FanHouse ADVassallo

The way the first half of N.C. State's game against Virginia Tech played out Sunday, you'd be excused for thinking the Wolfpack were on the heels of Duke and North Carolina in the ACC. But as has been typical of N.C. State all season, they couldn't hold a lead in the second half and let Virginia Tech claw its way into overtime and an 91-87 win.

This was essentially a must-win game for both teams, but particularly for the Hokies, who rebounded from a so-so non-conference performance into a spot on the happy side of the NCAA tournament bubble and are in the mix for a possible ACC tournament bye . The Wolfpack, meanwhile, were merely trying to eke out their third consecutive ACC win and move within two games of .500 in the ACC.

"Chippy" is a term that's thrown out a lot these days. It refers to a sporting contest that gets a little heated without getting violent. Wake Forest, the nation's top-ranked team, and Virginia Tech, a classic "look past" opponent for the Deacs, took that adjective to an entirely different level on Wednesday night in a fantastic ACC battle.

Virginia Tech led by 10 at the break, and as much as 13 throughout the second half, and while there were pendulum-like momentum swings throughout the final 20 minutes, the mistakes made by the Demon Deacons down the stretch resulted in a 78-71 loss to the Hokies. The biggest issue surrounding those mistakes, and something that will be addressed frequently over the next few days, is probably Jeff Teague, who failed to take charge late.