Wolfpack Seeks Redemption vs Syracuse

ACC Tournament 3rd Round
NC State vs. Syracuse
7pm | Greensboro, NC | ESPN/ACCN

This is the game Pack fans had been eyeing. As the season played out, it was obvious that the Wolfpack’s best chance to get into the big dance was to finish with a 7th seed in the ACC. That would net them a game against a lower seed (which ended up being Miami) and then a rematch with Syracuse (who they feel they can beat.)

The Orange is a team that is hard to read right now. They have lost four of their last six and are still ranked #11. This would be the signature win the Pack has been needing. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup:

Last meeting with the Orange
One huge factor in the first game was the play of TJ Warren. Usually we talk about his scoring, but in this one it was his defense that was the key for State. He held CJ Fair to only 11 points and really kept him off balance all night. They need to focus on that again, but this time out the Pack should make sure Jerami Grant (who went for 12 pts and 14 boards last time) and Rakeem Christmas (14 points, 12 boards) don’t get off. Those two guys were monsters in the paint and were the real reason Syracuse stayed in the game (oh, and also the massive FT discrepancy in the 2nd half).

I tried to get through this without mentioning the need for Warren’s scoring, but it’s not possible. State needs Warren to be big tonight on the offensive end.  He needs to get inside that zone and knock down mid-rangers. He’s got the perfect game to attack this ‘soft in the middle’ zone. This is likely Warren’s last go-round so you can believe he’ll be out there going 110%.

Attack the zone
Last time out the Pack did a great job of getting to the middle of the Syracuse zone. They used Kyle Washington to get in the middle and create havoc. He finished with a huge game that night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 boards. They’ll need that again, however it’s likely that Syracuse will pinch in a little and try to make Washington a little more uncomfortable. This will open up some shots from the arc, an area that State has been constantly improving late in the season.

They key for State should still be to infiltrate that zone and score in the paint, but knocking down a few 3s certainly wouldn’t hurt. They only shot 29% from the arc in the last meeting.

Rebounding is key
Syracuse is huge and they can really hurt you on the glass, but last time out State matched their physicality and their will in the paint. In the end the difference between the teams was only 1 rebound. Vandy is coming off a big game, so State will certainly welcome that, but the key today is whether or not Washington and Warren can replicate what they did last time out.

Syracuse struggling
We mentioned that Syracuse has lost 4 of their last 6 games, but they did just smash FSU to close their season. In that game they were animals on the boards and CJ Fair did whatever he wanted. Fair actually has been really good as of late, scoring 50 over his past 2 games. Ennis, Grant, Christmas and Cooley have all been off and on. State does matchup well with this team, but can not afford to come out soft or come out cold.

Gottfried is a great late season coach and the team was fired up yesterday. With a possible tournament bid on the line tonight, you should expect this team to come out with a ton of fire and thirst for redemption.