UVA vs. UNC: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The North Carolina Tar Heels (23-5, 11-3) maintained their lead over the rest of the ACC with a 65-41 win over the Virginia Cavaliers (18-8, 8-6) at the Smith Center Saturday night.

Justin Jackson and the Tar Heels were able to find a rhythm on offense. The Cavaliers were simply not.

The junior wing was able to fill up the stat sheet with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. The 20-point performance allowed him to join some pretty rare company, per Sherrell D. McMillan of Inside Carolina:

Although North Carolina is known for its pace and offense, the defense's ability to shut down Virginia's offense carried the day for head coach Roy Williams' squad.

The Cavaliers couldn't get anything going offensively, and it soon became the story of the game. After scoring just 22 points in the first half, things didn't get any better. Virginia had just five points in the first 11 minutes of the second half.

Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch summed up the Cavs' scoring woes:

Aaron Torres of Fox Sports wondered whether North Carolina's defense was this good or Virginia's offense was just this bad:

The Tar Heels were dominant on the glass as well, owning a 44-26 rebounding advantage. North Carolina's effort was led by Isaiah Hicks (10 points, eight rebounds) and Kennedy Meeks (13 points, seven rebounds).

Meeks also helped anchor a defense that allowed the Tar Heels to play with some pace and create easy offense:

Meanwhile, Virginia did get some offense from Marial Shayok. The guard put up 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, but he contributed little else.

The Wahoos defense didn't disappoint in the first half, with one exception. It doubled down in the post and put the pressure on, but it still couldn't stop Jackson from going off from beyond the arc.

Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer noted Jackson's efforts in the early stages of the first half.

The dynamic wing would finish the half with 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

The strong performance from Jackson had Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report hoping that his team would be taking Jackson come draft time:

The Cavaliers' lack of a playmaker of their own was obvious in the first half. The Heels defense was equally tenacious, holding the Cavs to 8-of-24 shooting. As it turned out, having the one player who could score regardless of the caliber of defense turned out to be the biggest difference in the game.

The win is a promising start to a tough stretch to close out the season. The Heels finish the year against ranked teams in three of their four games, with the next game taking place when they host the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers are now desperate for a win. After losing three straight now, Virginia will look to right the ship when it hosts the Miami Hurricanes on Monday.

Postgame Reaction

After the game, Williams voiced concern that his team's defensive performance may have been bolstered by simple bad shooting from Virginia:

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett was disappointed that his offense hung the defense out to dry against a talented Tar Heels team:

The coach also praised the atmosphere in the Smith Center for a game that turned out to be a blowout:

The Tar Heels will need to continue to hope that the Smith Center is a tough place to play to finish out the season on a strong note.