OUR TAKE: NC State Squeaks By Detroit 82-79

NC State 82 – Detroit 79
BoxScore

Mark Gottfried Press Conference:

NC State narrowly escaped a late game loss when their 18 point lead disappeared down the stretch. Luckily they got some unexpected production from a few key guys and came away with a 82-79 win.

– TJ Warren dropped 29 points to lead State. Another game, another huge scoring output for this kid. He was pretty unstoppable against Detroit and was able to make a ton of tough shots that took the air out of the Titans sails a few times. It’s looking more and more like when the dust settles, TJ is going to find himself atop the ACC in scoring and believe me, NBA scouts are taking note.

– State needs to improve on defense. Detroit shot 46% on the night and a lot of that was them just taking the ball to the rack and no one stopping them. I’m not sure if the the guys felt like they had the game in hand or if they were just not all that ready to play after the week layoff, but the D wasn’t pretty and against ACC opponents it’s going to cost them. The help-side defense was pretty nonexistent and when it was there, it was late. This led to some foul trouble, which led to some key guys sitting some key minutes. State must get better here if they want to compete.

– Too many turnovers for this team. With the talent level and overall athleticism of this team, there is some room for mistakes, but not a great deal. For instance, overcoming 15 turnovers is not something this team is going to be able to do constantly. They did it against Detroit, but it was thanks to huge offensive production from Warren and Turner.

– Cat Barber needs to stay on the court. Don’t get me wrong, Lewis played well. he finished with 6 points and 7 assists, but State needs Barber defensively. He only got 16 minutes in this one thanks to foul trouble and I think that is why Detroit’s dribble penetration was so effective. This team needs Tyler Lewis AND Cat Barber, but 26 minutes of Lewis and 16 of Barber probably isn’t your perfect balance. Barber finished with 4 points, 4 assists and 4 fouls.

– Ralston Turner was on FIRE. There was a stretch there when the guy couldn’t miss. He came off the bench to drop 21 points on 6-8 from 3pt range. Detroit wanted to rely on their zone but Turner’s shooting was putting a damper on that plan. Now, he’s not going to shoot like this every time out, but if he can come anywhere close to this then he’d be doing a pretty nice job of trying to replace Scott Wood. Teams in the ACC are watching right now and if you are making a blueprint to beat the Wolfpack then you are coming out in zone. Ralston is trying to make teams rethink that strategy.

– State couldn’t get much going inside, but it was nice to see Kyle Washington start to gain some confidence (8 points, 6 boards) and  Lennard Freeman continues his onslaught of the boards. This guy is a rebounding machine. Sure, he didn’t score, but he scooped up 9 more boards.

– Dez Lee will come around. He’s kind of struggling with his shot right now, but he’s doing a great job on defense. I think when he gets in the groove and starts settling into the level of basketball, he’s going to produce a lot more on offense. Against the Titans he had 9 points and showed flashes of what he’s capable of.

– This is a disciplined team that is doing things the right way. Hey, it’s hard to ask for much more from such a young team. They’re playing together, they’re playing smart, and they’re fun to watch. This is one of the more enjoyable teams the Pack has trotted out there in a long time. There is no attitudes or egos, and they’re playing the game right.

– Against Detroit it wasn’t the offense that was hurting. State scored 82 points. They shot 50%, but only knocked down 66% from the foul line. Detroit is not a bad team, so hanging 82 on them is nothing to scoff at. When TJ can get another scorer backing him up, State is very dangerous offensively.

– Next game is a real test as the Wolfpack travel to Tennessee on Dec 18 at 7pm on ESPNU. The Vols have beaten Xavier and Wake already and narrowly lost to #12 Wichita State.