Just In: Joel Berry send a devastating news to Hubert Davis

North Carolina is gearing up for a pivotal ACC clash at Virginia on Saturday, and Tar Heel legend and Inside Carolina contributor Joel Berry joined host Taylor Vippolis on their weekly Up in the Rafters Inside Carolina show to preview the big matchup.

The Tar Heels have lost their last eight matchups against the Cavaliers in John Paul Jones Arena dating back to the 2011-12 season. Hubert Davis is 3-2 versus Virginia overall since taking over the UNC job (after Roy Williams lost his last seven games against the Cavs).

Here are Berry’s thoughts on playing in John Paul Jones Arena and where the Tar Heels can seize the advantage on Saturday:

UNC HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN THE PAINT, NEEDS TO FEED ARMANDO BACOT

“This Virginia team isn’t as good defensively as they were in the past. They’ve held Miami to 38 points and had some other low-scoring games, but there are a lot of holes in his Virginia defense, especially in the paint. UNC can dominate the paint, with Jordan Minor being undersized. Blake Buchanan is a freshman. Carolina scored 54 points against Virginia Tech in the paint. I haven’t seen Virginia double-team like they did in the past. That could change this game with what Armando Bacot presents.

“If they play Armando one-on-one — get him the ball to down low. They can find success there. Reece Beekman will be on RJ Davis. Cormac Ryan will be matched up with Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Dunn will be on Harrison Ingram. I want them to stay away from Ryan Dunn. That dude is very good defensively. Carolina can find success in the paint area, but they have to get Armando involved early and often on Saturday.”

“Virginia is just one of those unorthodox teams. They play very differently than a lot of teams in the country. They’ve averaged the slowest pace in college basketball over the last 10 years. It’s hard to play against, especially for a Carolina team that plays on the opposite side of the spectrum. Also, it’s a crowd that gets excited about shot clock violations and blocked shots more than they do about anything on offense. It’s just a tough place to play.”