Virginia surged to 3-0 in the ACC with a 31-point victory at NC State on Saturday. That’s the worst loss for the Wolfpack since moving to PNC Arena in 1999 and the worst loss in Raleigh since 1993. The Double Bonus takes a closer look.

Early Offense

Virginia plays a low-possession game – the team ranks 334th nationally at 65.1 possessions per game – but coach Tony Bennett often attributes that to the Pack-Line defense and the style on that end of the floor. Against NC State, the Cavaliers certainly weren’t plodding around on offense, especially in the first half, despite logging just 65 total possessions in the game.

The majority of Virginia’s first half shots came in the first half of the shot clock (with 17 seconds or more on the clock). Of the 28 shots I tracked (the first shot of a possession so not offensive rebounds or blocked shots that don’t reset the clock), only seven came with 16 seconds or less on the clock. The shot clock dropped to single digits just twice, on two of the last three shots attempted in the half. In total, just four of 28 shots in the half came with 11 seconds on less on the shot clock. On the flipside, 12 of 28 shots came in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. In the second half, Virginia attempted only 11 of 30 shots with 16 seconds or less on the shot clock. Only three shots came in the final 11 seconds of the shot clock, while 10 came in the first 10 seconds.

Overall, it adds up to 40 shots in the first 18 seconds of the shot clock with 22 of those coming in the first 10 seconds of the possession. The Cavaliers attempted only 18 shots with 16 seconds or less on the shot clock with seven shots in the final 11 seconds of a possession.

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