(12) NC State Wolfpack vs. (5) St. Louis Billikens
7:20pm | Orlando, FL | TNT

Coming off a statement win over Xavier in the ‘last four’ play in game, this Wolfpack team is looking to introduce themselves to the nation. That starts tonight when they face off against the 5 seeded Billikens of St. Louis. Let’s take a closer look:

Players to Watch for St. Louis
This is one of the most experienced teams you’ll find. They start 5 seniors including Dwayne Evans (14ppg) and Jordair Jett (13.7 ppg). Evans is a 6’6 forward who likes to attack the basket and is a strong finisher with decent touch. He’s good, but he’s not likely going to be a huge matchup problem for State. The real problem could be Jett, who is a 6’1, 215lb beast. This guy is big, strong and loves to attack. Think of a better version of Clemson’s Rod Hall and you have Jordair Jett. State will have to be crafty in defending him and likely doesn’t have anyone who matches up well. There is no way Tyler Lewis can guard a player like this, so that would fall to Turner, who may not be quick enough to stay in front of him. (check out the video below of Jordair Jett)

One option would be to go a little more zone against St. Louis since they are just about as bad as NC State at shooting the 3. Both Jett and Evans shoot worse than 25% from 3 point range.

Billikens Fading Fast
This is a team that struggles to score. They can’t really shoot and they don’t really move that well without the ball. The blueprint is out on them as they’ve lost 4 of 5 coming into this game, but I wouldn’t count out a group of guys who are playing with their college careers on the line. Looking at their season to date, it’s not like they’ve knocked off any powerhouses and honestly, State has a better quality win in Syracuse than anything the Billikens can hang their hat on. They’ve beaten Dayton, VCU and UMass, and have close losses to Wisconsin and Wichita State. They are going to be hungry, but talent wise, State is certainly capable of pulling off this victory.

St. Louis Likes It Sloppy
The Billikens want to keep this game in the low 60s. They are physical, they pack the lane and they really put pressure on you defensively. We heard the same thing about Xavier and they came out pretty soft compared to what State faced in the ACC this season. I wonder if we’ll see the same thing with St. Louis coming out of a pretty weak Atlantic 10 conference. Either way State better be ready for a tough fight. This is a team that holds their opponents to 61.2 ppg and they rank 2nd in the nation against 3pt shooting at 28.5%. Good shot selection and matching the Billikens physicality are paramount.

St. Louis D, Tailor Made for Warren?
If you watch St. Louis you’ll see that they are great at limiting 3 pt opportunities because they put a ton of emphasis on following and making close-outs a priority. Now, that might have worked a lot in the A-10 against teams that live and die by the 3, but against State you’re just wasting your time. One of the top teams at 3pt defense is going to be playing the team that shoots the least amount of 3s in the nation (percentage wise). The Billikens also do a good job around the hoop, but they really leave gaps in the middle. They invite you to drive and meet them at the rim and are good at holding their position and forcing tough shots. For NC State, this is TJ Warren’s dream. Warren doesn’t want to shoot the 3 and honestly, he doesn’t really need to get to the rim. Warren does most of his damage in the midrange. It will be interesting to see if St. Louis alters their philosophy a bit against a guy like TJ. If they don’t they will pay dearly.

Stay Loose, Stay Rested
This State team is playing a TON of basketball right now. This is going to be 5 games in 8 days for the Pack. They left immediately after their win over Xavier, flew from Dayton to Orlando. Had a walkthrough early that afternoon (on an outdoor court since they didn’t have allotted practice time.)

12 hrs after arriving in Orlando we had our 1st walk through…on an outdoor court! #Failure2PrepareIsPreparing2Fail pic.twitter.com/kapsG1CSCc

— NC State MensBball (@PackMensBball) March 19, 2014

Then had their media meetings and on-court practice time at the arena which Coach Gottfried used as strictly a shoot-around. Then it was time to relax.

The Pack posing at the Big Dance! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/dt5bJXJw5I

— NC State MensBball (@PackMensBball) March 19, 2014

Keys for the Pack
St.Louis allows only 61ppg. This means that they are able to really limit possessions and force you to work to get good shots. NC State needs to cherish every possession in this game. Limiting their turnovers will be key. Tyler Lewis is a big part of that, but keeping him on the floor might be tough against guards like Jett and the small but super-quick Mike McCall Jr. State will also need to take smart shots. They came out against Xavier with some obvious jitters before settling down late in the first half. Against the Billikens they won’t have that first 15 minutes to play with. They will need to be on-point from the opening tip.

One place that State has an obvious advantage (outside of having TJ Warren) is in the paint. The St. Louis bigs are decent but they are pretty slow and not very versatile. Kyle Washington could have a big game against them today and Vandenberg could also be a key as NC State looks to dominate the boards and keep St. Louis from getting good position on the blocks.

Overall if State comes out strong and sticks to Gottfried’s gameplan, then they have a real shot at the upset. With nothing to lose and most of the nation rooting for them, State has the chance to make another statement Thursday night.

Video Interviews via WRAL