Instant observations: NC State blows 14-point lead in loss at Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — There’s something about Virginia’s hoop on the west end of the court inside John Paul Jones Arena that appears to make teams automatic from 3-point distance.  It’s away from the Cav Band, clad in all orange, mostly made up of brass instruments, directly in front of UVA’s bench area. It’s the same 10-foot hoop that the other end has, but as NC State and UVA squared off in a New Year’s Eve matinee, it was the key difference maker between the two,  The Cavaliers, which struggled to shoot from distance in the first half, lit up the box score when it had its turn to shoot on the magical rim to beat the Wolfpack 70-67 on Tuesday afternoon.  UVA logged a 7-for-13 mark from deep in the second half as it climbed back from a 14-point deficit to hand NC State its first ACC loss of the season. It was that same hoop that the Wolfpack seemed to be full of perimeter shooters, something it lacked all year, but NC State’s 3-point shooting came crashing back to Earth when it shot towards the band.  The Pack turned in a 54.5% clip from deep in the early going, but shot just 2-for-11 in the second half as it squandered its biggest lead against a Power Conference team this season. Senior guard Jayden Taylor led NC State with 14 points while he added two rebounds and five assists in the loss. Here are three observations from the Wolfpack’s loss to the Cavaliers.