N.C. State at Virginia, 7 p.m ESPN
The Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak Saturday by winning 63-58 at Georgia Tech, but they didn't make it look easy.
Jay Huff had a monster game with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six blocks. His day included a huge 3 with 7:30 left to make it 51-46 UVa after the Yellow Jackets had cut a 43-29 lead to two. It was his first trey since Dec. 29 against Navy.
Mamadi Diakite recorded 17 points, six boards, and two blocks but five turnovers. Braxton Key had 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but also a bad late turnover and atrocious free throw shooting I discuss below.
In my preview for the game, I highlighted UVa's poor 3-point shooting player by player. I accidentally neglected Tomas Woldetensae, who made me realize my error during the game as he drained 3 of his 7 attempts for nine points. Woldetensae has recently come alive beyond the arc despite the team's bad performance. The junior college transfer has made 6 of his past 11 attempts in
the past two games (54.5 percent) and 17 of his past 40 (42.5 percent) going back to the win against North Carolina. On the year, he's up to 32.8 percent, fourth on the team. He also had a nice no-look pass to Huff for a dunk with under a minute remaining that made it 59-52 UVa on Saturday.
Clark had seven points, seven assists and just two turnovers as he was much more solid with the ball than he was against Florida State when he had nine turnovers.
UVa almost gave away its fourth second-half lead in as many games. Virginia had 12 turnovers -- not too bad -- but a big one down the stretch let Georgia Tech cut the lead to 59-55. With 45 seconds remaining, Clark inbounded the ball to Key, who had the ball stolen when he tried to pass out of a trap back to Clark. Jose Alvarado ended the possession with a 3.
Another issue was free throw shooting. Virginia went just 8 of 16 at the line and was 4 of 11 at one point before finishing 4 for 5. Clark missed the front end of a 1 and 1 with a few seconds left in the first half that could've extended the Wahoos' lead to nine or 10. Instead, they went into the break up 33-25. Georgia Tech had an amazing 13 first-half turnovers and went from the 17:16 to 12:55 marks without scoring, but UVa was only able to go from down 5-2 to up 8-5 during that stretch. The Jackets were fortunate Virginia did not pull away by more. The Cavaliers need to do a better job of capitalizing on mistakes and dry spells if they are going to get going again and pick up wins in bunches.
Key was the biggest offender of missed free throws, going 0 for 4. In the first half, he outbattled two Jackets for an offensive rebound, went up strong and was fouled. He clanged both attempts, missing on a chance to expand UVa's 8-5 lead, and his good effort on the glass went to waste. His third miss came in the second half with Virginia up 57-52. He hustled to rebound his own miss, though, throwing the ball off of a Jacket along the sideline so that the Cavaliers could retain possession. The ensuing inbounds play led to Woldetensae's nice pass to Huff for the jam. Finally, Key's last miss came with 34 seconds left -- right after his big turnover -- with Virginia up 59-55. Alvarado almost made his second consecutive 3, but this one went halfway down before slipping out, as UVa caught a break. Key must be solid at all times for Virginia to be at its best. We saw how the team looked at times with Key off the floor when he was nursing his wrist injury.
Clark went 1 for 4 at the line, but a great hustle play by Diakite erased one of Clark's misses. Clark missed with 3:33 left, and Georgia Tech followed with a good-looking possession that ended with Evan Cole going up for a dunk. But at the last second, Diakite blocked it, preserving Virginia's lead at 53-48.
So it was great that Virginia got on track, but nearly giving up a 14-point lead still wasn't a good look, especially against a team of Georgia Tech's caliber. The Cavaliers will need to be more solid if they hope to begin a winning streak tonight with a more formidable N.C. State squad coming to Charlottesville.
Here's more on the Wolfpack:
Record: 13-5, 4-3 ACC
Coach: Kevin Keatts, third year State, 58-29; sixth year overall, 130-57
Scorers in double figures: 6-foot-5 senior guard C.J. Bryce (15), 6-1 senior guard Markell Johnson (13.1), 6-10 junior forward DJ Funderburk (13.1), 6-5 junior guard Devon Daniels (11.2), 6-7 sophomore forward Jericole Hellems (9.9)
Leading rebounders: Bryce (6.6), Funderburk (6), Johnson (4.9), Daniels (4.7), 6-11 freshman forward Manny Bates (4)
Assist leaders: Johnson (6.7), Bryce (2.4), Daniels (2.3)
Notable: Three other players average at least 5.7 points. The Wolfpack's rotation goes eight deep. For
steals, Johnson (1.9 per game), Bryce (1.7), and Daniels (1.7) lead the way. Bates averages 2.9 blocks.
