ACC Basketball Five on Five: Comparing Virginia And NC State's Starting Lineups

How do the starting lineups for Virginia and NC State Basketball stack up against each other?

Mar 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; VCU Rams head coach Ryan Odom reacts during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

NC State as a program is a rollercoaster ride. The Wolfpack stunned the nation with a miraculous Final Four run in 2024, originally spurred on by a missed free throw from Isaac McKneely and a tying three-pointer from Michael O’Connell to send them into the ACC Semifinals. Despite their postseason success, NC State fell completely flat last season and finished third-to-last in the ACC with a 5-15 record.

Coach Will Wade, formerly of VCU, LSU, and McNeese State, however, could bring this program back to consistent national relevancy. They have made some major splashes in the transfer portal and will roll out a potential All-American in forward Darrion Williams, a transfer from Texas Tech. This is a top-five ACC roster looking for an emphatic bounceback.

Point Guard: Dallin Hall (Gr.) vs. Tre Holloman (Sr.)

Hall’s 2024-25 at BYU: 10 GS, 24.6 MPG, 6.8 PPG, 4.2 APG, 40.2% FG, 35.3% 3PT

Holloman’s 2024-25 at Michigan State: 16 GS, 23.1 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 3.7 APG, 37.3% FG, 32.9% 3PT

Summary: Coach Will Wade made a concerted effort to land some high-major talent, as Michigan State’s Tre Holloman made up a class from the likes of Houston, Florida State, North Carolina, and Texas Tech; two players, Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland, played for Wade at McNeese State and appeared at Providence and Syracuse in prior stints, respectively. Most of Wade’s guys won’t have to adjust to the ACC’s level. Included in that camp, Holloman split time at point guard last season, but he should now have control over the Wolfpack’s offense with little to no competition at his position. The 6’2 senior will, however, look to improve his 3.7 APG clip as the lone distributor on the roster outside of Copeland —  a 6’6 guard who is savvier than his height suggests. I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays plenty of minutes alongside Holloman.

Hall and Holloman haven’t distanced themselves from each other at this stage. Virginia’s presumed starting point guard also dealt with a timeshare at his last destination and should welcome a blank slate in Charlottesville. He’ll just have to look over his shoulder at freshman Chance Mallory. Holloman has the edge as a scorer, but Hall is a more prolific distributor. We’ll see whether they can shine in elevated minutes away from the Big Ten and Big 12.

Advantage: Even

Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) drives to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Jarin Stevenson (15) during the first half during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Shooting Guard: Jacari White (Gr.) vs. Matt Able (Fr.)

White’s 2024-25 at North Dakota State: 29 GS, 30.9 MPG, 17.1 PPG, 45.2% FG, 39.8% 3PT

Able’s 2024-25 at Sagemont Prep (HS): No. 24 overall recruit (ESPN), 20.9 PPG, 3.7 SPG

Summary: Now, it’s possible that Copeland or Breed could start at the two over the Wolfpack’s first five-star freshman since Dennis Smith Jr. (2016). Able, a 6’5 shooting guard from Florida, marks a major addition for NC State and gives them a bit of youth to offset a veteran portal class. He possesses great size and length for a shooting guard and should enter the season as one of the Wolfpack’s premier three-point threats. Wade will need his services immediately. Regardless of others’ seniority on the roster, Able has lottery potential and gives the Wolfpack some necessary size considering their massive hole on the roster — the lack of a true center. I don’t think he’s getting enough buzz as he deserves coming into 2025-26.

Virginia’s Jacari White has already proven himself at the mid-major level and heard from a variety of high-major suitors, including Houston and Texas. He steadily improved in three years in Fargo and leapt from 10.3 PPG to 17.1 PPG in a season’s span; moreover, White is a pest defensively and a spark in transition. No one saw his commitment to the ‘Hoos coming, but the super-senior should start the season as the second scoring option even in an improved conference. While Able has a higher ceiling, White has more to offer at this point.

Advantage: Virginia

NDSU's guard Jacari White (11) runs with the ball during the first half on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 at Frost Arena in Brookings. | Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wing: Malik Thomas (Gr.) vs. Terrance Arceneaux (Jr.)

