The Sprint to March Begins Now

All that stands between NC State and the greatest show on earth is 5 games. Two of these game are within the friendly confines of the PNC. This Saturday the Hokies make the trip down from Blacksburg to try and gain a rare ACC win. On the season VT has only registered 2 wins in the ACC, but the Pack cannot simply overlook them come Saturday. If State comes out flat and drops the game against the Hokies then we have zero chance of punching our ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Following our game this Saturday State travels to bitter rival UNC to try and atone for a loss earlier in the season where the Tarheels were able to squeak by with the win.

Momentum is on the Pack’s side coming off a huge win at Louisville. Caution must be heeded for a young team as they recently beat a top ranked team only to face an unheralded opponent after a week off. This is where we will be able to see how effective Coach Gottfried is at reaching his team. As they practice these next few days it will be critical to keep a one game approach as looking behind or ahead can easily result in a devastating home loss. The key to the last five games are the same keys that have been important the whole season.

1. Limit Turnovers:

Cat has done an extraordinaire job in the past five game of taking care of the ball without sacrificing the attacking nature that must be employed to win. Others have followed Cat’s lead by not turning the ball over in our end of the court. The best example of this came last game as the Pack handled one of the best pressing teams in the ACC and country in Louisville. If the Wolfpack can continue to take care of the ball there is no reason why they cannot win out over these last five games.

2. Control the Glass:

NC State has shown that they are capable of out-rebounding any team on a given night; however, they must protect the offensive glass.  All five guys must crash the boards on the defensive ends to cut down on second chance points. Recently I have been impressed with Trevor Lacey and his willingness to mix it up underneath. The burden will be on Abu, Washington, Anya, and Freeman to step up to the challenge of not allowing any team to out-rebound the Pack.

3. Defend:

Make no mistake about it the main reason why State beat the 9th ranked Cards this past weekend is because they stepped up to the challenge and played excellent defense. Throughout the game State didn’t allow the leading scorer in the ACC (Terry Rozier) to have any clean looks and even held him under double figures on the day. As we look ahead there will be ample opportunities for State to prove that this defensive effort wasn’t a fluke. A week from today State faces UNC and must be ready to stop Marcus Paige. Paige has been a thorn in the Pack’s side since his arrival on campus a few years ago. Cat and company must step up and provide great effort and help in order for State to finish this season on a high note.

4. Energy:

In these last five games I am 100 percent confident that at least one of these games NC State will have an off night shooting the ball; but that is no excuse to pack the tent. The Wolfpack must summon all the required energy each and every time out if they want to achieve their goals of making the Tournament. Depth is not an issue so there is no reason why any one player should be taking any plays off. I am confident that we can go 8 or 9 deep if needed and still be competitive in stretches. Our guys must recognize this fact and leave it all on the court.

What are your keys to State finishing the season a perfect 5 and 0?