Best win: Two stand out to me: A 15-point home win over Wisconsin, which is 11-7, in December, and a 60-54 home win over Clemson on Saturday. Though the Tigers are just 9-8, they had won three in a row and were coming off of a victory over No. 3 Duke.
Worst win: N.C. State edged UNC Greensboro on the road, 80-77, in December. The Spartans are 15-5, but still, not the most solid outing for the Wolfpack.
Other wins: Detroit, Florida International, St. Francis (N.Y.), Alcorn State, Little Rock, Wake Forest, The Citadel, Appalachian State, Notre Dame, Miami
Best loss: At No. 12 Auburn, 79-73, in December. The Tigers are 15-2, having just lost their first two games.
Worst loss: N.C. State lost at home to Georgia Tech, 82-81, to open the season, but the Wolfpack was without Johnson, out with an ankle injury, and Funderburk, who was suspended. I think it is safe to assume that State wins this game at full strength.
Other losses: Memphis, Clemson (road, later beat the Tigers at home), Virginia Tech (Bryce was out for the Clemson and Virginia Tech losses)
Common opponents with UVa: Georgia Tech (UVa won, 63-58), Virginia Tech (72-58 State loss; 65-39 UVa win)
What N.C. State does well: The offense puts up 77.4 points per game, tied for 48th best in the country. The Wolfpack shoots 45.6 percent from the field (86th) and owns a strong 1.21 turnover-assist ratio (42nd).
What N.C. State doesn't do well: It does, however, struggle shooting somewhat from the line at 71 percent (146th) and from beyond the arc at 33 percent (194th). The Wolfpack also gives up 69.2 ppg (tied-191st).
N.C. State is still seeking its first big road win. At home, the Wolfpack is 11-1, but it is just 2-3 on the road. Last season, Virginia won at State, barely, 66-65 in overtime, and then pulled away after halftime to win in the ACC tournament semifinals, 76-56.
Unfortunately, I wasn't super impressed with how UVa looked in Atlanta. I think against N.C. State, a team that only records 11.5 turnovers per game (29th), the Cavaliers' offense may find it hard to get going. They can't count on State making a ton of mistakes to fuel the offense.
Virginia is favored by about 4-5 points, but I'm taking the Wolfpack.
Gut feeling: N.C. State wins by 1-5 points.
The Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak Saturday by winning 63-58 at Georgia Tech, but they didn't make it look easy.
Jay Huff had a monster game with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six blocks. His day included a huge 3 with 7:30 left to make it 51-46 UVa after the Yellow Jackets had cut a 43-29 lead to two. It was his first trey since Dec. 29 against Navy.
Mamadi Diakite recorded 17 points, six boards, and two blocks but five turnovers. Braxton Key had 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but also a bad late turnover and atrocious free throw shooting I discuss below.
In my preview for the game, I highlighted UVa's poor 3-point shooting player by player. I accidentally neglected Tomas Woldetensae, who made me realize my error during the game as he drained 3 of his 7 attempts for nine points. Woldetensae has recently come alive beyond the arc despite the team's bad performance. The junior college transfer has made 6 of his past 11 attempts in
 |
| Tomas Woldetensae made three 3s vs. Tech. |
Clark had seven points, seven assists and just two turnovers as he was much more solid with the ball than he was against Florida State when he had nine turnovers.
UVa almost gave away its fourth second-half lead in as many games. Virginia had 12 turnovers -- not too bad -- but a big one down the stretch let Georgia Tech cut the lead to 59-55. With 45 seconds remaining, Clark inbounded the ball to Key, who had the ball stolen when he tried to pass out of a trap back to Clark. Jose Alvarado ended the possession with a 3.
Another issue was free throw shooting. Virginia went just 8 of 16 at the line and was 4 of 11 at one point before finishing 4 for 5. Clark missed the front end of a 1 and 1 with a few seconds left in the first half that could've extended the Wahoos' lead to nine or 10. Instead, they went into the break up 33-25. Georgia Tech had an amazing 13 first-half turnovers and went from the 17:16 to 12:55 marks without scoring, but UVa was only able to go from down 5-2 to up 8-5 during that stretch. The Jackets were fortunate Virginia did not pull away by more. The Cavaliers need to do a better job of capitalizing on mistakes and dry spells if they are going to get going again and pick up wins in bunches.
