Who’s Playing
Virginia Cavaliers @ North Carolina State Wolfpack
Current Records: Virginia 11-3, North Carolina State 10-3
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting ACC matchup on schedule as the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Virginia Cavaliers are set to tip at 2:00 p.m. ET on January 6th at PNC Arena. The timing is sure in North Carolina State’s favor as the team sits on seven straight wins at home while Virginia has not had much luck on the away from home, with four straight road losses dating back to last season.
After a 85-82 finish the last time they played, North Carolina State and Notre Dame decided to play a little more cautiously this time around. The Wolfpack skirted by the Fighting Irish 54-52 on Wednesday on a last-minute layup from DJ Burns with but a second left in the second quarter. The win came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 10:25 mark of the first half, when North Carolina State was facing a 18-6 deficit.
Virginia has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 22 points or more this season. They blew past the Cardinals 77-53. The win was just what Virginia needed coming off of a 76-54 defeat in their prior contest.
Virginia’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ryan Dunn led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Reece Beekman, who scored 11 points along with eight assists and three steals.
The Wolfpack have been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. As for the Cavaliers, their win bumped their record up to 11-3.
Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: North Carolina State have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Virginia, though, as they’ve been averaging only 32.7 rebounds per game. Given North Carolina State’s sizeable advantage in that area, Virginia will need to find a way to close that gap.
North Carolina State came up short against Virginia when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 63-50. Will North Carolina State have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Series History
Virginia has won 7 out of their last 10 games against North Carolina State.
- Feb 07, 2023 – Virginia 63 vs. North Carolina State 50
- Jan 22, 2022 – North Carolina State 77 vs. Virginia 63
- Feb 24, 2021 – North Carolina State 68 vs. Virginia 61
- Feb 03, 2021 – Virginia 64 vs. North Carolina State 57
- Jan 20, 2020 – North Carolina State 53 vs. Virginia 51
- Mar 14, 2019 – Virginia 76 vs. North Carolina State 56
- Jan 29, 2019 – Virginia 66 vs. North Carolina State 65
- Jan 14, 2018 – Virginia 68 vs. North Carolina State 51
- Feb 25, 2017 – Virginia 70 vs. North Carolina State 55
- Feb 15, 2016 – Virginia 73 vs. North Carolina State 53