After winning its first game without Justin Anderson on the road, Virginia will get its next three on its own court against unheralded competition as it tries to maintain its ACC lead.
The second-ranked Cavaliers will attempt to match the best start in school history Saturday in the first of two meetings with Wake Forest in 12 days.
Virginia (22-1, 10-1) won't have its second-leading scorer for the next four to six weeks after Anderson underwent surgery for a broken finger on his left shooting hand. With him out, the Cavaliers still managed to remain two up in the loss column over Notre Dame on Wednesday.
Mike Tobey had seven of his 11 points - his most in nine games - in the final five minutes in a 51-47 win at North Carolina State, while Malcolm Brogdon scored at least 15 for the fourth straight game.
The Cavaliers also displayed their usual top-notch defense, limiting the Wolfpack to 33.3 percent shooting and a 3-for-17 effort from 3-point range.
"I think in the beginning of the game it was a little bit of an adjustment for us to play without (Anderson), but as the game went on we kind of got into a little bit of a groove," Tobey said. "And going forward, it's a tough win for us, and I think it kind of gives us confidence to play without him."
Virginia, which opened 23-1 in 1980-81, will face three straight opponents that are below .500 in the ACC, and Wake Forest (12-13, 4-8) has lost all five of its conference games on the road.
Two of those defeats came in overtime for the Demon Deacons, who enter having won three of four. They caught a break Wednesday when Miami's last shot rimmed out in a 72-70 victory.
Freshman forward Konstantinos Mitoglou made a season-high six 3-pointers and scored 21 as Wake Forest went 12 of 23 from beyond the arc for its most 3s made in three seasons.
Codi Miller-McIntyre, who leads the team with 14.2 points per game, scored eight in being held to single digits for the second straight game but contributed in other areas with seven assists and six rebounds.
Miller-McIntyre had six points on 2-of-9 shooting in last season's only matchup with Virginia, a 74-51 road loss Jan. 8, 2014. The Cavaliers outshot the Demon Deacons 50.0 percent to 35.4 and held them to a 4-of-17 performance from 3-point range while going 7 for 14 from deep.
"We'll need our freshmen to knock down shots, especially the way (Mitoglou) did (against Miami) because (Virginia plays) really good defense and it will be difficult to get all the way to the basket," Miller-McIntyre said. "If they're knocking down shots, it'll be easier to spread that defense out a bit."
Virginia has won two of the last three meetings after losing six in a row with both victories coming in Charlottesville.
The teams will meet again Feb. 25 at Wake Forest.
