Despite an impressive 3-point shooting clinic from sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr., NC State fell short in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, losing to No. 10 Virginia 81-74.
Virginia, the No. 2 seed with a 28-4 record, moved on to the semifinals, but not without a fight from No. 7 seed NC State. The Wolfpack, sitting at 20-13, kept it close, trailing by just four points with under 30 seconds remaining. Their second-half surge, fueled by an 8-for-13 performance from beyond the arc, kept them competitive, but they struggled to generate offense inside, managing only two 2-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
NC State had its chances late in the game, capitalizing on a turnover and benefiting from Virginia’s missed free throws, but couldn’t quite close the gap.
In their previous encounters this season, NC State was overwhelmed by Virginia, losing by a combined 44 points. However, this tournament matchup was a different story. The Pack even led by six points late in the first half, showing significant improvement.
“We had a better idea of what to do,” said head coach Will Wade. “We got the lead to six a couple times in the first half, but we wasted some possessions.
We took a bunch of mid-range jump shots, a bunch of fadeaways, we just got bottled up. If we were gonna win this game, we needed to stretch the lead, spread our legs, and make them try to catch us from behind.”
Virginia started to distance themselves in the second half, but McNeil’s sharpshooting kept NC State in the fight. He went 6-for-11 from deep, racking up 26 points.
“He’s been shooting it well all year, I think he’s close to the single-season 3-point record for us,” Wade noted. “We’re certainly going to need him at the NCAA [Tournament].”
With 96 3-pointers this season, McNeil is just nine shy of the single-season record of 105, set by DJ Horne in 2024. He’ll likely have another chance to chase that milestone.
Inside the paint, however, NC State hit a wall. Virginia’s Ugonna Onyenso was a defensive force with eight blocks, stifling the Wolfpack’s interior game. Virginia dominated with 30 points in the paint compared to NC State’s 16, highlighting the Pack’s size disadvantage.
“His length … we just couldn’t finish over him,” McNeil admitted. “He did his part for his team and we just came up short.”
Senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin contributed with 12 points and was perfect from the line, hitting all eight of his free throws. Despite the effort, NC State was outmatched in size against Virginia’s towering presence.
“We played with great effort today,” Wade reflected. “We just didn’t have the attention to detail that we need to win a game of this magnitude. Our guys were warriors and gutted it out, but it was an NCAA Tournament type of game, so hopefully it prepares us moving forward next week.”
Looking ahead, NC State awaits Selection Sunday, hoping for a favorable spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket. Fans can catch the selection show at 6 p.m. on CBS.