N.C. State is hot. Virginia is not.
On Wednesday night, when Virginia fell to Maryland at home, the Wolfpack came back from a 16 point halftime deficit to beat No. 15 Wake Forest.
At 2-6 in conference play, the Cavaliers are tied for last place in the ACC. With the opposite record, 6-2 N.C. State is second in the conference, trailing only Duke.
But coming into the conference season, the two looked more like brethren than polar opposites. The Pack and the Cavs had played an equally unimpressive nonconference schedule, and both failed in the few tests they faced. N.C. State came up short against Michigan and South Carolina, while Virginia's only "quality win" came against a Minnesota team that is now 8-12.
When the teams opened conference play against each other Dec. 28, however, N.C. State ran away with the contest, handing the Cavs a 17 point defeat in Raleigh. A five-point game at halftime, N.C. State blew it open with a barrage of threes.
N.C. State "is a good three-point shooting team," Virginia forward Elton Brown said. "For some reason, teams shoot threes well against us. We have to contain the three point line better."
Since that game, the Pack have beaten two ranked opponents -- then No. 11 Georgia Tech and current No. 16 Wake Forest -- in addition to taking down Florida State in Tallahassee. The victory over the Seminoles looks more and more impressive in retrospect, as Florida State has posted wins over North Carolina, Tech and Wake Forest in the past week and a half.
Virginia, however, has struggled recently. The Cavaliers got blown out in a trip to Winston-Salem Saturday and lost a close game at home to Maryland Wednesday.
"We have got to mature mentally," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.
Nineteen games into the season, the Cavs have yet to settle into a consistent starting lineup or rotation. So far this season, eight players have appeared in the starting lineup for Virginia.
"We need our veterans to lead us, not your freshmen," Gillen said. "Our freshmen aren't going to lead us. They can step up and have some good moments."
The Cavaliers could use someone other than Brown to step up and provide some scoring in order to compete with the Pack. The role of the second scoring option has been passed around this season among the Cavaliers. It could be anyone from J.R. Reynolds, to Gary Forbes, to Todd Billet. Billet, a capable scorer, has lacked opportunities so far this season.
"Todd is a terrific player, but he's not a pure point guard," Gillen said. "What he does best is catch and shoot. So sometimes we can get him off the ball, and sometimes we can't."
In the last two games at least, the Cavaliers couldn't. Billet got off only 10 shots in those two games and scored only seven points.
Virginia sees this game against N.C. State not only as one it can win but one it needs to win.
"At this point in the season, every game is important," forward Jason Clark said. "Every game is a must win. Especially the games at home, we have to come in and play well. With N.C. State, they are a good team. But I feel like we are a better team, all-around. We just have to show it on Saturday."
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