State could have. They almost did, but in the end they couldn't beat Virginia in their ACC opener. Sixty-seven-62, Virginia. Fourteen lead changes in this game. State had the chance to steal an ACC win on the road: 62-62 with 1:25 left.
Now, the Wolfpack got Virginia to play the kind of game they wanted. Limited the Cavaliers in transition, but you know and I know and everybody knows that good teams will wear this thin State team down, and the Pack didn't have the juice in the end. Depth is just not there, and with senior Engin Atsur a spectator with the bad hamstring, Coach Sidney Lowe was hamstrung even more in what he wanted to do. The Pack played just seven players with four of those going 38 or more minutes.
Virginia just hammered State on the boards 43-26. Eighteen of those Virginia rebounds were on the offensive end, and it was 15-3 Virginia in second-half points. Frustrating to play good defense and force a miss but then have the opponent get that offensive rebound
State acquitted themselves well in its first venture out of Raleigh this season. They set the tempo, kept their poise and could have stolen one. Could have will be used a lot this season.
But State simply doesn't have enough bodies. Virginia kept sending in fresh players. Maybe it was fatigue that allowed J.R. Reynolds to drain that late three that gave the Cavaliers the 62-61 lead. Nobody got on him.
State has some talent, just not nearly enough. Brandon Costner and Gavin Grant can play with anybody and Ben McCauley is much improved. They will play hard and make it interesting most nights, but they don't have size and they don't have depth. And who knows how much Atsur's injuries will affect him? Hamstring and achilles problems take time. He's so key, and his presence might have turned this one in State's favor.
Sidney Lowe said he was proud of the way his team reacted on the road for the first time. He loved the way they fought and never backed down, but it was Virginia making the plays down the stretch while State couldn't.
It will be like that much of this season. State will be there, and they will scare some good teams. But the players aren't going to grow any bigger and the bench will not get any longer. How fresh will the legs be in February and March?
State fans will like this team and admire this team because they like to play. And they will battle, but it will be a struggle. A tough struggle.
