NC State came out strong, but sputtered midway through the first half. It wasn’t until Tyler Lewis came in and sparked the Pack early in the second half that the Wolfpack really started rolling.

Lewis controlled the pace of the game and even got going in the scoring column. His two 3s when State was down 11 ended up being the kick start the team needed. Lewis finished with 10 points and 3 assists while Warren was back to his old tricks, scoring 20 and adding 6 boards.

Let’s take a look at the game notes:

Growing up fast
There was a chance that the win against Maryland was just an aberration. Maybe it was just Ralston Turner getting hot and Maryland having an off game? That notion can now be put to rest after the Wolfpack just did it again. This team is learning on the run and it’s fun to watch. Sure, they are usually led by TJ Warren, but this group is getting it done together. Different guys are stepping up on different nights and it’s making the Woflpack more dangerous than many people thought. The thing that really sticks out to me is the fact that both Maryland and GT put on the pressure at the end and where most young teams would collapse, this young team found a way. There’s something to be said about winning these grinders in the ACC. It’s usually reserved for the veteran teams, but somehow, someway this Wolfpack teams is playing beyond it’s years and getting big wins, like this on over Tech.

Tyler Lewis, The Spark
I know we’ve talked a lot about Lewis and we’ve been pretty vocal bout him staying in the rotation and spelling Barber. The reason we feel that way is because of games like this one. Without Tyler Lewis, NC State doesn’t win this game. He’s a leader, he can get the crowd going crazy and he can dictate the flow of the game. The other problem was that Lewis kind of lost his confidence when he was pretty much relegated to the end of the bench early in the season. I’m still not sure why that happened, and maybe it was something behind the scenes, but either way, it crushed Lewis’ confidence and had him playing scared. Finally, against Georgia Tech, he broke out of that slump. He came in with State down 11 and in seven minutes had NC State leading by 1. Lewis brings a real calming effect to the floor when he’s out there and is a great conductor. He never came out after that run, played the whole second half and the entire overtime. Gottfried might be starting to see that Lewis may be worth a lot more to this team’s success than he anticipated. Tyler finished with 10 points, 3 assists and a turnover.  This was a huge game for Lewis and this team going forward. They’ve basically just unlocked another weapon.

TJ Warren being TJ Warren
When the going get’s tough, TJ gets going. I can’t say enough about this kid. I’ve never seen someone who can score so fluidly in so many ways. He was huge for State against the Jackets. He led the team in the first half and kept the game close. He then didn’t see the ball much early in the second half, but came alive late. Warren had 20 points and 6 boards (and did so on 7-12 shooting). Some of  his biggest heroics however, were in overtime. The Pack needed to start out strong in the extra period and Gottfried made the call to get it to TJ. He posed up and gave his man a quick-release jump hook off the glass. Are you kidding me? Who even practices that shot? Warren likely does, and for this specific reason. TJ is getting better and better. He also came up huge when State was tied at the very end. They went to TJ at the top of the key. He attacked right, threw up what looked like a running baby hook, and knocked it down. The guy might look calm, but there is a hunger burning inside. There must be when your blood runs that cold at the end of ball games.

Young bigs showing great promise
The biggest knock on State this year is their youth on the blocks. Washington, Freeman and Anya are all freshmen who were expected to struggle through most of the season. They were supposed to hit a brick wall when the physicality of ACC play came around. Stunningly, the exact opposite has happened. These guys are stepping up to the challenge and are growing up before our eyes. Kyle Washington and Lennard Freeman have both becomes leaders in the front court. They are more aggressive than any big State has had in the past 5 years (aside from Richard Howell of course). Against GT the two went 7-11 for 14 points, and adde a combined 6 boards. Then you have Anya who is really starting to come around as well. He had 4 boards in 11 minutes. If these young guys keep growing, keep showing leadership skills and keep playing like animals on the block, this team could start forming an identity and making some waves in the ACC.
Vandenberg steps up late
With Anya starting to hit his stride, Vandy needs to step it up. He did just that in the overtime against GT and was a big part of this victory. He had a huge tip in off a Turner missed 3. He had a massive blocked dunk against Miller, and then he anticipated the over-the-top pass from the wing and picked it off. Just when you think he may slide behind Anya in the rotation, Vandenberg does something great and reminds you why this needs him on the floor.

Team effort and great coaching
To the people calling for Gottfried’s head a little while ago, you guys are nuts. People are quick to complain about coaching when a team loses, but where is all the credit for the guy when the team wins. First off, this team is talented, but they’re young and they really don’t have a true vocal leader out there night in and night out. Gottfried has held this young group together and has done a good job teaching them how to play in the league. This team is void of any primidonnas and is just a bunch of selfless hard workers. You also have to give it to Gottfried for his in-game adjustments. He will make a change on the fly and go with it. Case in point, going with Lewis. Tyler Lewis had the hot hand and even though he’s currently the back up PG, he played him for 20 minutes straight. He also went zone and completely shut down the GT offense. Now, he may have been forced to go zone because Lewis was giving the team a spark and he couldn’t guard Trea Golden, but the NC State zone did not look like a backup defense that they don’t practice much. This zone is much improved. Guys are extending it just a bit on the wings and the opposite wing it being very aggressive in cutting off the pass to the high post. When they skip pass, the communication has been great with covering and switching when the top guy recovers. Some of these things are very subtle, but are going a long way in allowing this team to pull out late wins. You’ve got to give it to Gottfried. The guy is doing magic once again.

** This win puts State at 3-4 in the ACC with FSU coming up next at home on Wed. After that it’s the rivalry game with a struggling UNC team on this Saturday.