NC State vs Virginia Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
After picking up their first road win of the season 75-66 over Georgia Tech on Saturday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team is 13-5 (4-3 in ACC play) and now heads back to JPJ as they take on NC State on Wednesday (1/24). The game is scheduled for a 7 pm EST tip and will air on the ACC Network.
About NC State
The NC State Wolfpack are led by Kevin Keatts,, in his 7th season. Keatts is 126-84 overall at NC State, including being 13-5 overall and 5-2 in ACC play this year. The Wolfpack and the Wahoos faced off earlier this season in Raleigh, with NC State picking up the 76-60 victory.
State has started to tighten up the rotation as ACC play picks up, going from 10 players who average double digit minutes down to 8.They are led by a core of four players who all average over 26 minutes a game. Seven of the eight players are upperclassmen. They like to play a four guard set that generates a lot of ball pressure. Their starting lineup has been:
PG - DJ Horne (6’1” 5th-Year Senior) Averages a team-high 15.1 points, hitting 42.1% from 3 point range
G - Casey Morsell (6’3” Senior, UVA Transfer) Averages 11.7 points per game
G - Jayden Taylor (6’4” Junior) Averages 12.2 points per game
G - Dennis Parker Jr. (6’6” Freshman) Averages 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game
F - DJ Burns Jr. (6’9” Senior) Averages 12.2, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game
Same Opponent, Different Look
A lot has changed for the Wahoos since the disappointing loss the first weekend of January. Jordan Minor has worked his way into the starting lineup and is playing some very good basketball at a position of need for the Hoos. He has now scored in the double-digits in the last two contests while also playing solid defense inside.
His emergence is huge for this matchup as he gives the Cavaliers a solid defender to contest against Burns. Dubbed “Big Daddy Burns” by our Locker Room Access Pregame Show staff, Burns has been a handful for most opponents this season because of not only his scoring ability but also because of his incredible vision and passing ability for his size. In the last matchup the Hoos chose to double him a lot as they didn’t really have the size to contain him one on one. This led to a good number of great passes out which resulted in clean looks for outside shots. With Minor now in fold, the Hoos don’t have to be as concerned with being backed down and should be able to play him a little more straight up this time.
Minor’s emergence wasn’t the only welcomed addition for the Cavaliers since that first matchup, Dante Harris has also made his return after sitting out ten straight contests with an ankle injury. He has picked up double digit minutes in each of the two contests he’s played since making his return as he works his way back into game-shape.
Dante’s contributions don’t always show up in the box score but his addition is huge for this year's team. Serving as the backup point guard, he offers another player who can initiate the offense, taking some pressure off of Reece Beekman. This allows Reece to not only get more of a breather, but also lets him move off-ball more when the two are on the court together.
A lot of NC State’s defensive success is predicated on the fact that they like to play small and pressure the ball. Dante gives the Wahoos an additional player who can be relied on to bring the ball up the court against the pressure. On the other end, he offers another option defensively to combat the guard heavy looks State will provide. Look for Dante to pick up some extended run in this one.
Confidence is Key
Up until Saturday, this season had been very strange for the Cavaliers with how much better they had been playing at home. Not only had they struggled to be competitive, but their shooting splits also fell off a cliff anytime they left JPJ. I did a forum post exploring these numbers if you’d like to check it out.
But Saturday’s contest offered a change from that, with Isaac McKneely being the most notable. Isaac hunted his shot consistently on Saturday. Finishing with 20 points including going 6-9 from three and hitting multiple shots from well behind the line, he was a main catalyst for the team’s success.
Isaac wasn’t the only one though, as Reece Beekman was also very aggressive in finding ways to score. He finished with 19 points to go along with 11 assists. His abilities were on full display as he showed he could score from all levels while also being able to touch the paint and constantly find open teammates for clean looks.
Not to be overlooked was the confidence of both Andrew Rohde and Jake Groves. Although neither had the volume of the two aforementioned Wahoos, both Rohde and Groves looked very confident in the shots they took. Jake in particular confidently rose up and buried a three that essentially sealed the game with roughly 90 seconds left.
The team benefits tremendously from both players being confident. Jake especially can really shoot the ball which opens up a lot of space for the rest of his teammates. Look for both players as well as the rest of the team to continue playing confidently now that they’ve gotten over the hump and picked up a road win.
January Rematches
The Hoos have three games left in January, and all of them are rematches from earlier this month. After Wednesday’s contest they head to Louisville on Saturday (1/27) before coming back to JPJ to take on Notre Dame the next Wednesday (1/31). Follow along with Locker Room Access as the Wahoos look to climb back up the ACC standings!
(Featured Image Credit: Getty)