Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Virginia

 NC STATE (15-11, 4-8) at VIRGINIA (12-12, 2-9)

DATE: Sunday, February 24, 2008 @ John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA (14,593)

TIME: Tip-off: 4:30 p.m. EST

RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network

AIRTIME: 4:00 p.m. EST

TELEVISION: Fox Sports South

OPPONENTACC basketball games aren’t usually rained out, but that’s what happened Thursday night. Virginia and Georgia Tech were ready to play, but it was raining in Atlanta and a leak in the roof of Alexander Memorial Coliseum caused water to drip on the floor, making it unplayable.

The officials and both teams agreed that playing the game would put the players’ safety in jeopardy, so the contest was postponed. The Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia, and Georgia Tech will work to find a make-up date that will fit the schedules of both schools. 

Virginia is not a one-man team, but Sean Singletary certainly does more than his share for the Cavaliers. He has scored in double figures in 46 consecutive games. That’s the longest active streak in the ACC. The senior continues to lead Virginia in scoring (18.8 ppg.), assists (5.9 apg.) and steals (1.7 spg.). He ranks third in the ACC in scoring and second in assists.

Singletary is a true warrior and he could be the most versatile guard in the ACC with the best all-round skills. The Philadelphia native is one of only five players in ACC history to record 1,500 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds in a career. He’s the only player in the conference this season with a 30-point scoring game, a 10-rebound game and a 10-assist game.

Over the last six games, Singletary has averaged 21.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

As one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation’s top point guard, Singletary is in elite company. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, none of Singletary’s teammates have stepped up on a consistent basis to help him carry the scoring load. Mamadi Diane and senior forward Adrian Joseph are the only other Virginia players averaging in double figures in scoring.

When Singletary’s teammates post significant numbers, the Wahoos can be dangerous. That was the case in Virginia’s last game, a 79-74 win at Boston College on Feb. 17 that broke a 7-game losing streak.

Diane led the Cavaliers with 20 points-- his first double-figure scoring game since Jan. 30. Junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas added a season-high 13 points while forward Mike Scott had his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Getting significant contributions from anyone inside is a big plus for the Cavs. They’ve been hurt by injuries and inexperience up front. Mikalauskas missed 13 games with a bad shoulder while Tunji Soroye, Virginia’s most experienced post player and best shot blocker, has played in only two games due to a knee injury.

Even with all the adversity, Virginia has managed to remain competitive. Of the Cavaliers 9 ACC losses, five have been by two points or less or in overtime. North Carolina barely escaped Charlottesville with a 75-74 win on Feb. 12.

In ACC games, the Cavaliers are near the bottom of the league in scoring (70.5) and shooting (.401). Only once in the last 5 games has Virginia shot 39 percent from the field or better.

The Wahoos like to play up tempo, push the ball up the floor and spot up for 3-point shots or drive to create scoring opportunities. Singletary initiates a lot of Virginia’s offense with dribble penetration.

UVa. averages nearly eight three-point field goals per game in conference play, but only 33 percent shooting from the arc. The top gunners are Singletary, Diane, Joseph and Calvin Baker. That group accounts for about 75 percent of the Wahoos’ 3-point attempts in ACC games.

Even though they don’t have a dominant post player, the Cavs have found a way to hold their own on the boards. They’ve outrebounded 5 of their last 8 opponents. League foes usually don’t get a lot of second shots against Virginia. The Cavs are No.3 in the league in defensive rebounding in ACC games.

Another factor that keeps Virginia competitive is protecting the basketball. With Singletary directing the show, the Wahoos average only 13 turnovers against conference opponents.

With a lack of inside strength, defense has been a problem. The Cavaliers are allowing ACC foes 77.5 points a game and .461 shooting from the field. Both of those numbers are near the bottom of the league. Four of Virginia’s last seven opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the field.

The Wahoos are 1-11when they have a lower field goal percentage than their opponents, but 11-1 when they outshoot them.

Virginia has an all-time record of 25-6 at John Paul Jones Arena. This season, the Cavs are 9-5 at home.

NC State has won 9 of the last 14 games against Virginia in the series. Last season, the Wahoos won in Charlottesville, but State eliminated Virginia in the ACC Tournament.

PROBABLE VIRGINIA  STARTERS

No.  Name               Pos.  Ht.   Class PPG  RPG   APG

30    Adrian Joseph     G     6'7   Sr.   11.3  6.9   1.2  

12    Jamil Tucker      F     6’8   So.   4.5   2.8   --   

34    Ryan Pettinella   C     6’9   Sr.   2.6   3.0   --

01    Jeff Jones        G     6'4   Fr.   4.1   1.8   --   

44    Sean Singletary   G     6'0   Jr.   18.8  3.9   5.9

 

TOP RESERVES:

24    Mamadi Diane      G/F   6'5   Jr.   12.0  4.5   1.3

11    Laurynas Mikalauskas C  6’8   Jr.   5.6   2.8   --   

04    Calvin Baker      G     6’2   So.   9.1   2.5   2.4

32    Mike Scott        F     6’8   Fr.   6.0   5.9   --   

* Blocked shots per game

A WIN--Would snap State’s 4-game losing streak and improve the Wolfpack to 16-11 overall and 5-8 in the ACC with 3 regular season games remaining. The Pack would win its second consecutive game over Virginia in the series and beat the Cavaliers for the 10^th time in the last 15 meetings. State would improve to 3-7 on the road (2-5 ACC). Virginia would drop to 12-13 overall and 2-10 in the ACC, losing for the 8^th time in the last 9 games. The Cavaliers would lose their 6^th ACC road game of the season. Due to ACC expansion, State and Virginia meet only one time during the regular season.

