NC State’s disastrous second half leads to loss at UVA

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — NC State built as much as a 14-point lead early in the second half, but couldn’t hold on late in a 70-67 loss to Virginia in Charlottesville. Jayden Taylor finished with a team-high 14 points, but hit just one shot in the second half as the Pack shot just 34.4 percent in the final 20 minutes to fall to 1-1 in ACC play heading into January. 

Here are the immediate takeaways from NC State’s ACC road opener against Virginia in Charlottesville on New Year’s Eve to close out the 2024 portion of the season.

Making it Rain Early

Against a team that relies heavily on its defense and frustrating opponents with a slow approach on offense to carry it to wins, NC State’s efficiency was key on Tuesday afternoon. But with Ben Middlebrooks not active due to illness in the first half, the Wolfpack didn’t go inside often against the Hoos, instead relying on its outside shooting early on.

For a team coming in at 32 percent shooting from behind the arc on the season — which ranked 232nd in the country — coming into Tuesday, the Pack looked like an improved team from the perimeter. The Pack shot 6-of-11 from behind the arc in the first half with Jayden Taylor and Breon Pass both draining multiple triples in the first 20 minutes. State also shot 61.9 percent from the field in the first half, which was its best shooting clip in a half against a high-major opponent this season.

Couldn’t Hit Water From a Boat in the Second Half

It must have been the one rim that was working for both teams because the Wolfpack simply didn’t have it in the second half while UVA couldn’t miss. The Pack got several open looks, but started off 1-of-7 from behind the arc and 5-of-19 overall in the second half to watch its lead dissipate from 14 points with 18:30 left to play down to trailing by eight points with 8:02 remaining — a 22-point swing for Virginia in less than 11 minutes of play.

Virginia finally got going from behind the arc by making six of its first nine 3-pointers and 11-of-14 overall in the second half. NC State had multiple scoring droughts of three minutes or more, including a 17-3 scoring run for UVA to retake the lead and ultimately pull past the Pack in Charlottesville. Michael O’Connell had another last-second shot opportunity, but it fell shot from halfcourt and sent the Pack home with its first ACC loss of the season.

Need a Reset to Start 2025

It’s hard to label a game a “must-win” this early in the season, but the Wolfpack really needed a win over a lowly Virginia team on the road to regain some confidence heading into January. Instead, State fell apart in the second half like it has far too many times early on this season against quality competition and couldn’t recover to drop to .500 in ACC play with a tough early portion coming up.

The Pack now heads out on the road against Wake Forest this Saturday before hosting Notre Dame then UNC-Chapel Hill inside the Lenovo Center. State needs a healthy Middlebrooks and has to find a way to put together two solid halves against to claw its way back in ACC play. In a conference where State likely needs 13-14 wins to guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament, losses like Tuesday at UVA are potential back breakers for the program’s resumé.