Virginia Tech Hokies at North Carolina Tar Heels
· NCAA Men's Basketball
53 - 68
Jackson, No. 15 UNC earn sloppy 68-53 win over Hokies
North Carolina held on for a sloppy 68-53 victory over the Hokies on Sunday night behind 16 points from Justin Jackson.
"Sometimes you've got to win ugly to have a really good year," coach Roy Williams said, "and that was an ugly win."
He briefly left the court midway through the second half after team spokesman Steve Kirschner said he was elbowed in his right hip and suffered a bruise.
Still, the Tar Heels did some things right: They held the Hokies scoreless for nearly 7 minutes and outrebounded them 49-22, allowing them just four offensive boards.
"It's just really hard when you get beat on the glass" like that, Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said.
Adam Smith had 11 points to lead Virginia Tech (8-9, 0-4), which cut an 18-point deficit to eight and closed to 61-53 on Smith's 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes left.
Theo Pinson countered with a dunk, and J.P. Tokoto, Brice Johnson and Nate Britt combined to hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute.
Shane Henry added 10 points for the Hokies, who were without leading scorer Justin Bibbs (concussion).
They made more 3-pointers (10) than 2-pointers (nine) but shot just 36 percent, lost their fifth straight overall and fell to 0-5 on the road.
Tokoto finished with 10 points for the Tar Heels, who never trailed but struggled to give themselves much separation in a largely disjointed game.
The difference came during the 7-minute stretch of the first half in which North Carolina scored 11 straight points while pushing its lead into double figures.
COURTSIDE
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
Jackson, a 6-foot-8 forward, didn't manage a rebound in the Tar Heels' last game against N.C. State. So he said assistant coach Hubert Davis told him that "if I don't get five or more rebounds (against Virginia Tech), I've got to babysit his kids." Jackson, who had seven rebounds, added that "I'm off the hook for today."
TIP-INS
Virginia Tech: The Hokies fell to 6-45 in conference games in the series with North Carolina, which includes both the ACC and Southern Conference.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech is home against No. 12 Notre Dame on Thursday night.
North Carolina is at Wake Forest on Wednesday night.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 53 - 68 |
| 2nd 0:22 | Marcus Paige Defensive Rebound. | 53 - 68 |
| 2nd 0:22 | Justin Jackson Block. | 53 - 68 |
| 2nd 0:22 | Ahmed Hill missed Three Point Jumper. | 53 - 68 |
| 2nd 0:30 | Nate Britt made Free Throw. | 53 - 68 |
Statistics
 VT |
 UNC |
|
|---|---|---|
| 19-53 | FG | 26-59 |
| 36 | Field Goal % | 44 |
| 10-29 | 3PT | 5-16 |
| 34 | Three Point % | 31 |
| 5-11 | FT | 11-17 |
| 45 | Free Throw % | 65 |
| 22 | Rebounds | 49 |
| 4 | Offensive Rebounds | 16 |
| 18 | Defensive Rebounds | 33 |
| 12 | Assists | 16 |
| 13 | Steals | 7 |
| 3 | Blocks | 3 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 19 | Fouls | 13 |
Game Information
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Attendance: 19,745 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 35-3 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 30-6 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 26-9 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 24-11 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 20-14 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 18-15 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 22-12 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-13 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-13 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 20-14 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 18-17 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 13-20 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |