NC State’s rebounding struggles led to squandering a 15-point lead at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — A loose ball on one end. Another on the other. All it would have taken for NC State to escape Cassell Coliseum was likely grabbing one of those as it squirted around on Virginia Tech’s home floor. 

But the Pack couldn’t corral either in the final minute to doom its chances of earning its first road win of the 2024-25 campaign. 

First, it was cleaning up the glass off a senior guard Jayden Taylor miss. Instead, the Wolfpack fumbled the ball under their own basket before Virginia Tech’s Jaden Schutt picked it up and scampered down the floor with his team down 1 and 11 seconds left. 

Schutt, who didn’t score in either of the Hokies’ games last week, uncorked a 3-point attempt from the top of the key that he quickly followed to grab an offensive rebound. Wolfpack senior guard Marcus Hill was whistled for a foul, which allowed Schutt to toe the free throw line with the game-tying and go-ahead points as 2.1 seconds remained. 

That was enough for Virginia Tech to finish its comeback effort in a 79-76 result after it trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half. It marked the Wolfpack’s second blown lead of 14 points or more in the last 16 days as it allowed Virginia to win by 3 on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s crazy, when you have a one-possession win or loss, there’s probably 10 plays in the game that you wish you could have back or go your way,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “I’m disappointed for our guys in the locker room because we fought our asses off and unfortunately, we’re leaving with a loss.”

For the Pack (9-8, 2-4 ACC), the 10 plays that Keatts alluded to with a number off the top of his head weren’t on the offensive end — an area NC State has been inconsistent. No, the team turned in one of its second-best shooting performance against a high-major team this season with a 50 percent shooting mark from the field, including eight made 3-pointers. 

It was the team’s ability to crash the glass which led to the Wolfpack’s third one-possession loss of the season. 

Virginia Tech outrebounded NC State 35-24 in the game, but over the final 10:11, the Hokies dominated the boards with a 13-5 advantage that included six offensive rebounds. 

What was the difference during that stretch? That’s when senior forward Ben Middlebrooks picked up his fourth foul. 

NC State entered the game with a lack of post depth as senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury. That made it imperative for the Pack to keep Middlebrooks on the floor, but he appeared to play timid down the stretch looking to avoid a fourth foul. 

As a whole, junior forward Ismael Diouf and Middlebrooks combined to log a total of two rebounds at the Wolfpack’s center spot. Virginia Tech’s center, Tobi Lawal, meanwhile posted 11 boards on his own. 

Middlebrooks pointed to “a lack of focus” when it came to the disparity in the rebounding battle, which allowed Virginia Tech to score 22 second-chance points. 

“I think we need to really lock in on that final stretch.” Middlebrooks said. “You see those shots going in, we need to be able to get stops and get rebounds.”

NC State didn’t seem dialed in on either 50-50 ball in the waning 18 seconds, which allowed Virginia Tech the opportunity to take the lead. That ended up being the back-breaker for the Wolfpack, which was searching for its first win outside of the Lenovo Center this season. 

For Virginia Tech coach Mike Young, the difference between his squad and NC State came down to who wanted it more. 

“Certainly take nothing away from the Wolfpack, they’ve got a good outfit, [but] we played a little bit harder down the stretch,” Young said. “Sometimes it’s that simple — like we had a little bit more on the line. 50/50 balls, keeping possessions alive with an offensive rebound … I thought our team played a little bit harder than NC State.”

NC State’s late-game execution at Virginia Tech seemed to embody what it has battled all through ACC play. The Wolfpack had a chance to win against North Carolina on Saturday afternoon, but it left Jalen Washington wide-open in the paint and had a layup blocked in the final second. On top of that, the Pack had its meltdown at Virginia where the offense vanished in the second half. 

It’s a different story each night, but the result has been the same: NC State struggles to close out games on a consistent basis. The Pack’s lone one-possession win came over Notre Dame, who is 2-4 in the league to this point. 

NC State felt as though it had the game won at Virginia Tech. But instead, it scored just 6 points in the final seven minutes for its fourth loss in the last five games. The Pack is searching for answers for how to clean itself up, but so far, it is empty-handed. 

“You look at this game, everything pointed towards us having an opportunity to win the game,” Keatts said. “It’s unfortunate that we’re leaving here with a loss. This program, we’re not going to accept moral victories, but we played well enough to win.”

NC State did for the most part. But the final 18 seconds, including two loose balls, proved to be the fine line between the team’s trip for postgame ice cream, its road win tradition, of the season and a solemn trek home. The dairy dessert will have to wait.