Tony Bennett brings his Cavaliers into Raleigh to take on NC State this Saturday at 12 o’clock with coverage on ESPN. UVA is currently riding a four-game losing streak. Two of those four losses were in OT including a double overtime loss to VT. Virginia will look to end their streak with a win over NC State. What do you need to know about the Cavs before Saturday?
UVA lost to Miami in their most recent game.
Miami held on to win in OT, but thought they had won at the buzzer; however, replays showed Davon Reed didn’t get the shot off in time. Offensively UVA struggled as they only managed to score 48 points on the night. As a team, the Cavs shot just 31% from the field as well as 65% from the free throw line. Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins were the only Cavs to score in double figures. Defensively UVA was good enough for the win but couldn’t muster enough offense to end their losing streak.
London Perrantes has not played well during UVA’s four-game losing streak.
A four-year starter as well as Virginia’s leading scoring at 12.3 PPG; however, Perrantes is just 16-58 from the floor in his last four games. The Cavaliers need more out of him if they are going to make a run this March. Perrantes shoulders much of the load for UVA as he leads the team in PPG, assists, three-point shooting, and free throws made. The time between Miami and NC State could be a Godsend for Perrantes to work himself out of his shooting slump.
Tony Bennett is missing that one player to push them over the edge.
The Cavs are missing a player who can be their “go-to” player on the offensive end. UVA is known for their defensive prowess but an efficient offense has put them over the top in recent seasons. Malcolm Brogden, Justin Anderson, and Joe Harris in the past have given Virginia an advantage offensively. Those players could create for themselves in a variety of ways. Currently, the Cavs have just one player averaging double figures this year. Their inability to score has handicapped this group’s potential.
Virginia will be a tough team to beat because of their ability to defend. They will play their brand of basketball and make no apologies for slowing the pace down. Virginia needs to get back to their efficiency offensively which allowed them to beat Louisville twice, GT, California, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech. Virginia will look to be more efficient this Saturday as they look to end their four-game skid.
#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:
It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.
It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.
1982-83 – 26-10
1973-74 – 30-1
1972-73 – 27-0
1954-55 – 28-4
1953-54 – 26-7
1952-53 – 26-6
1950-51 – 30-7
1949-50 – 27-6
1948-49 – 25-8
1947-48 – 29-3
1946-47- 26-5
It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.
NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.
NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.
This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.
Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16
1985
1989
2024
Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.
#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.
The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.
At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.
With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.
Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.
Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.
Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.
This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.