Thomas’ 2024-25 at San Francisco: 34 GS, 31.8 MPG, 19.9 PPG, 44.4% FG, 39.4% 3PT

Arceneaux’s 2024-25 at Houston: 6 GS, 20.3 MPG, 6.5 PPG, 44.3% FG, 33.7% 3PT

Summary: Arceneaux, a key player for the national runner-ups (Houston), was supposedly down to NC State and Virginia in the transfer search. He ended up landing with Wade and is a popular pick to start at the three this season. Albeit the victim of a season-ending Achilles injury in 2023, Arceneaux reemerged at Houston and played a vital role last season largely on the defensive side of the ball as a 6’6 wing, playing perfectly into Coach Kelvin Sampson’s physical system. It would seem a headscratcher that an integral part of the Cougars would leave after nearly losing the National Championship; but, Arceneaux wouldn’t have been a guaranteed starter with so many impact freshmen and returning redshirts now in the mix. This is a prime spot for him to develop his offensive game and overwhelm smaller wings with his length and athleticism.

We’ve talked extensively about Virginia’s Malik Thomas, a bonafide scorer who is a runaway favorite to lead the ‘Hoos in the PPG department. While not as wing-like as Arceneaux, Thomas is a physical player who leans into contact as a shooting guard/wing. As evidence, he averaged 6.5 free throws a game in 2024-25 and finished 17 of 17 in the second of two matchups against Loyola-Chicago. He is not in Arceneaux’s airspace on defense, however. What Thomas offers is elite three-level scoring and a high clip from the free-throw line, something Virginia fans will relish after years of pain from the charity stripe.

Advantage: Virginia

Feb 13, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; San Francisco Dons guard Malik Thomas (1) shoots against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 88-77. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Power Forward: Thijs de Ridder (Fr.) vs. Darrion Williams (Sr.)

De Ridder’s 2024-25 at Bilbao Basket (Liga ACB): 33 GP, 20.7 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 50.2% FG, 39.1% 3PT

Williams’ 2024-25 at Texas Tech: 34 GS, 30.1 MPG, 15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 43.9% FG, 34.0% 3PT

Summary: De Ridder is staring down some tough assignments in these first few previews. Much to my surprise, Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams left a preseason top-ten roster for a program that finished 5-15 in the ACC last season. However, it’s wholly a makeover for the Wolfpack. A big guard who should play the four at NC State, Williams is the prize catch for Wade and should be a first-team All-ACC player. He has starred against the best of the best in college basketball, having blitzed Drake with 28 points, Arkansas with 20 and the National Champions (Florida) with 23 in a close Elite Eight loss. Williams would finish the Big Dance with a whopping 84 total points. If he can get his three-point numbers back up into the 40% range, the Wolfpack will have a monster on their hands. 

De Ridder should shape up into one of the ACC’s premier power forwards. I suspect, though, that he won’t be on Williams’ level. The Belgian is still a massive addition for Coach Ryan Odom and provides physicality, experience, and three-point shooting in a trigger-happy system. Virginia faithful should be excited to witness how his game translates from the European ranks to an improved ACC in 2025-26. I believe that de Ridder could find himself on an All-ACC list at the end of the season, and he will be the front man for a brand-new frontcourt at Virginia. 

Advantage: NC State

Center: Johann Grünloh (Fr.) vs. Ven-Allen Lubin (Sr.)

Grünloh’s 2024-25 at Rasta Vechta (BBL): 29 GP, 22.6 MPG, 7.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 46.1% FG, 34.2% 3PT

Lubin’s 2024-25 at North Carolina: 20 GS, 19.5 MPG, 8.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 68.4% FG

Summary: Lubin will be tasked with playing the five again. A three-time transfer, having played at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina, the 6’8 forward should start as Wade’s center following the decommitment of 6’11 big Paul Mbiya. Lubin did lead the Tar Heels in total rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocks last season, but the Wolfpack have to be kicking themselves for failing to get a true center out of the portal. That’s the Achilles’ heel of this roster. Lubin, however, is a fine player who should absolutely receive an uptick in minutes after coming on strong late in the Tar Heels’ season. He notched eleven-straight double-digit scoring games to end the year and recorded four double-doubles. Like Williams, he plays big. Physicality by those two should compensate for their lack of height at their respective positions.

It still remains to be seen how Virginia’s Johann Grünloh adjusts to the college game. Could Kansas State’s Ugonna Onyenso start over him at the beginning of the year? It’s possible. Both of the Cavaliers’ centers are seven-feet tall and hold an inherent advantage over a player such as Lubin, who is, however, a more polished offensive player and an underrated rebounder. If Virginia gets the flashes of Grünloh we’ve seen in clips, he could be a force to reckon with. I would still expect some growing pains for the freshman and a time-share with Onyenso as he develops abroad. Virginia’s frontcourt size bests NC State’s, though.

Advantage: Even

Next up are the North Carolina Tar Heels.