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Virginia basketball: Interior defense, perimeter shooting crucial for Cavaliers to beat North Carolina

Games don't get much bigger during the regular season than the showdown between the #3 Virginia Cavaliers and the #7 North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC sits two games ahead of Virginia in the ACC standings and, with a win, can eliminate the Hoos from their quest for a third straight ACC regular season title.

Here are three key areas to watch for Virginia to gain the upper hand.

Force UNC to shoot from outside

Carolina's insane offensive efficiency—the Heels enter the game with a KenPom ORating of 119.8, 5th in the country—is in large part because it takes and makes high percentage shots from the interior.