NC State reserve is ejected for leaving the bench during skirmish vs. Virginia
NC State forward Darrion Williams (1) drives by Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso (33) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Charlottesville, Va. Credit: AP/Robert Simmons
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — An altercation near midcourt in the second half of Tuesday night's game between No. 11 Virginia and North Carolina State led to offsetting technical fouls and the ejection of one Wolfpack substitute.
“The refs handled it well and handled it the way they needed to handle it,” Virginia coach Ryan Odom said. “They looked at the film. It’s a hotly contested game, and there’s a timeout called, and then there’s a little bit of confusion. And any time one team is in front of another team’s bench and there’s a timeout called, it’s just inevitable, something’s going to happen. And I think both teams have a ton of respect for one another, and so it wasn’t a big deal.”
N.C. State trimmed Virginia's lead to 41-28 with 17:38 to play, but during the timeout that followed, the Cavaliers' Sam Lewis and the Wolfpack's Darrion Williams came together. Lewis appeared to push Williams, who retaliated, and teammates and coaches on both sides separated the players.
“I was calling timeout and then whatever happened happened," N.C. State coach Will Wade said. "I didn’t get to see a good look at it.”
The officials reviewed the incident, assessed Lewis and Williams technical fouls and ejected N.C. State's Scottie Ebube for leaving the bench.
Ebube, a 6-foot-10, 280-pound transfer from Wyoming, had not played in the game.
Virginia center Johann Grunloh said Odom stressed that the players needed to refocus after the altercation, and he acknowledged the incident helped fire up the Cavaliers. Virginia outscored N.C. State 58-42 in the second half.
