Wolfpack tame Panthers 68-50

Hats off the the Pack as they responded to Coach Gottfried’s demands of playing with energy, effort, and pride. The Wolfpack played with the requisite energy and effort to hold the Pitt Panthers to 32 percent shooting and swatted a total of 9 shots. BeeJay Anya turned away 3 shots to lead the Pack and Lacey was right behind him with 2 on the day. Two of the more exciting blocks came from the Martin Twins, both Cody and Caleb displayed graceful athleticism to erase a couple attempts by Pitt.

Anyone who watched this game knew that the players have been under the microscope the past couple of days at practice. Following the horrible home loss to the Bearcats Gottfried vowed that Wolfpack nation would see a change.  I saw a change in the seriousness and approach in our guys as the ball was tossed upwards. Gottfried was a maniac on the sidelines demanding perfection and execution that lead to some fiery exchanges with his players. One timeout was called after Pitt scored an easy transition bucket, only to have Coach Gottfried to tug the 5 men on the court by their jerseys in tight. Within this huddle everyone’s manhood was questioned and sought after! Following this timeout State put on a clinic defensively.

A common sight tonight was the Wolfpack players in everyones pocket it didn’t matter if their man had the ball or not. I absolutely loved the energy and effort the Twins turned in. They both affected the game on both ends. It was a positive sight to see Cody taking a big step forward in joining Caleb today. I truly believe that these two players will be cornerstones for the Pack in the years to come. Cody worked his tail off this past week and reaped the rewards today playing a grand total of 9 minutes. Look for him to earn even more PT as the season marches on.

After being MIA last game Trevor and Ralston came out and played beautifully. The two combined for 35 points while shooting 62 percent from the field. Ralston also had his best game defensively and set a great example for the younger guys by listening to Gottfried. Every time the Panthers tried to whittle away at the lead, either Trevor would hit a signature pull up or Ralston would hit a tough three-pointer off a screen. Lacey also weaved his way through the Panthers defense with some tremendous ball-handling and nifty finishes inside.

By getting the win today the Pack find themselves atop the ACC at 2-0 with a difficult three game stretch ahead. Wednesday; State travels up to Charlottesville to face the 3rd ranked Cavaliers. Following that game NC State hosts Tobacco Road in Duke and UNC. Many may cringe at the thought of having to play two top 5 teams in back to back games, but Gottfried has a different mindset. In his post game report he spoke of the great opportunity ahead for him and his players. He said that he relishes the challenge and loves to compete against the best of the best. This is why Gottfried is the man for the job! He doesn’t shy away from a challenge and he is confident enough to see the process through. Look for the Pack to play with great effort from this point on.

NC State vs UVA is scheduled for Wednesday at 7PM and can be seen on ESPN 2.