Lewis, Warren Help Pack Hold on to Beat VT 71-64

TJ Warren (31 pts, 6 rebounds and 4 steals) and Tyler Lewis (8 pts, 11 assists and zero turnovers) led NC State past last place Virginia Tech, 71-64.

If the Wolfpack just just ‘kind-of’ shoot, they would be top 5 in the ACC, but once again we saw a close game with a subpar team because they just can not hit the 3 pointer. Teams consistently back the middle and make State shoot from the outside, and it plays into their hands every time. The Pack shot 24 3s and only connected on four of them (16.7%). Two of those came in the first two minutes by TJ Warren.

Speaking of Warren, this guy is absolutely amazing and showed once again why he should be considered for ACC player of the year. The guy was everywhere, hitting outside, inside, floaters, layups, getting steals, grabbing boards. Warren is nearly a one man show for State. However, I shouldn’t say that because a lot of his looks were thanks to the play of Tyler Lewis. The kid who was only seeing about 6 minutes per game early in the ACC season has suddenly regained form and has become a catalyst for this offense. Lewis has been as good as he could be against the zone, finding the gaps and hitting open men everytime down the floor. He has finally stopped trying to be a scorer and has gotten back to his role as a floor general and distributor. He dropped 11 dimes in this one and did so without a turnover. That’s pretty amazing, but what’s even more impressive is the streak he’s been on. Over the past 3 games Lewis has 21 assists and zero turnovers. Talk about getting the most out of your point guard.

With solid play from Lewis and Warren and Kyle Washington continuing to get involved (13 points, 5 boards), State was able to keep control of this game throughout, but against a better team this one could have gotten ugly. State has become such a poor shooting team that it is a no-brainer to go zone and really pack in the lane. Lee, Lewis, and Barber all absolutely need to find their touch. At this point it’s most certainly a mental block. Whether they are unsure if they’re taking a good shot and it’s making them hesitate or they’re just not confident in their own shot, it’s something that has to be overcome. Those 3 guys are not 20% 3 point shooters. They all should be hovering around the 30% mark at worst. State needs to fix this soon or they’re going to really struggle with their upcoming games against UNC and Pitt.

Virginia Tech really just doesn’t have much firepower and even though State was missing from the outside, they weren’t able to ever make a big enough run to claim the lead. The Pack was able to stay close enough in the rebounding war and rely on Warren to get inside that zone and knock down a few jumpers to hold off V Tech, but they’re going to need improved scoring from their guards if they’re going to make any sort of run.

‘Our Take’:Barber to the 2?
It’s about time for Gottfried to mix it up a bit. Lee has hit a wall and Barber hasn’t quite grasped playing point at this level. So what’s the answer. I can’t say we have one, but it’s probably worth a shot to get Barber more involved in a different capacity. He’s too good a defender and has too much potential to score for him to be playing 5 minutes per game . I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I know Barber’s mind set right now, but we know early in the season he was intent on playing point. Right now, that position belongs to Tyler Lewis and it doesn’t look like he’s giving that up anytime soon, but State is dire need of a scorer and Barber can be that. If he wants to see minutes and wants to be a part of any kind of late season run it might be wise to bring the idea of moving to the 2 to Gottfried’s attention. While I’m sure the staff has toyed with the idea, I’m not sure they know if Barber would be ok with it. At this point, I’m guess that he’d play any position if it will get him on the floor. By doing this you could leverage his defense and his scoring ability while taking the ball and some decision making out of his hands a little bit.

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