By Jerry Ratcliffe
One of the highlights of Saturday’s game between ACC heavyweights No. 14 Virginia (16-2, 5-1) and No. 22 North Carolina (15-4, 3-3), noon ESPN2, will likely pit star freshmen Thijs De Ridder and Caleb Williams in a physical battle.
The Tar Heels’ Wilson, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound, likely lottery pick, may be matched up against UVA’s De Ridder, a 6-9, 245-pound hulk of a man. At least former Virginia coach Jeff Jones believes those two will be matched up in a key element of the game.
“I’m guessing those two are going to be going head-to-head as two really good players, but two very different players,” Jones said during the latest episode of “The Hootie & JJ Show,” in analyzing that potential matchup. “Wilson is long, athletic and skilled and he plays hard, but he’s going to go up and over. Thijs isn’t going to block his shot. The seven-footers might. Caleb can’t jump into that length.
“But with Thijs’ body, when Thijs puts that shoulder into him, puts that hip into him, it makes it really hard for an athlete like Caleb, who’s lighter. It’s hard to jump when you have a 250-pound guy with a shoulder in your chest. So the matchup will be a contrast of styles and body types.”
Virginia hasn’t played since last weekend when the Cavaliers came off a successful road trip, sweeping Louisville and SMU. Louisville had dropped only one home game this season until it hosted UVA, while SMU was unbeaten at home until the Wahoos hit Dallas.
Carolina hammered Notre Dame in Chapel Hill this week (91-69) to restore some confidence after the Heels had lost three of their previous four games — all three losses coming on the road at SMU, Cal and Stanford. UNC is 1-3 on the road this season.
While the game is more than about just a potential Wilson vs. De Ridder showdown, it’s still a fun head-to-head battle to anticipate.
“They have a dynamite freshman who certainly is going to be a lottery pick,” UVA coach Ryan Odom said this week in reference to Williams. “In space, the shots that he makes, if you give him space, he’s making it, number one. And number two, he can make really hard shots over you where you feel like it’s pretty well contested, but he still finds a way to put it in the basket in a professional way. I think that we have a good balance with their group.”
Wilson averages around 20 points a game and put up 22 against the Irish in the last outing, hitting 8 of 11 shots to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He was particularly fired up after the long trip home from California and emerged from those back-to-back losses as a more determined, vocal leader for the Tar Heels, according to Coach Hubert Davis.
Wilson has shown more leadership since that trip.
“For me, honestly, I just know my time here is limited, and I want to make the most of it,” Wilson said after clobbering Notre Dame. “Every game matters to me, so, honestly, I was yelling at my teammates about, like, we’re North Carolina, bro. We shouldn’t be losing to Cal. That’s just how I feel. I feel like that’s how everybody feels.”
Odom, coaching in the ACC for the first time, has had a week with his staff to analyze the Tar Heels and come up with a strategy on how to win a big home game against one of college basketball’s bluebloods.
“I’ve just been really impressed,” Odom said of Carolina. “Obviously, I’ve watched a bunch of their games from earlier in the season and certainly more recently. I wouldn’t read too much into the California swing. We know that those teams are really good (UVA defeated both Cal and Stanford recently in Charlottesville), and they’re especially good at home and tough to deal with. The travel all the way over there. I’ve just been impressed with them overall, their defense has been good. Over the course of the season, the offense really flows and moves.”
Virginia’s defense has certainly been good as well. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 1 in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense (.381) and No. 2 in the league in blocked shots per game (6.44).
UVA is a 6.5-point favorite, according to oddsmakers.
