NC State will play its first game in February when it hosts the ACC-leading No. 14 Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The Wolfpack (7-6, 3-5 ACC) will hope to rebound after a tough January saw it drop five of six games and have two games postponed due to COVID-19 contact tracing.
The Cavaliers (11-3, 7-1 ACC) jumped out to a seven-game win streak to start conference play, but are coming off their first ACC loss of the season, a 65-51 loss to then-No. 20 Virginia Tech. After being up by eight points at halftime, Virginia fell apart in the second half, being outscored 44-22 in the final 20 minutes of the game by its archrival.
That being said, Virginia will have added motivation at PNC Arena after its last performance. If the shorthanded Wolfpack has any chance of pulling off the upset, it will have to have its best game of the year.
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s teams have always been known for their hard-nosed, scrappy defense that will wear teams out. It’s no different this year for the Cavaliers, as Virginia leads the ACC in scoring defense, allowing just 59.86 points per game.
A big reason that Virginia is so successful defensively is because of its size. In its starting lineup, it has 7-foot-1 center Jay Huff, 6-foot-9 guard Trey Murphy and 6-foot-8 forward Sam Hauser.
This trio affects games defensively every night, but is also the team’s focal point on offense. Hauser, who originally transferred from Marquette, leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game and rebounding with 7.2 per game. NC State will need to be wary of Hauser inside as well as behind the arc, as he leads the team with 34 made 3s on the year.
NC State should be familiar with Huff, as he is a redshirt senior now, but he has grown his game significantly in Charlottesville. The Durham native can do it all, averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 50% from 3. He is only second to NC State redshirt sophomore center Manny Bates in blocks in the ACC with 33.
His dominance so far drew praise from Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young after the game Saturday.
Rounding out the trio at the guard position, Murphy averages 10.8 points per game while shooting 48.5% from downtown. NC State will also need to be wary of guard Kihei Clark, who is an experienced player that leads the team in assists with 58 and brings it on the defensive end as well.
The Wolfpack played its first game without redshirt senior guard Devon Daniels, who tore his ACL, in the 76-73 loss to Syracuse. Furthermore, before tip-off against Syracuse, the Wolfpack announced that redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk would miss the game due to “university policies.” It is unknown whether or not Funderburk will return against the Cavaliers.
In their absence, NC State had other players step up to the plate, including junior forward Jericole Hellems and Bates, who both had double-doubles. Senior guard Braxton Beverly was also in double-digits at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The Pack will need these three to play great, as well as get a spark off the bench Wednesday night to have a chance for an upset.
Last season, the Pack conquered the stiff test of playing Virginia, beating the Cavaliers on the road 53-51. Funderburk led the team in scoring that night with 14 points in its only matchup against the defending national champions in 2020.
The conference tilt will tip off at 9 p.m. from PNC Arena and will be televised on the ACC Network. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live analysis of the action.
