Virginia entered the Dean Dome on Saturday with hopes of taking down North Carolina and extending their win streak to three. Instead, the Hoos suffered a deflating loss, falling by 16 points to the dominant Tar Heels. The game marked the conclusion of the three-game away stretch Virginia was dealt to open the new year. Now, the Hoos will return to the familiar confines of JPJ to take on a flailing Virginia Tech team. With Tony Bennett’s squad in need of a rebound, the Hokies seem like the ideal opponent. But rivalry games are never a given. There’s always an element of uncertainty in these games. And with Virginia still yet to prove itself, the Hoos will need to submit a good performance in order to secure the win and get the train back on the rails.

The inflating balloon of Virginia basketball was punctured on Saturday afternoon in the Dean Dome. North Carolina shot a rocket through Virginia’s balloon, winning by a score of 74-68 and snapping Virginia’s two-game ACC road win streak.

When Virginia and North Carolina take the court in the Dean Dome, it will have been 1,785 days since the Heels last beat the Hoos. That’s nearly five years, and represents a streak of seven consecutive Wahoo victories. 

Just two weeks ago, Virginia was walking off its home court having fallen to Clemson by 17 points. On Tuesday night, in front of a sparse crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum, the Hoos exacted their revenge on the Tigers in a 75-65 victory. Here are three takeaways.

Virginia’s first meeting with Clemson did not go to plan, but the Hoos are back after a victory over Syracuse and ready for another crack at the Tigers.

It was an important result for a team that desperately needed a win. Here are three takeaways from Virginia’s victory over Syracuse.

Virginia had an underwhelming 2021, but hopefully the Hoos can turn the page in 2022. They’ll travel to Syracuse to open the new year.

Non-conference play was not exactly kind to Virginia, but maybe the Hoos can turn things around against a weak ACC. They’ll get their first chance to do so against a solid Clemson team:

Virginia returned from an 11-day break to notch a smooth win over FDU. Here are three takeaways, including thoughts on Tony Bennett’s choice of lineups.