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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- It was hard to pinpoint what was more
impressive -- North Carolina State's versatility or its ability to
overcome adversity.
|  | | N.C. State's Josh Powell, left, and Virginia's Travis Watson battle for a rebound. |
Both equated to a big Atlantic Coast Conference win for the
Wolfpack on Wednesday night.
Scooter Sherrill scored a career-high 20 points off the bench
and Marcus Melvin, starting in place of the suspended Julius Hodge,
added 16 as N.C. State beat Virginia (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) 85-68.
"I guess there was kind of a feeling of a void without Julius,
but if those guys can maintain this it will be even better for
us," senior Anthony Grundy said of Sherrill and Melvin combining
for 36 points in Hodge's position.
"Those guys have done a great job of working in practice and
staying at it," Grundy added. "Those guys are roommates so they
may have talked about it beforehand."
The Wolfpack (17-6, 6-4) swept the slumping Cavaliers in the
regular season for the first time since 1987-88 to remain in sole
possession of fourth place in the ACC as Grundy added 25 points --
eight over the final 1:31.
"Guys just rolled their sleeves up," Grundy said of his team's
effort. "We knew how important this game was. We had a two-game
skid and guys wanted to get it done."
Meanwhile, Virginia (14-6, 4-5) dropped its fourth straight and
is in danger of falling out of the Top Ten for the first time since
Nov. 19, when the Cavaliers were ranked 11th.
"Maybe we got punched in the stomach and just didn't respond,"
Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "We're at a crossroads. We've got
see whether we're going to fold our tents or come out swinging.
We've got to look in the mirror and see what we're going to do."
Two Virginia starters -- Chris Williams and Keith Jenifer --
didn't get a basket, going a combined 0-for-10 from the field.
"Right now we're hurting a lot," team captain Roger Mason Jr.
said. "This team has too much talent to be playing like this. And
it can get worse if we don't get refocused."
Sherrill filled in when Melvin got into foul trouble, going
6-for-9 from the field as N.C. State won its third game over a Top
Ten team -- two over the Cavaliers. Sherrill's previous best was 19
points earlier this season at Clemson.
"Those weren't the guys that we thought would hurt us," Mason
said. "That shows how much talent they have."
Travis Watson led Virginia with a career-high 29 points and 12
rebounds.
Hodge was suspended Tuesday by ACC commissioner John Swofford
for throwing an elbow to the head of Maryland point guard Steve
Blake over the weekend. He watched his teammates from the bench in
street clothes.
But the Wolfpack didn't miss their freshman star, going 9-for-20
from 3-point range and forcing a sloppy Virginia team into 20
turnovers to inch closer to the program's first NCAA Tournament
berth since 1991.
"The coaches have been barking for the past two weeks about our
defense so I think guys really took it to heart," said Grundy, who
had four of N.C. State's 12 steals.
The 6-foot-8 Melvin had started the first 16 games before being
demoted. But he made the most of his opportunity back with the
starters, making all three of his 3-pointers in the first half to
give the Wolfpack a working margin.
Melvin added another one behind the arc during N.C. State's 12-4
run to open the second half for a 20-point lead with 16:34 left.
Virginia never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way to
drop its fifth straight in Raleigh.
"I thought we were out-scrapped and out-toughed by N.C.
State," Gillen said. "They played better ball than us."
Virginia fell behind early, then used an 8-0 run to gain some
momentum as the Wolfpack offense started slowly without Hodge.
But the Cavaliers had a disastrous final 10 minutes of the first
half, going 5½ minutes without a point and managing just two
baskets and six free throws by Watson as N.C. State took control.
N.C. State's defense keyed its 15-2 run. Virginia turned it over
on four straight possessions and seven times overall during its
scoring drought that turned the tide and gave the Wolfpack a 40-28
halftime lead.
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Virginia vs. N.C. State