff Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.
