Despite a tremendous 3-point shooting performance from sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr., the Pack fell in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to No. 10 Virginia 81-74.
No. 2 seed Virginia (28-4, 15-3 ACC) advanced to the semifinals, but No. 7 seed NC State (20-13, 10-8 ACC) held its own against one of the top teams in the nation, facing just a four-point deficit with less than 30 seconds to go. Shooting 8-for-13 from beyond-the-arc in the second half, NC State stayed in it but couldn’t find offense outside of the deep looks, with just two 2-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
When the Pack reached striking distance, it just couldn’t break through despite having multiple chances in the final stretch with a forced turnover and multiple missed free throws from Virginia.
In its previous two matchups versus the Cavaliers, the Pack got blown out by a combined 44 points. But in the ACC Tournament matchup, NC State looked much more competitive, and even led by as much as six points late in the first half.
“We had a better idea of what to do,” said head coach Will Wade. “We got the lead to six a couple times in the first half, and then we wasted some possessions. We took a bunch of mid-range jump shots, a bunch of fadeaways, we just got bottled up … If we were gonna win this game, we needed to stretch the lead, spread our legs and make them try to catch us from behind.”
Virginia began to pull away in the second half, but the Pack’s prowess from beyond the arc kept it in the game. McNeil carried the load, going 6-for-11 from deep and scoring 26 points.
“He’s been shooting it well all year, I think he’s close to the single-season 3-point record for us,” Wade said. “We’re certainly going to need him at the NCAA [Tournament].”
With 96 3-pointers made, McNeil is just nine makes short of the single-season record of 105, set by DJ Horne in 2024. He will most likely have at least one more game to go for the record.
But inside the arc, NC State ran into a brick wall offensively. Virginia’s big man Ugonna Onyenso had eight blocks, preventing the Wolfpack from producing anything in the paint — exposing the Wolfpack’s lack of size. Virginia had 30 points in the paint, while NC State had just 16, with four coming in the second half.
“His length … we just couldn’t finish over him,” McNeil said. “He did his part for his team and we just came up short.”
Senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin held his own in the paint with 12 points, going a clean 8-for-8 from the line and sinking his 16th-straight free throw. While the effort was there, the Pack was simply outmatched in the size department against Virginia’s pair of seven-footers.
“We played with great effort today,” Wade said. “We just didn’t have the attention to detail that we need to win a game of this magnitude … our guys were warriors and gutted it out, but it was an NCAA Tournament type of game, so hopefully it prepares us moving forward next week.”
As far as what’s next, the Pack awaits Selection Sunday, hoping to hear its name called with a favorable draw in the bracket. Watch the selection show at 6 p.m. on CBS.
