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Scuffle Breaks Out During Heated Moment in Virginia-NC State Game

Tempers flared early in the second half of an ACC showdown between the Cavaliers and Wolfpack.
Tim Capurso|
The Wolfpack and Cavaliers benches cleared at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Wolfpack and Cavaliers benches cleared at John Paul Jones Arena. | Screengrab Twitter @TheFieldof68

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Virginia CavaliersNorth Carolina State Wolfpack

A bit of a scuffle occurred early in the second half of Tuesday’s game between ACC foes in No. 11 Virginia and NC State.

Things got chippy with 17:35 remaining in the game, as words were exchanged between the two teams, then Wolfpack guard Paul McNeil Jr. gave the Cavaliers’ Sam Lewis a shove, leading to more pushing and shoving as a scrum ensued. Official Roger Ayers, attempting to be the peacemaker, found himself right in the middle of said pushing and shoving.

Ayers and his two counterparts then reviewed the incident to assess any potential ejections, of which there was one, and fouls, of which there were two. NC State's Scottie Ebube was ejected for leaving the bench. Lewis and the Wolfpack’s Darrion Williams were each assessed technical fouls.

While it's not exactly clear what started the exchange of unpleasantries, it’s not difficult to see why emotions could be heightened in such a game. The Wolfpack, coming off a big upset win over North Carolina their last time out, are just two games back of the Cavaliers in the ACC standings. Virginia, meanwhile, is looking to win its ninth straight game and keep its relatively blemish-free conference record of 12–2 looking pristine.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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