Things looked a lot different the last time North Carolina State and Virginia squared off.The Wolfpack were led by a core that included DJ Horne, DJ Burns and Casey Morsell, while the Cavaliers took the court for renowned head coach Tony Bennett.NC State prevailed in that tense Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal, one of the Wolfpack’s many memorable victories throughout their improbable run to the Final Four last season.Horne, Burns and Morsell are now gone from NC State, as is Bennett from Virginia, giving both teams a new look entering Tuesday’s clash in Charlottesville, Va.Horne was the Wolfpack’s main scorer last season, so NC State (8-4, 1-0 ACC) has relied on a more balanced offense this year.Bowling Green transfer Marcus Hill and returning starter Jayden Taylor pace the Wolfpack with 12.6 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, while three other players average between 9.0 and 9.8 points.NC State coach Kevin Keatts is pleased with his team’s production despite the lack of a go-to scorer.”This group needs each other to be good, and that’s OK because when you’ve got a bunch of guys … getting 10, 11, 12 points a game, sometimes that’s the hardest team to guard because you don’t know who to focus on,” Keatts said after NC State beat visiting Rider 89-63 on Dec. 22.
