CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Through a daunting halftime deficit, a scrappy second-half resurgence and an overtime crash, NC State men’s basketball took spectators on a wild roller coaster ride but ultimately lost to Virginia 59-53 in overtime.  

The Wolfpack (13-6, 5-3 ACC) brought an undefeated ACC road record into John Paul Jones Arena to take on one the nation’s best defensive teams in the Cavaliers (14-5, 5-3 ACC). The Pack knew that stealing a win in Charlottesville would be no cakewalk, as the Cavalier-faithful brought the noise all night. 

“Give these guys credit, you don’t accidentally win 21 games in a row here at home,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “Good atmosphere and very good basketball team.”

The red-and-white matched Virginia’s defensive prowess throughout most of the night, holding the Cavs to just under 37% from the field. However, the Pack failed in one critical area: rebounding. The red-and-white allowed Virginia to collect a stunning 20 offensive boards and amass a 22-rebound differential over the course of the game.

“The thing that I didn’t like was that I don’t think we brought enough toughness in the first half,” Keatts said. “The result of that is 54-to-32 rebounding. They really did beat us to 50-50 balls. … We gave them so many opportunities to get second chances.” 

Those offensive boards ultimately cost NC State in overtime, where the Wolfpack collapsed. With an extra rebound here and there, the red-and-white may have avoided the disastrous extra period. Instead, the Cavaliers lasted to overtime then turned up the intensity, outscoring NC State 12-6 in the period. Despite a pair of triples from graduate guard DJ Horne, Virginia remained unfazed.

“We just have to get back and focus,” Keatts said. “Give Virginia credit with the way they came out, give our guys credit with our fight to get back into the game.”

To get to that point, Virginia gave the Pack everything it could, stacking offensive rebounds from the opening possession. NC State hung around for most of the first half. With about six and a half minutes left in the frame, the Wolfpack was only down 16-14. Then, the Cavaliers struck hard and finished the half on an impressive 11-1 run, finally capitalizing on the red-and-white’s inability to crash the glass. 

“Our energy was low; our intensity was low,” said graduate guard Michael O’Connell. “When we’re playing great guys like that they’re going to get offensive rebounds. … They did a great job, but we got to be better.”

After managing to post just 15 points in the first half, the Wolfpack desperately needed someone to step and put the ball in the basket. Graduate forward DJ Burns did just that, hitting three quick shots in the paint — two with his signature hook shot — in the opening minutes of the second half. However, Virginia matched him shot-for-shot, stunting any progress the Pack could’ve made. 

Just like Virginia used a strong run to end the first half, the Pack went on a run of its own. Cavalier transfer and graduate guard Casey Morsell proved to be NC State’s catalyst, sinking an impressive three with 11:38 to play for the Pack’s first triple of the night. 

Morsell’s three was the start to a 16-3 NC State run that culminated in the Wolfpack seizing the lead. A shocked and angry Virginia crowd looked on as the Pack regained the lead after being down by as much as 14. 

“It’s a game of runs,” said Virginia head coach Tony Bennett. “They made some tough shots. We had a couple turnovers and breakdowns. … Part of it was the defensive pressure and playmaking of NC State.”

The Pack’s lead was short lived — Virginia quickly took it back before the teams locked into a stalemate with the Cavaliers up by four points. With under a minute left to play, hope was fading for the Wolfpack before Burns sank another hook shot. 

As it turned out, the Pack had one more clutch shot up its sleeve — O’Connell tied the game at 47-47 with just eight seconds left. A last minute steal and halfcourt heave by Morsell nearly went in and would’ve put this game down in Wolfpack lore as an all-time victory — but instead it fell slightly short, just like the Pack did in overtime. 

NC State will look to bounce back on Saturday, Jan. 27 against Syracuse at 7 p.m. in a game that could have major implications for bubble positioning and the ACC Tournament. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.