Key was the biggest offender of missed free throws, going 0 for 4. In the first half, he outbattled two Jackets for an offensive rebound, went up strong and was fouled. He clanged both attempts, missing on a chance to expand UVa's 8-5 lead, and his good effort on the glass went to waste. His third miss came in the second half with Virginia up 57-52. He hustled to rebound his own miss, though, throwing the ball off of a Jacket along the sideline so that the Cavaliers could retain possession. The ensuing inbounds play led to Woldetensae's nice pass to Huff for the jam. Finally, Key's last miss came with 34 seconds left -- right after his big turnover -- with Virginia up 59-55. Alvarado almost made his second consecutive 3, but this one went halfway down before slipping out, as UVa caught a break. Key must be solid at all times for Virginia to be at its best. We saw how the team looked at times with Key off the floor when he was nursing his wrist injury.
Clark went 1 for 4 at the line, but a great hustle play by Diakite erased one of Clark's misses. Clark missed with 3:33 left, and Georgia Tech followed with a good-looking possession that ended with Evan Cole going up for a dunk. But at the last second, Diakite blocked it, preserving Virginia's lead at 53-48.
So it was great that Virginia got on track, but nearly giving up a 14-point lead still wasn't a good look, especially against a team of Georgia Tech's caliber. The Cavaliers will need to be more solid if they hope to begin a winning streak tonight with a more formidable N.C. State squad coming to Charlottesville.
Here's more on the Wolfpack:
Record: 13-5, 4-3 ACC
Coach: Kevin Keatts, third year State, 58-29; sixth year overall, 130-57
Scorers in double figures: 6-foot-5 senior guard C.J. Bryce (15), 6-1 senior guard Markell Johnson (13.1), 6-10 junior forward DJ Funderburk (13.1), 6-5 junior guard Devon Daniels (11.2), 6-7 sophomore forward Jericole Hellems (9.9)
Leading rebounders: Bryce (6.6), Funderburk (6), Johnson (4.9), Daniels (4.7), 6-11 freshman forward Manny Bates (4)
Assist leaders: Johnson (6.7), Bryce (2.4), Daniels (2.3)
Notable: Three other players average at least 5.7 points. The Wolfpack's rotation goes eight deep. For
Best win: Two stand out to me: A 15-point home win over Wisconsin, which is 11-7, in December, and a 60-54 home win over Clemson on Saturday. Though the Tigers are just 9-8, they had won three in a row and were coming off of a victory over No. 3 Duke.
Worst win: N.C. State edged UNC Greensboro on the road, 80-77, in December. The Spartans are 15-5, but still, not the most solid outing for the Wolfpack.
Other wins: Detroit, Florida International, St. Francis (N.Y.), Alcorn State, Little Rock, Wake Forest, The Citadel, Appalachian State, Notre Dame, Miami
Best loss: At No. 12 Auburn, 79-73, in December. The Tigers are 15-2, having just lost their first two games.
Worst loss: N.C. State lost at home to Georgia Tech, 82-81, to open the season, but the Wolfpack was without Johnson, out with an ankle injury, and Funderburk, who was suspended. I think it is safe to assume that State wins this game at full strength.
Other losses: Memphis, Clemson (road, later beat the Tigers at home), Virginia Tech (Bryce was out for the Clemson and Virginia Tech losses)
Common opponents with UVa: Georgia Tech (UVa won, 63-58), Virginia Tech (72-58 State loss; 65-39 UVa win)
What N.C. State does well: The offense puts up 77.4 points per game, tied for 48th best in the country. The Wolfpack shoots 45.6 percent from the field (86th) and owns a strong 1.21 turnover-assist ratio (42nd).
What N.C. State doesn't do well: It does, however, struggle shooting somewhat from the line at 71 percent (146th) and from beyond the arc at 33 percent (194th). The Wolfpack also gives up 69.2 ppg (tied-191st).
N.C. State is still seeking its first big road win. At home, the Wolfpack is 11-1, but it is just 2-3 on the road. Last season, Virginia won at State, barely, 66-65 in overtime, and then pulled away after halftime to win in the ACC tournament semifinals, 76-56.
Unfortunately, I wasn't super impressed with how UVa looked in Atlanta. I think against N.C. State, a team that only records 11.5 turnovers per game (29th), the Cavaliers' offense may find it hard to get going. They can't count on State making a ton of mistakes to fuel the offense.
Virginia is favored by about 4-5 points, but I'm taking the Wolfpack.
Gut feeling: N.C. State wins by 1-5 points.
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