NC State and Virginia have two distinct playing styles, and neither will budge Tuesday.
The No. 23-ranked Wolfpack will want to push the tempo and create turnovers with the press, and the No. 3-ranked Cavaliers will only run when it has the numbers and plans to take care of the basketball. UVA leads the nation with 8.4 turnovers per game.
“We are going to play the way we continue to play and we are a pressing team,” NCSU head coach Kevin Keatts said. “The challenge is you may have to be able to score the basketball to get into your presses, and that is the way we’ll play.”
Keatts has played Virginia twice in the last two years to mixed results. Keatts will always refer to his last game at UNCW as the “Marial Shayok game.” Virginia made the smart adjustment to play small ball and featured Shayok, who came off the bench to score a season-high 23 points in the 76-71 win on March 16, 2017. Florida crushed Virginia 65-39 in the second round and Shayok announced he was transferring not long afterwards. Keatts has often joked that Shayok needed to leave before playing the Seahawks.
Keatts and NC State will think something is up if the Wolfpack play Iowa State in the postseason. Shayok left Virginia after that NCAA Tournament run and is now averaging 19.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the surprising Cyclones.
“We were able to space them out and make some shots,” said Keatts, whose UNCW team shot 10 of 26 on three-pointers. “It was the first time I’ve seen Tony make an adjustment in that area [with Shayok]. My Wilmington team was much smaller and quicker and probably shot the ball better than the team I have now.”
UVA has center Jack Salt, shooting guard Kyle Guy, point guard Ty Jerome and power forward Mamadi Diakite from that game. Almost like clockwork the Cavaliers only committed eight turnovers in the contest.
NC State did a better job of forcing turnovers in the lone meeting last year, which was Keatts’ first season in Raleigh. UVA had 15 turnovers, but also shot 56.1 percent from the field including 8 of 14 on three-pointers to roll to a 68-51 victory on Jan. 14, 2018. It didn’t get a catchy nickname like the “Shayok game,” but departed wing Devon Hall had 25 points in the win.
“When we played up there, it was tough,” Keatts said. “If you stand around and don’t get ball movement and you aren’t able to make shots, it’s going to be a long night for you.”
NC State returns fifth-year senior forward Torin Dorn, junior point guard Markell Johnson and sophomore combo guard Braxton Beverly from last year’s team. Redshirt junior wing C.J. Bryce was part of the UNCW squad that lost to UVA in the NCAA Tournament.
"They are really skilled and a lot better," Beverly said. "They have really good players and can hit shots where you think 'How did he hit that?'
"It isn't like they are just throwing guys there to just run an offense for a layup or open shot. They have guys that are capable of scoring it."
Keatts has watched Virginia play 7-8 games this season. He said growing up in Virginia doesn’t make this game any different than the other ACC contests, but the potential is there for the Cavaliers and Wolfpack to become a fun rivalry.
Keatts did not review Virginia’s stunning loss to Maryland-Baltimore County these last two days.
“The last game that I watched was them against Clemson again, and all I could keep thinking about was Clemson having two points with probably nine or 10 minutes [9:03] left in the first half,” Keatts said. “They basically they defend you.”
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