After wrapping up its regular season with a 16-2 record in conference play, the slate is now wiped clean for No. 1-seeded UVa as the Wahoos begin ACC Tournament play today against No. 8-seed NC State (12:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN).
If they win today's quarterfinal, the Cavaliers will break a pretty interesting streak. Though they are 12-2 in their last 14 games against the Wolfpack, both of those losses have come in the ACC Tournament (2012 and 2013). In fact, UVa hasn't beaten State in this event since 1986 (0-5).
NCSU comes into today's matchup fresh off a come-from-behind win yesterday against No. 9-seeded Clemson. In fact, State didn't lock up that win until a pair of Markell Johnson free throws with 2.6 seconds left to put the Wolfies up one.
Three Things We Know
1. NC State defeated Clemson in a must-win game to set up this quarterfinal clash.
Wednesday afternoon’s second rounder between NC State and Clemson was billed as a defacto play-in game for the NCAA Tournament, with both programs squarely on the bubble. Clemson opened the game with some urgency and led 42-26 at the break. But the second half belonged to NC State, which surged back from as many as 18 points down and sealed the game with a pair of free throws in the final seconds. The 59-58 win at the Spectrum Center is big for the Wolfpack, who aren’t quite an NCAA Tournament lock yet. A statement win over the Wahoos today would certainly do the trick and all but guarantee them a spot in the 68-team field.
2. The Wolfpack gave the Hoos quite a scare in the regular season meeting.
Virginia handled most of its ACC competition this season but was given one of its toughest challenges of the season when the Cavaliers traveled to Raleigh to face NC State. UVa led 27-23 at the break in what quickly became a defensive struggle. The Wahoos eventually gained a 14-point lead with just over 12 minutes to play and it seemed like they were headed for another comfortable ACC road win. But the Wolfpack ended up going on a big run, out-scoring the Hoos 27-13 down the stretch to force overtime. After trailing briefly to start the extra frame, UVa outplayed State and, despite a few nervous moments, the Cavaliers escaped PNC Arena with a 66-65 win. That late January victory in the Triangle certainly wasn’t one of UVa’s better performances of the season and the Cavaliers had to overcome season highs in both turnovers (16) and personal fouls (22) in order to get the W. Virginia also made just four 3-pointers and attempted just 10 of them, but the Wolfpack struggled from deep as well, making just seven of 26 shots from beyond the arc.
3. State gets most of its scoring from a trio of talented guards.
NC State got major contributions from big man Wyatt Walker in the January meeting against Virginia but make no mistake: The Pack will lean heavily on their guards in today's rematch. NCSU features a trio of players that average double-figures scoring on the season and they’re all guards. Johnson heads into Thursday’s game on the heels of an excellent performance against Clemson, when he poured in a game-high 23 points, including the two game-winning free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining. He was the only State player in double-figures and he showed that he is capable of carrying the load for the Wolfpack when needed. Johnson also led the Pack in scoring against Virginia this season, finishing with 14 points, six of which came at the free-throw line. Johnson is joined in the backcourt by Torin Dorn and C.J. Bryce, both capable scorers. Dorn leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game and his eight-point performance broke a eight-game streak of double-digit scoring games going back to early February. Bryce, a transfer that came over from UNCW with head coach Kevin Keatts, averages 11.7 points per game and is the team’s second-most-accurate 3-point shooter behind Johnson.
