Not long after Ralph Sampson left, Virginia became the worst team in the league to watch play, consistently fielding teams that played plodding, half-court games. And that’s said by an NC State fan, who haven’t exactly been confused with run-and-gun Loyola Marymount teams for most of that span. It’s a borderline chore watching Virginia basketball.
But you know what you’re going to get. If told before the game started that Mo Diarra would play limited minutes and that DJ Burns would be held to six points, few would have expected a Wolfpack win. But that’s exactly what happened. And not just any win, but a 16-point blowout, as State upped its conference record to 3-0 with a 76-60 win over the Cavaliers. The victory upped Kevin Keatts’ record against Virginia as State’s coach to 4-5.
It didn’t start well for the Pack, as its first three possessions were two missed shots and a turnover. At the 9:54 mark they trailed by six at 15-9. But that point forward, State dominated the game. And the comeback was started by unlikely players, as Dennis Parker Jr. hit some clutch 3-point shots and the Pack received strong bench play from Ben Middlebrooks M.J. Rice and Michael O’Connell.
Middlebrooks gave the team a lift with strong play in the paint, while Rice brought athleticism and O’Connell brought steadiness and a willingness to share the ball. It’s tough not to notice the difference when O’Connell is on the floor. State’s starting backcourt features two players who are more two guards, while O’Connell is a pass-first point guard. Many felt that O’Connell would be a starter when he joined the club. But he didn’t play particularly well in the preseason and found himself on the bench. But as conference play has begun in earnest, McConnell finds himself playing more minutes.
Versus Virginia, O’Connell logged 27 minutes, had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 0 turnovers.
And while O’Connell saw a lot of playing time, the starting backcourt for the Pack still played major minutes and had a positive contribution to the victory. Jayden Taylor had 15 points, including a perfect 5-5 from the line, while DJ Horne had 14 points and six rebounds.
Against Virginia, it’s more important than usual to make your shots and limit turnovers, as there are typically fewer possessions with their deliberate style of play. State shot 49.1% from the floor and had just six turnovers in the game.
It’s a relatively inexperienced Virginia team, one lacking a go-to star. Its possible that sophomore Isaac McKneely develops into that player, as he led all scorers with 18 points. But 11 of those points came after State had pulled out to a 17-point lead in the second half.
While not as good as some other recent Virginia teams, this still is the best win for State this season, with the Cavaliers sporting a KemPom ranking of 48 coming into the game. The Pack won’t have to wait long for the chance to add an even-better win, as Wednesday night they will host North Carolina, currently the No. 10 team in the KenPom rankings.