Balanced NC State takes aim at Virginia's stingy defense

Things looked a lot different the last time North Carolina State and Virginia squared off.

The Wolfpack were led by a core that included DJ Horne, DJ Burns and Casey Morsell, while the Cavaliers took the court for renowned head coach Tony Bennett.

NC State prevailed in that tense Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal, one of the Wolfpack's many memorable victories throughout their improbable run to the Final Four last season.

Horne, Burns and Morsell are now gone from NC State, as is Bennett from Virginia, giving both teams a new look entering Tuesday's clash in Charlottesville, Va.

Horne was the Wolfpack's main scorer last season, so NC State (8-4, 1-0 ACC) has relied on a more balanced offense this year.

Bowling Green transfer Marcus Hill and returning starter Jayden Taylor pace the Wolfpack with 12.6 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, while three other players average between 9.0 and 9.8 points.

NC State coach Kevin Keatts is pleased with his team's production despite the lack of a go-to scorer.

"This group needs each other to be good, and that's OK because when you've got a bunch of guys ... getting 10, 11, 12 points a game, sometimes that's the hardest team to guard because you don't know who to focus on," Keatts said after NC State beat visiting Rider 89-63 on Dec. 22.

Virginia (7-5, 0-1) is still finding its footing under interim coach Ron Sanchez, who was elevated from his assistant role after Bennett retired suddenly less than three weeks before the season started.

Even without Bennett, the Cavaliers still use their famed pack-line defense and remain one of the stingiest units in the nation, allowing the 11th-fewest points per game (60.3) in Division I entering Monday.

"If we're not going to play like our hair is on fire defensively, it's just not going to work," Sanchez said after Virginia's 63-58 home win over American on Dec. 22. "We can't coach effort. We can only coach execution."

The Cavaliers manage just 61.6 points per game, tied for the eighth-fewest in the country, but Isaac McKneely provides a spark with his 12.1 scoring average on 44.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders (11.3 points per game) has scored at least 15 in four of his past five games.

--Field Level Media