NC State turns back Virginia 76-60. Three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s third ACC win
N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts says he has a team that’s still figuring out ways to win games.
Against Notre Dame, it was overcoming poor shooting with a near-perfect final few possessions that had D.J. Burns scoring twice to pull out a victory.
Against Virginia on Saturday, it was more about 40 minutes of hard work on both ends of the court as the Wolfpack notched a 76-60 victory at PNC Arena.
Jayden Taylor and freshman Dennis Parker Jr. each had 15 points for the Pack, 11-3 overall and 3-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2013, with North Carolina coming in Wednesday for a midweek showdown.
After a miserable shooting night in the 54-52 win at Notre Dame, the Pack was for 10 for 28 on 3-pointers Saturday. Parker knocked down three of five from the arc, including one 40-footer in the first half.
Playing the Cavaliers (11-4, 2-2 ACC) always means nearly every possession becomes a 35-second war, with a lot of moving parts and players, elbows out and plenty of physicality. There are no style points.
“I thought we completely won the game on the defensive end. Our guys were locked in,” Keatts said. “Bur when you score 76 points against a really good Virginia defense, you’ve done a good job. We had 14 assists. We made the extra pass and it helped us.”
The Pack’s longer bench was a part of the victory. Keatts used a lot of players, again, and so many had a hand in the victory as the Wolfpack, which got 21 points from its bench, was able to tire the Cavs by the second half.
“It was just us wearing them down by the end of the game,” Taylor said.
The Pack led 35-28 at halftime and built the lead to as many as 21 points in the second half.
“They’re a dangerous team with their inside/outside attack and then there’s their defensive tenacity,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said.
Three takeaways from the game:
The freshman shines
The Pack’s true freshman had a day to remember.
Dennis Parker Jr. had the crowd howling in the first half. After a loose-ball scramble, the Pack had 1.4 seconds left on the shot clock but Parker took the inbound pass, turned and drilled a 40-footer for a 3.
The Pack opened the second half with a well-executed possession — and a Parker slam. He then converted it into a 3-point play and a 38-28 lead.
A few minutes later, Parker rose high to grab the rebound of a Michael O’Connell 3. He scored on the putback, was fouled, then converted another 3-point play.
Parker has some hops. He can score. The Richmond, Virginia, native will be a player to watch all season.
“He’s for sure super talented and from Day One has been impressing everybody,” O’Connell said.
Game within a game
There are always a few games within the game that aren’t stylish but are important.
One of them was the Pack’s Jayden Taylor matched up against Reece Beekman, the Cavs’ leading scorer. The 6-4 Taylor dogged Beekman on every possession in State’s man D.
“I take defense very personal, so for me it was very, very important,” Taylor said. “I take pride in taking and stopping the other team’s best player. I felt today for us to get the edge, I had to take him away, and I felt I did that.”
Beekman usually had the ball to start the Cavs’ possessions and had Taylor in his face up and down the court.
“Just staying in front of him and making it difficult and pressuring him a little bit,” Taylor said.
Teams don’t always beat Virginia with their offense. Often it comes down to matching the Cavs’ defensive intensity and doing the gritty work. Taylor did that.
Beekman got his points (12) and assists (10) but Taylor and the Pack made the senior earn them.
“The fact he played great defense on Beekman the entire game and ended up with 15 points shows me he’s becoming a complete player,” Keatts said. “I thought his defense was as good on Beekman as anyone has played so far.”
Maybe a fast start?
One of these games, the Pack will start by hitting, say, its first four or five shots while making a string of defensive stops — a fast, strong start that produces a quick lead.
Saturday was not that day. Once again, the Pack sputtered early, Taylor airballed the first shot of the game; Casey Morsell rimmed out a 3 and Taylor had a turnover driving the lane.
The Cavaliers, a methodical bunch, led most of the first 13 minutes of the game. Virginia was taking advantage of some State defensive lapses and playing its slow-but-sure style.
“I thought we were sound, we were tough and took care of the ball and made it a little more difficult on them,” Virginia’s Bennett said.
But the Pack made its move in the last 4 1/2 minutes of the first half, going on a 15-7 run to take the halftime lead. Ben Middlebrooks scored three straight baskets in the surge and the Wolfpack had taken charge.
This story was originally published January 6, 2024 at 3:54 PM.
