When the University of Virginia basketball program traveled to Raleigh Saturday to take on NC State, the Hoos were looking for a second consecutive win, a sixth ACC win, and a fourth conference road victory. It was not to be. NC State blitzed a shaky Cavalier defense, making 60% of its field goals and 54.5% of its 3s on its way to a 77-63 victory. The 77 points are the highest allowed this season by UVA, which is 0-4 in 2021-2022 when allowing over 70 points.
For the first 11 minutes and two seconds of this contest, it was the Virginia offense that was the story. The Cavaliers made 11 of their first 16 field goals, including four of five from beyond the arc, to take a 26-18 lead. But as UVA cooled – the visitors made two of 10 to close out the first half – the homestanding Wolfpack surged.
NC State ended the first half on a 25-6 run, capped off by a Jericole Hellems 3-pointer as time expired, to take a 43-32 lead into halftime. Hellems 3-pointers were a common sight for Virginia, as the senior drained five of seven attempts in the first half. Freshman guard Terquavion Smith burned the Hoos too, draining four of seven from beyond the arc in the first half. The duo combined for 31 first-half points, 27 of which came from 3.
Hopes of a second-half Virginia comeback faded quickly. The Cavaliers stumbled out of halftime, turning the ball over twice as the Wolfpack took a commanding 53-35 lead at the 16:42 mark. Virginia never recovered. The Hoos closed to within 15 twice but never could string together enough stops or baskets to threaten. Meanwhile, NC State expanded its lead to as many as 21. A jumper by UVA reserve wing Kody Stattmann in the final minute made for the final score.
“In a game, the team makes a run, for us to be good we’ve got to be able to not get head down, just engage and find a way to scrap out of it,” Bennett said. “I didn’t think we had that the way we needed to.”
Hellems, Smith, and star wing Dereon Seabron were the ACC’s top scoring trio coming in, averaging 48.1 points per contest. Led by Hellems’ 21 and Smith’s 20, the trio accounted for 54 points on Saturday, while former Virginia guard Casey Morsell chipped in 12.
NC State finished with 12 made 3s. UVA was able to keep up in this category, making 10 of 17 from beyond the arc, but the Hoos were crushed inside, allowing 34 points while scoring only 16. Eight of NC State’s 13 made baskets in the second half were layups or dunks.
“Just some of being unaware or unalert defensively,” Bennett said. “We’re not going to win too many games if our defense is below average.”
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 14 points. Jayden Gardner added 13 points but made only one of his final seven shot attempts, finishing 5-of-12 from the field. Reece Beekman gave UVA a third double-digit scorer, pouring in 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Kadin Shedrick established himself offensively for a second-straight game, totaling eight points in a losing effort. He had 12 points in a win at Pitt in the previous contest.
The Cavaliers, who drop to 11-8 overall and 5-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, will have to put the subpar performance behind them quickly as Louisville comes to John Paul Jones Arena on Monday night.
Lopsided losses are part of the deal with our brand of play. If the athletes don’t bring the defense, locked in from the opening tip, we generally get blown out. Unfortunate. Next up Louisville.
In the first half I thought we challenged their three points attempts pretty well but they at least four that either a hand was in their face and they still went in. There was also one desperation heave at the shot clock buzzer that went in. NC State lives or dies by the three.