What to expect when UNC men's basketball hosts No. 14 Virginia on Saturday

The No. 10 North Carolina men’s basketball team takes on No. 14 Virginia at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday in the Smith Center. The Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games — including a 10-point home loss to Duke on Wednesday — but are still an extremely talented team that could give UNC some trouble.

The two sides split the season series in 2015-16, with Virginia getting the upper hand in the first meeting and North Carolina exacting revenge with a win in the ACC Tournament final.

How do they play?

Under the tutelage of head coach Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers have had a reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country since his arrival in 2009. And that’s no different this season.

Virginia currently leads the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 55.5 points per game in 25 contests. The Cavaliers also allow their opponents to make only 39.5 percent of their field goal attempts, good for 20th in the country.

It will be interesting to see how Virginia handles itself on the defensive glass. The Cavaliers allow opponents to rebound 23.2 percent of their misses, the third lowest rate in the country per kenpom.com. On the other side, UNC leads the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, hauling in 42.5 percent of its misses.

Something’s gotta give on the boards Saturday night.

Who stands out?

With the graduation of guard Malcolm Brogdon leaving a star-sized hole in the Virginia roster, the Cavaliers have turned to several players to carry the load.

Leading the way is senior guard London Perrantes, who is the only Virginia player averaging at least 10 points per game this season.

The Los Angeles native has had some setbacks this year, though. After leading the ACC in 3-point percentage (48.8) in 2015-16, Perrantes has hit just 39.1 percent of his attempts from behind the arc this season.

Behind Perrantes, junior guard Marial Shayok has made the most of his increased minutes this season.

The Ontario native backed up Brogdon all of last season and averaged just 4.3 points per game. This season, the junior has more than doubled his scoring output (9.6 points per game) while hitting over 45 percent of his shots on the year.

What’s their weakness?

The Cavaliers are never going to be a team that scares opponents on the offensive end — in fact, Virginia ranks next to last in the country in adjusted tempo and 276th in points per game (68.8) in 2016-17.

That hasn’t hurt the Cavaliers in the past, but this team’s offense is considerably less dangerous on the attack, particularly inside.

Virginia’s starters down low — Isaiah Wilkins and Jack Salt — average a combined 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. For comparison, North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks combine for 25.2 points and 14.6 rebounds per game.

How could they win?

The Cavaliers have given UNC fits over the past few seasons, winning four of the past five regular-season meetings between the two teams.

If Virginia can stifle the Tar Heel attack — which despite ranking first in the ACC in scoring has had some suspect stretches lately — and can have one or two more guys step up offensively, the Cavaliers could add a blemish to North Carolina’s currently undefeated record at home.

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com