A LOSS--Would extend State’s losing streak to 5-straight gamesthe longest since 2000--and drop the Wolfpack to 15-12 overall and 4-9 in the ACC, eliminating the Pack’s hopes of finishing the ACC regular season with a .500 record. Virginia would beat State for the second consecutive year in Charlottesville and for the second time in the last 3 games in the series. The Pack would drop to 2-8 on the road (1-6 ACC). Virginia would record its first 2-game ACC winning streak, 10^th home win of the season and improve to 13-12 overall and 3-9 in the ACC. Due to ACC expansion, State and Virginia meet only one time during the regular season.

SENIOR SUCCESSGavin Grant is State’s top scorer in ACC games (15.2) and he has made some big shots. Three times this season, Grant’s heroics in the final seconds have won games for the Wolfpack. His steal and layup with 2.1 seconds left in overtime gave State a 79-77 victory over Miami on Jan 19. Grant’s free throws against Villanova and Davidson were also game-winners. In the last 10 games, the senior forward has averaged 16.3 points (163) while shooting .500 from the field (49-98). That includes a 26-point outing at Duke on Jan. 31.

ACC ROOKIE OF YEAR CANDIDATE --J.J. Hickson leads all ACC freshmen in scoring (15.2), rebounding (8.7) and double-doubles (9). The Marietta, Georgia, native leads the conference in field goal percentage (.601) and is No.2 in rebounding.  Hickson was chosen as the ACC Rookie of the Week for the third time on Jan. 28^th after he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds in games against Georgia Tech and FSU. In his last 5 games, the big center is averaging 16.2 points (81), 10.0 rebounds (50) including two performances of 20 or more points. Hickson leads the Pack in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots (43). He tied his career high with 4 blocks on Feb. 16 against Clemson.

ACC RECORD J.J. Hickson set an ACC single game freshman record with 23 rebounds in a loss to Clemson on Feb 16. If he continues to rebound at his current pace (8.7) he will break the NC State single season freshman record for rebounding average set by Kenny Carr in 1975 (8.2).

HELP WANTEDDespite J.J. Hickson’s rebounding numbers, the Pack has outrebounded only 3-of-12 ACC opponents. In the last 5 games, State has been outscored 62-45 on second chance points.

 

OFF TARGET Against ACC opponents, State shooting .381 from 3-point range, but has cooled off recently.  In its last 3 games, the Pack is a combined 13-of-52 from the bonusphere (.250). In 8 games prior to that stretch, the Pack shot .421 from 3-point land (56-133).

DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCIES During its four-game losing streak, State’s defense has allowed an average of 80.3 points (321) a game. Opponents are shooting, .502 from the field (123-245) and .500 from the 3-point arc (25-50) during that stretch.

MAGIC NUMBER IS 70 State is 3-1 against ACC opponents when holding them to 70 points or less, but only 1-7 when yielding 71 points or more.

HANG ON TO IT State is 3-2 in ACC games when recording as many or fewer turnovers than its opponents. The Pack is 1-6 when losing the turnover battle in conference play. Only 5 times has any opponent had more turnovers than the Wolfpack this season.  In the last 2 games, opponents have outscored the Pack 36-14 in points off turnovers.

F-I-N-I-S-HState has won 3 ACC games this season after enjoying a halftime lead (Miami, FSU and Virginia Tech). However, the Pack lost games at Duke and Maryland after holding an edge at the intermission. Against Wake Forest, State trailed by 7 points at the break, but rallied to win.

SECOND HALF SWOONDuring its 4-game losing streak, State has allowed opponents an average of 45.3 second-half points (151) as well as .589 shooting from the field (66-112) and .541 from 3-point range (13-24) in the final 20-minutes.

DOUBLE-FIGURE FELLS Courtney Fells has scored in double-figures in 11-of-12 ACC games this season and is the team’s No.2 scorer in league games (14.0) while shooting .525 from the field and .478 from the 3-point arc. Fells scored 17 points in State’s loss to Clemson on Feb. 16.  His clutch 3-pointer with 18-seconds to play in overtime was huge in State’s victory over Miami on Jan. 19.  On Jan. 23, Fells scored a career-high 23 points vs. Georgia Tech. Three days later at FSU, he sank two game-tying 3-pointers down the stretch to help State win. The junior guard is also the Pack’s best perimeter defender.

RANKED RECORD State is 2-5 this season against foes ranked in the nation’s top-25. The Pack has faced more ranked opponents than any other ACC team.

FOUL ME... PLEASE State is getting to the foul line an average of 21.2 times a game against ACC opponents and is shooting .701. The Pack has made 178 free throws in ACC games while its opponents have attempted only 204.

 

A SHARPER POINT Freshman Javier Gonzalez and sophomore transfer Marques Johnson have been getting plenty of on the job training since a season-ending knee injury to starting point guard Farnold Degand on December 23^rd. Both have made progress, but Gonzalez has improved up the most and has earned significant playing time. In his last 10 games, Gonzalez has averaged 6.2 points (62), 2.6 rebounds (26), 3.9 assist (39) and 2.3 turnovers (23). Gonzalez recorded a career-high 11points and 5 rebounds against Va.Tech on Feb 5. He dished out a career high 9 assists vs. UNC on Feb. 20.

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE Brandon Costner’s season has been a battle for consistency. At Boston College on Feb. 14, the redshirt sophomore recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in 32 minuteshis best performance in nearly a month. However, in his next two outings, he combined for only 8 points and 4 rebounds. Physical ailments have contributed to the inconsistency. Costner has played through knee, shoulder and rib injuries this season. In State run in the ACC Tournament and NIT last year, Costner was a huge factor. He finished the campaign as State scoring and rebounding leader.

CUTTING IT CLOSE The Pack’s four ACC wins have been decided by an average of only 4.3 points.

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North Carolina State University Athletics

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