Virginia's Defense Wrecks the NC State Game Plan Again
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —In two matchups against the Virginia Cavaliers in 2026, NC State shot a dismal 32.2% from the field, making 38 of its 118 field goal tries. Tuesday's loss to 11th-ranked UVA was another offensive crater for a Wolfpack team that's proven it can hang with teams on one night and completely disappear on others.
Virginia exposed some major issues with the way NC State plays, all things Wolfpack coach Will Wade pointed to during the team's latest bumps on the road to the postseason. The Cavaliers entered the game as one of the best defensive teams in the nation, meaning it was always going to be tough-sledding for the offense. It turned out to be worse than expected.
Perspective of the players
Before NC State arrived in Charlottesville, opponents were shooting a very poor 29.1% from 3-point range against the Cavaliers. Virginia focuses on taking away perimeter offense and forcing teams into their flotilla of big men, headlined by Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grünloh. The Wolfpack's 3-point-centric offense fell into early trouble, missing nine of their first 10 attempts from deep.
"Whenever you play in a pick and roll set, they just play two-on-two," Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams said. "They don't really help off people necessarily, so it makes it tough to get easier shots and they have two good bigs who can block."
Williams recovered from a slow start, chipping in 14 points on the night. Sophomore guard Paul McNeil was one of the few members of the Pack to get things going offensively, scoring 20 points while knocking down three of his 12 attempts from 3-point range. In contrast to Williams, McNeil felt the issues for the Pack were more predicated on shot selection than anything else.
"I wouldn't say it was difficult. I just think we weren't hitting our shots," McNeil said. "... They do keep their bigs in the paint and they are long and athletic, so it was kind of tough for us to finish, but we're going to get better at that."
Wade's perspective
During the Monday teleconference, Wade expressed his concerns about his team's lack of physicality compared to the style Virginia plays on the defensive end. His worst fears came true, as the Wolfpack failed to establish any presence in the paint. NC State scored just 22 points in the paint and had 12 shots blocked by the Cavaliers, with Grünloh swatting eight on his own.
"They were playing volleyball at the basket," Wade said. "They blocked eight (shots), I think, in the first eight minutes of the game, you'd have to double-check me on that. Our lack of size is very evident when we play a team like Virginia."
Johann threw a block party tonight 👋
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 25, 2026
Johann Grunloh recorded a career-high EIGHT blocks tonight vs. NC State@UVAMensHoops | @VirginiaSports | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/NuLjdP0z1P
As for the overall struggles, Wade's reaction was fairly expected. Virginia clogged passing lanes and the Packfailed to identify cutting lanes and couldn't create shots in the half-court. That led to the second-half spiral.
"We couldn't get any clean looks," he said. "We didn't move the ball. We couldn't get clean looks and the clean looks we got, we didn't hit. Some of our poor shots led to their transition baskets, but defensively in the first half, we were alright."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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