North Carolina Central (4-5) at Virginia (7-2)

7 p.m., ACC Network Extra

Virginia plays its final game before the annual exam break tonight when the Hoos host NC Central. Looking to maintain their perfect home record and win their fourth in a row, they begin a four-game stretch to wrap up non-conference play after a one game dip into ACC action over the weekend.

NC Central comes to Charlottesville for the second straight year, having opened up the 2022-23 season with a 73-61 loss at UVa despite a second-half rally. LeVelle Moton’s group will travel north with a losing record that includes half its wins against Non-D1 competition (Virginia-Lynchburg and Mid Atlantic Christian).

The Eagles other two victories came against sub-300 KenPom teams, Campbell and Coastal Carolina, though both were on the road. NCCU has already played a couple of major conference foes, losing the season opener at Kansas in blowout fashion before a 10-point loss at Georgia.

NC Central likely isn’t the worst team the Hoos have faced but the Eagles shouldn’t be one of the best by any stretch. They rank 279th in KenPom heading into tonight’s game in front of of only NC A&T (No. 361) among teams UVa has faced with Morgan State (No. 357) on the schedule for later this month. The Eagles were picked to finish third in the MEAC this year, behind defending champ Howard, and Norfolk State.

They rank 270th nationally in offensive efficiency and 275th on the defensive end. NCCU has struggled to score consistently, averaging 66.7 points per game against D1 competition and ranking 282nd nationally in effective field goal percentage. Some poor outside shooting hasn’t helped, with NC Central making just 27 percent of its attempts from deep, which his near the bottom nationally. NC Central also doesn’t show well in assists per made field goal. The Eagles should be comfortable playing at a slower pace, however, as they rank 266th nationally in tempo.

On defense, they have struggled to defend the rim, allowing opponents to make 56.8 percent of their two-point attempts. NC Central has also allowed a good number of second-chance points, ranking 306th nationally in offensive rebound rate allowed. If the Eagles have one strength, its creating turnovers: They rank 120th nationally in turnover rate and 52nd nationally in steal rate.

Po’Boigh King, Guard

One of the greatest names in college basketball, and perhaps the world, King is NC Central’s leading scorer. The junior college transfer is having a great first season at the D1 level, averaging 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. King has two 20+ point games this season, and came very close to his first double-double, putting up 21 points and grabbing nine boards in the win over Coastal Carolina last weekend. He shoots 33.3 percent from deep, which may not seem great but it makes him one of NCCU’s best shooters.

Fred Cleveland, Guard

A preseason All-MEAC selection, Cleveland is a 5-foot-9 senior, who, like King, is a JUCO transfer. He was a bench player for the Eagles last year but has taken on a larger role this year where he is third on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game. Cleveland is the team’s top distributor, averaging 3.9 assists per contest in addition to his scoring punch.

Ja’Darius Harris, Guard

Like Cleveland, Harris has gone from role player to key contributor this season. The former East Florida State College standout is averaging 13.9 points per game, up from 4.4 points per contest a year ago. He played just two minutes in the loss to USC Upstate over the weekend, but had a 21-point effort against Coastal Carolina in the previous game. Harris is a solid outside shooter, making 37.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Virginia should have two primary goals in this game: Win and stay healthy. The Wahoos have 11 days between this contest and their next, against Northeastern, and if all goes according to plan they should be 9-1 heading into an intriguing showdown with Memphis on December 19. Between now and then, UVa simply needs to take care of business and avoid injuries.

NC Central is an opponent worth taking seriously, as Moton can coach. Last year, the Eagles got pretty close to tying the game in the second half in Charlottesville and during his time with NC Central, Moton has had his team competitive in a lot of games, and always challenging for their league title.

Still, this is a game that UVa should handle and win going away.