North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack in Road Action at Virginia Tuesday
2/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State (15-13, 5-9 ACC) vs. Virginia (14-14, 5-9 ACC)
March 1, 2011 - 7:00 p.m.
John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) - Charlottesville, Va.
TV coverage: Fox Sports South
NC State Game Notes | GameTracker
NC State Travels to Virginia: NC State wraps up the final week of ACC play starting with a road trip up to Virginia on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Wolfpack (15-13, 5-9 ACC) will return to Raleigh to host Florida State on Sunday night to conclude the regular season.
The Cavaliers (14-14, 5-9 ACC) have dropped four of their last six conference games, including a 63-44 home loss to Boston College on Saturday.
This game will be televised on Fox Sports South with Bob Rathbun and Dan Bonner.
The Series Versus Virginia: NC State holds an 80-56 advantage in the all-time series with Virginia, which dates back to the 1912-13 season. The Pack holds a 38-18 advantage in games played in Raleigh and 19-2 edge at neutral sites, but Virginia holds a 36-23 mark in games in Charlottesville.
NC State has won in three of its last seven trips to Virginia, but posts an 0-3 record at the John Paul Jones Arena. The Pack's last win at UVA came during the 2004-05 season.
Last Season Season Versus Virginia: Virginia swept the season series last season.
In Raleigh on January 9, NC State lost a 10-point second-half lead as Virginia downed the Pack, 70-62, in the ACC opener. NC State closed the first half on a 16-6 run, and opened the second half on a 12-6 run to grab a double-digit lead of 42-32 at the 13:31 mark. After a charging call on the Pack at 11:20, Virginia would go on a 13-3 run and capture its first lead of the second half at 49-48 with 6:17 left. Virginia closed the game by making 17 straight free throws, and went 19-of-20 for the game, while the Pack made just 16-of-26 attempts. Tracy Smith led the Pack with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Dennis Horner added 12 points.
In Charlottesville on February 3, NC State had its lowest scoring total since 2006, and its lowest total in an ACC game since 2000, as the Pack fell, 59-47. NC State led by as many as seven points (26-18 with 3:20 left in 1st half), and was up 28-25 at the half. Virginia opened the second half on a 15-4 run, in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. NC State finished with just 19 second-half points, hitting only 29.2 percent (7-24) from the field. Richard Howell was the Pack's top scorer for the first time in his career as he had 14 off the bench.
Last Time Out for NC State: NC State made 8-of-10 free throws in the final 52 seconds, as the Wolfpack held on for a 79-74 win over Georgia Tech at the RBC Center on Saturday. NC State built its lead to as many as 12 points late in the first half, but Georgia Tech would even the score at 54-54 with 10:29 to play. The Pack responded with an 11-0 run over the next 4:03 and never lost the lead. Scott Wood scored a season-high 20 points, while Tracy Smith added 18 points. NC State improved to 9-1 at the RBC Center against the Yellow Jackets, and has won 12 of the last 13 in Raleigh against Georgia Tech.
Fighting for Position: With two regular season contests left, the Wolfpack has the opportunity to keep moving up in the ACC standings. Over the last three weeks, NC State has posted a 3-2 record in conference games and is in a three-way tie for eighth place at 5-9.
Virginia and Miami also sit at 5-9 on the season. NC State holds the tie breaker over Miami due to an earlier 72-70 win over the Canes, and NC State and Virginia meet on Tuesday in their lone regular season contest.
Maryland and Boston College each sit at 7-7 in the standings, but the Pack loses the tiebreaker to both due to losing at Maryland and at Boston College earlier this season.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Over the last two games, NC State has received a big spark off the bench from sophomore center Jordan Vandenberg. The 7-1 footer from Melbourne, Australia, averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds in 15.5 minutes of action against North Carolina and Georgia Tech. He shot 6-of-7 from the field in the two games.
Against North Carolina, Vandenberg played 15 minutes and finished with four points (his first points scored since Dec. 19). In the win over Georgia Tech, he was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field (all on dunks) and scored a career-best eight points.
In the 16 games prior to the North Carolina contest, Vandenberg played a combined 13 minutes and did not record any points.
