Virginia basketball trailed NC State by 10 at halftime and 14 early in the second half. But the Cavaliers went on a big run to seize control and defeat the Wolfpack 70-67.
Takeaway #1: Cavs flip the narrative of bad second halves
Virginia has struggled to play a good 40-minute performance this year. A strong first half has given way to a subpar second half multiple times this year. It cost the Cavaliers a chance to win against SMU, Tennessee, Florida and Memphis.
However, Virginia turned that around against NC State. While the first half was not good, most of the second half was much better. The Cavs went on a 28-5 run over the span of eight-plus minutes. When junior guard Isaac McKneely sank a three to give Virginia a 51-50 lead, John Paul Jones Arena exploded in a way it hadn’t all season.
There were some stretches that weren’t pretty to watch, but how the Cavs battled back after being down big is certainly an encouraging sign.
Takeaway #2: Playing through Saunders opens up the offense
When the Wolfpack scored the first four points of the second half, it looked like they were going to run away with it. But the Cavs bounced back by giving the ball to junior forward Elijah Saunders in the post. NC State was without senior forward Ben Middlebrooks, who leads the ACC in blocks per game but was out because of illness, and that allowed Virginia to get easy shots at the rim.
Saunders scored Virginia’s first nine points of the second half, causing the NC State defense to start collapsing on him. After that, the Cavs started raining threes-pointers. Virginia made seven threes in the second half after just two in the first half. The improved offense allowed the Cavs to turn a 14-point deficit into a lead that swelled to as much as 12 in less than 15 minutes of action.
Saunders has scored at least 15 in each of the last four games and is second on the team in scoring. The Cavaliers have won three of those games and could’ve won the one game they lost. If Virginia wants to keep winning, playing through Saunders is the way to go.
Takeaway #3: Virginia needs to close out games better
When sophomore forward Blake Buchanan hit a short jumper with five minutes left to increase Virginia’s lead to 67-55, it looked like the Cavs were pulling away. However, that was the last field goal the Cavaliers would make. NC State went on a 10-1 run to cut the gap to three. On three consecutive Wolfpack possessions, Virginia failed to secure the defensive rebound, leading to second-chance points for NC State.
Offensively, the Cavs went scoreless for nearly four minutes. Multiple possessions featured dribbling around the perimeter before a wild shot was thrown up at the end of the shot clock. Virginia finished the game with a timeout in its pocket, so the Cavaliers could’ve used it to draw up a play to get the ball in either Saunders or McKneely’s hands. Winding down the clock isn’t an offensive strategy.
Virginia also got lucky. With less than 10 seconds left, senior guard Taine Murray avoided a jump ball call that would’ve given possession to NC State with a chance to tie because a Wolfpack player’s leg was out of bounds. Saunders also missed the front end of a one-and-one, but graduate guard Michael O’Connell’s three-quarter court heave at the buzzer was well short.
Simply put, Virginia needs to play better in the final few minutes of the game. The Cavs could get away with this performance against the bottom of the conference, but if they want to contend with Duke, SMU and UNC, they can’t close out a game like this.
Next up for Virginia basketball (8-5, 1-1): vs. Louisville (8-5, 2-1) – Jan. 4 at 4 p.m. EST
Next up for NC State (8-5, 1-1): vs. Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1) – Jan. 4 at Noon EST