Shot-Blocking Stalls Wolfpack Upset Attempt Against Virginia

CHARLOTTE — Size became a fairly large topic of discussion heading into Will Wade's first season as the head coach for NC State. He assembled a team without a player taller than 6-foot-10, leaning on athleticism, experience and shot-making during the roster-building process. The Wolfpack's third loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament further showed that flaw.

For the second time in the 2025-26 season, the oversized Cavaliers had a player block eight shots by himself. Back in February, it was freshman big man Johann Grunlöh who swatted the ball away from the Wolfpack eight times. Ugonna Onyenso took over that role on Thursday, blocking eight attempts from the scrappy Pack to help his team win the game.

An interior deterrent

Tried to tag Ugo in this but he blocked me 🧱🫣

Historic performance by @OnyensoUgonna today #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/GPNz2n3gkb
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 12, 2026

In the first half, the Wolfpack attacked the Cavalier defense successfully, even getting Grunlöh out of the game with foul trouble effectively. However, that paved the way for Onyenso's dominant performance off the bench. Virginia's defensive principle against NC State focused on running the Wolfpack away from the 3-point line and into the firing line of the shot-blockers.

NC State knew it was coming this time after the disastrous outing in Charlottesville. Wade's group handled it well initially, going off two with greater frequency and earning trips to the free-throw line. The Wolfpack scored 12 points in the paint in the first half. It finished the game with 16. Onyenso acted as a complete deterrent for players like Quadir Copeland and Ven-Allen Lubin.

NC State vs. Virginia — Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers center Ugonna Onyenso (33) handles the ball defended by NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"Really just deterred us from being more efficient on offense. We're capable of getting to the rim. We wanted to finish through contact, which was pretty much our game plan," Lubin said after the loss. "But when you have somebody like that who's very active, very disciplined, not settling for shot fakes, anything like that, but has great timing to block shots, it just becomes really difficult."

The senior big for the Wolfpack finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 3-for-9 from the field in the game. Most of his work came at the free-throw line. The paint struggles placed more stress on shooters like Paul McNeil, Darrion Williams and Matt Able. McNeil and Able rose to the occasion, while Williams scored just seven points while dealing with foul trouble.

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) and guard Jr. Paul McNeil (2) in the final seconds during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

McNeil finished the game with 26 points, most of which came from beyond the 3-point line. He kept the Wolfpack in the fight through much of the game and eventually brought it back within striking distance down the stretch. Coming back with no consistency in the paint against Virginia represented a nearly impossible task, however. Still, McNeil was proud of his team's effort against the shot-blocking prowess of the 'Hoos.

"I feel like we played them twice, so we knew what to do. We put guys in situations and picked on the matchups and I think this game we hit more shots, honestly," McNeil said.

Dealing with size figures to be a consistent issue for the Wolfpack in the remainder of the season, however long that may be, depending on their ability to get the job done in the Big Dance. Only time will tell if the latest Virginia loss offered more crucial lessons or acted as more of a mirage moving forward.