NC State Exhibition: 3 Thoughts

NC State beat Cal State L.A. yesterday 71-54. It was your typical exhibition game, with many fouls being called, but overall I liked what I saw from the Pack.

Here are my three thoughts on the Pack from yesterday:

1. Cat Barber looked comfortable:

It is no secret that NC State will only go as far as Cat will take them this season.  He will have to have a lights out season for State to reach its’ full potential. In the opening game a few things stood out to me with Barber.  First, he looked to be in excellent shape and appears to have put on some more muscle. I could tell that he was stronger with the ball and had better elevation on his pull up jumper as he knocked down some tough ones with a defender draped all over him.

All in all, Cat should of dominated the game, which he did, but he did it very smoothly and efficiently. On the night he finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting (2-4 from three) and had 6 assists to just one turnover, and for good measure made all 3 of his free throws. The biggest thing for Cat is consistency, just keep getting a little bit better each game.

2. Defense was solid:

The Wolfpack played an excellent game on the defensive end as they held Cal St L.A. to 32% shooting on the night. Coach Gottfried started both Cody and Caleb Martin which gave the Pack some added oomph on that end of the court. The ball pressure was fantastic which really helped our big men move their guys away from the basket, making it difficult for Cal St to get anything easy in the post. One thing that stands out on the stat sheet is the number of blocked shots, accumulating 8 on the game. Most of the blocks were retained and used to ignite the fast break attack. NC State has the desire to be good defensively which is a great omen for the season!

3. Malik Abu:

Abu has been all in the headlines this off-season being pegged as a breakout player and yesterday he showed why. Tallying 17 points and 9 rebounds Abu proved that he is ready to have a greater share of the offense. Coach Gottfried said that he played well, but he wants to see more attacking the rim from Abu. He sometimes settled too quickly for the 12 foot jump shot. Don’t get me wrong, he can knock it down, but when you look at the physical gifts he has, you want to see him putting his man inside the rim!

Abu is the type of player that can get to the free throw line 10 plus times a game with ease, and given his touch from the charity stripe he should! Not only will he score a lot of points, but he can damage a teams game plan by getting opposing teams post players into foul trouble. The sky is the limit for Abu as he gains more experience and confidence for the Pack.

Checkout the highlights below of the exhibition: