NC State sprints past Virginia Tech in second round of ACC Tournament

By Jack Brizendine

Editor-in-Chief

March 8, 2023

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sometimes it’s just not your night — for Virginia Tech, that would be an understatement.

Everything seemed to go right for NC State in the Wolfpack’s 97-77 bouldering of the Hokies Wednesday night in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

“[We] had a game last year in Charlotte against a really, really good A-10 team, St. Bonaventure and everything we threw in the air went in the basket,” Tech head coach Mike Young said to reporters. “[Tonight] was reminiscent of that. I take nothing away from Coach Keatts and the Wolfpack. They wore my tail out, and I applaud them.”

In the first four and a half minutes into the game, NC State burst out on a 13-4 run to start the game — Tech never came within six points of the lead from that point.

The run was only a portion of the Wolfpack’s dominant first half. Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner combined for 33 of State’s 53 first half points. VT trailed by 27 points at the break.

“Their confidence is very high all the time,” sophomore guard Sean Pedulla said when asked about how NC State gets hot on offense so quickly. “Once those first shots go in, it’s just a domino effect and it's hard to stop them once they get going.”

Tech’s offense kept pace with State’s in the second half, shooting 62% to match the Wolfpack’s 60%.

The Hokies figured out in the second half on offense, but couldn’t find an answer on the other end of the floor, as NC State dropped 44 points over the final 20 minutes of play.

“They’re a real handful to defend because of [center D.J.] Burns and the pressure that he can put on you, and you feel like you’ve gotta send two [defenders],” Young said. “You pick your poison. You’ve got Joiner and Smith out there, Casey Morsell has had a very good year for them, so they make it challenging.”

Despite having Hunter Cattoor and Rodney Rice in the backcourt Wednesday night — both were out with injuries in their only regular season meeting with the Wolfpack — Tech struggled to defend the perimeter against NC State, allowing 11 threes on 24 attempts.

Smith led all scorers with 30 points on 11-for-13 shooting. He had 33 points two months ago against VT in Blacksburg.

Freshman guard Rodney Rice led the way on offense for Virginia Tech with 17 points, knocking down five treys.

“He’s had such a frustrating year for anyone, certainly a freshman that had such high hopes — we had such high hopes for — and battled through a number of difficult injuries,” Young said. “To get back here and play a cluster of games and play well and be a part of the rotation, I thought he played well. I thought he looked comfortable, and that is a great sign for us moving ahead.”

The second round blowout loss is another chapter in a disappointing year for Mike Young’s squad, never finding its footing and putting together enough momentum to start a run like it did last year in Brooklyn.

“We never could find the right rhythm, the right rotation,” Young said. “We didn’t have the same personnel [as last year]. Rodney [was] down, Hunter [was] down.

“[It was] a failure on my part, to be frank. Got to be better.”

With failure comes lessons, something Virginia Tech is hoping to benefit from this season as it looks to next year.

Tech won’t make the NCAA tournament this year — the first time since 2016 — but the Hokies are determined to learn from this season so they can be stronger physically and mentally in the future.

“Fight through the hard times,” Rice said about what he learned from this season. “There’s going to be ups and downs, but through those downs, don’t get too low. Just keep grinding, keep putting your head down and keep on going. Keep it pushing.”

Virginia Tech’s season might not be completely over. The Hokies are hoping to land an NIT bid — something Young thinks could be another learning experience for his squad.

“I hope like crazy that [we get a bid]. 19 wins, I think that’s worthy. We’ll see how all that falls out on Sunday, but I hope that happens.”