Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 70-67 Win Over NC State

Henry Pallatroni | Dec 31, 2024

Virginia Athletic

Virginia (8-5, 1-1 ACC) earned its first ACC win under Ron Sanchez with a gutsy 70-67 victory over NC State (8-5, 1-1) on Tuesday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. After falling behind by as many as 14 points early in the second half thanks to some highly efficient three-point shooting from the Wolfpack, Virginia turned in one of their best halves of the season on both ends of the floor in the final 20 minutes of Cavalier basketball in 2024. Read below for five takeaways from UVA's first ACC win in the final contest of the calendar year.

A season-best win for the Hoos

In a year of UVA basketball that has left many fans with more questions than answers regarding the future of the program, Ron Sanchez and the 2024 Cavaliers earned an inspiring win in front of an energetic crowd at JPJ. Behind a strong second-half comeback led by Isaac McKneely and Elijah Saunders, Virginia's first ACC win of the year over the Wolfpack is a strong, momentum-building victory as the Cavaliers turn the page into 2025 and the full slate of ACC play.

Second-Half barrage from three leads the Virginia comeback

Trailing by 10 at halftime and by as many as 14 early in the second, Virginia came out and played one of their best halves of the entire season behind an elite, turnaround three-point performance. After a first-half with little production from behind the arc (2/7 3PT FG), Virginia knocked down seven of their first ten looks from three in the second half, ultimately finishing 9/20 from three for the game. The three point success began with Isaac McKneely (4/8 3PT FG) and spread like wildfire to the rest of the Hoos, including Ishan Sharma and Andrew Rohde, who each finished with two three-pointers of their own.

Read Val's Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.

Elijah Saunders continues to be reliable for Virginia

After an uncharacteristically strong start from three by NC State, who went 6/11 from deep in the first half, Virginia was able to stick around in the early stages of Tuesday's contest thanks to a standout performance from Saunders. The junior transfer from San Diego State has quickly established himself as a reliable presence in this year's lineup, and played nearly 40 minutes in the win. Saunders finished with 22 points on 7/9 shooting and maybe more importantly, 7/8 from the free throw line. He knocked down his first six shots before his first miss of the night halfway through the second half. When Virginia fell behind by 14 points, Saunders scored seven-consecutive points himself to will the Cavaliers back in the game.

A confident Isaac McKneely sparks the Cavaliers

In addition to the 22 points from Saunders, junior guard Isaac McKneely turned in a strong performance, finishing with 14 points (4/9 3PT FG), and particularly stepped up in the second-half comeback, where he connected on a trio of three-pointers during Virginia's game-swinging 22-7 run. McKneely also had three assists.

A surprise change in turnover fortunes

Coming into Tuesday's contest, NC State was the best team in the ACC in the turnover department carrying a +4.8 turnover margin. It will perhaps go a bit unsung given Virginia's strong offensive performance tonight, but Virginia quietly, but soundly won the turnover battle in the victory (seven turnovers to NC State's 11 turnovers) and held NC State to just six points off of turnovers. In a game where Virginia got crushed in the offensive rebound category (13-3 in favor of the Wolfpack), neutralizing one of NC State's key assets in terms of turnover margin was absolutely pivotal.

Up next, Virginia remains at home to face Louisville on Saturday (January 4) at 4pm ET at John Paul Jones Arena. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

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