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The second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers hit the road to face the N.C. State Wolfpack on Wednesday in Raleigh.
Virginia is 21-1 overall and leads the ACC with a 9-1 record in conference games. However, the Cavaliers may be without junior guard Justin Anderson, who fractured a finger in the win over the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night. Anderson is Virginia’s second- leading scorer this season, so head coach Tony Bennett must figure out how to make up for his absence.
The Cavaliers will likely fall back on what they do best, playing defense. Virginia leads the country in points allowed, as its opponents score just 50.7 points per game. Only two Virginia opponents have scored 70 or more points this season. Davidson scored 72 on December 30 and the Miami Hurricanes scored 80 in a double-overtime game on January 3.
Junior forward Malcolm Brogdon leads active Cavaliers in scoring, at 13.7 points per game. Junior forward Anthony Gill averages 11 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest for Virginia.
N.C. State enters this game reeling, having lost four of its last five games. The Wolfpack started the year 8-1, but are 6-9 since then. Head coach Mark Gottfried had hoped his team would play with more consistency in ACC action, but that hasn’t been the case.
Trevor Lacey leads the Wolfpack in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Ralston Turner scores 13.1 points per game, while Anthony Barber averages 11.4 points per outing.
The Wolfpack played Virginia close in the first meeting, which was a 61-51 Cavaliers win on January 7 in Charlottesville. However, these teams seem to be headed in opposite directions at this point. Even though Virginia is on the road and missing Anderson, they still pull out the victory.
Final score prediction: Virginia 58, N.C. State 50
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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