NC State proved to be too much as they had the answers to every Volunteer charge. Tennessee was on fire to start the game hitting their first four three pointers, luckily State settled down on both ends of the floor to gain control of the game. At the half the Pack held a 39 to 27 advantage. Pacing the Wolfpack was Ralston “Freeze” Turner, he had a career night scoring a total of 33 points while connecting on 8 out of 17 attempts from three!

How did the Pack bounce back after a tough loss? Here is our take!

Ralston “Freeze” Turner: 

I can’t overemphasize just how important he is to State’s offensive attack. Tonight he had it going. I touched base on the fact that he is one of the best heat check guys in the NCAA. What does this mean? Well it means that he can get hot at any given moment, when that happens he is must see TV. Ralston was in the zone all night. He is so dangerous once he hits a couple in a row. Once he gets into rhythm opposing teams beware! Throughout the game Ralston had a couple of heat check moments, none better than his 35 foot three pointer he hit at the top of the key assisted by Cat Barber! Lets recap this play. It wasn’t anything special leading up to his shot, Cat dribbled at Ralston who looped behind him as Cat shovel passed it to him. I think there was only one player on the court that thought he was going to shoot it…That player was number 22. On this night before he walks across the stage (he graduates tomorrow) he will always remember, scoring a career high in points and made three-pointers (8).Only one off of the school record of 9 by Rodney Monroe! Hats off to Ralston!

Cat Barber: 

Cat’s outstanding performance will undoubtedly be overshadowed by Ralston’s career night; however, Cat was a steady presence who also had a career high against the Volunteers! Barber tallied a total of 8 assists tying his career high in that category. Not only did Cat get his teammates involved but he valued possessions by only turning the ball over once! This is impressive given the aggressive nature of Tennessee. Throughout the game the Volunteers were relentless in their full court pressure and on the ball defense of the Pack. No question that the refs allowed a fair amount of hand checks and physicality, yet Cat was up to the challenge and passed with flying colors. To cap off his steady night Cat went 5 for 5 from the charity stripe, which played a huge role in the Pack holding off the late push by the Volunteers. This type of performance is exactly what the Wolfpack needs out of him. He doesn’t have to be super aggressive hunting his shot, but needs to use his speed to set up his teammates. I was proud of Barber in the way he turned down his own shot in favor of Turner’s hot hand on a couple of possessions.

Abu and Anya? I think so! 

Tonight we were shown a different combo underneath. Abu and Anya played more minutes together than in any game previously. I really enjoyed the way they compliment each other and believe that they could be the best answer for the Pack down low. Why? Well by having Abu and Anya NC State presents a difficult blend of length and athleticism that other teams must game plan against. Abu is long, strong, as well as quick. He also displayed a soft touch around the rim tonight as he found the soft spot in the heart of the 1-3-1 zone employed by the Volunteers. With Abu flashing the high post and BeeJay throwing his weight around on the block teams quickly become exposed defensively! I saw it on a couple of plays where BeeJay cleared out space as Abu used his face up game to attack the rim. Then on another possession Abu pulled the help-side big away from the paint that resulted in a nice lob to Anya!

Playing these two together in stretches is a great option for Gottfried as it adds excellent versatility on both side of the court. Look for the Pack to experiment more with Abu, Anya, Lacey, Turner, and Barber to create mismatches nightmares for opposing teams!

Plenty of Bite to back up the Howl: 

Tennessee tried to punk the Pack tonight! They came out with the attitude that they were going to be physical on both ends of the court. They attacked the rim with ferocity and determination! Yet our boys were tough all night and did an admiral job of playing with emotion as well as energy to overcome the Vols. Officiating played into Tennessee’s favor in the way hand checking was allowed as they harassed our guards the whole night; however, our three headed attack of Barber, Lacey, and Turner were fully equipped physically to handle the pressure. All three used pace and angles to use the Volunteers aggressive nature against them. For example I saw where State used emotional intelligence tonight by walking away from a potential disaster. A couple of times the Vols tried to bait our bigs into altercations after a play, yet our guys didn’t bite and played with composure! Throughout the night NC State hung tough and didn’t allow the Vols to get over the hump as they tried to close the gap late in the game. You have to appreciate how this team competes, I promise you they will never quit! Its’ not in their DNA.

Conclusion: 

Great win for NC State. Tennessee was a gritty grind it out type of team that must be matched in intensity and energy! Everyone of our players were ready to play with outstanding effort and selflessness. I loved how our guys rallied behind Ralston all night. Every single player looked to feed Turner’s hot hand, there were no signs of jealousy. From the tip to the final buzzer our guys had one thing on their mind…Atone for Sundays loss against Wofford. Sometimes the taste of defeat can be the fuel needed to achieve success. Our guys could of easily let the last games fate happen tonight, yet instead of crumbling they came together and finished the job as a team!

State returns to action this Saturday in the Gotham Classic against the 22nd ranked Mountaineers from West Virginia! The game will be played in Madison Square Garden, arguably the most famous arena in the world! You can check out all of the action on ESPN 2 at 9:30 PM