What To Watch For: NC State vs ASU

NC State will take the court at 9:30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Legends Classic. The game will be televised on ESPN3 as well as the WatchESPN App.

Here are three things that will determine if State can push its’ win streak to 3 games.

1. ASU will be prepared to face the Pack: 

Can NC State mix it up and execute its’ sets even when ASU has an inside advantage on what Gottfried and company wants to do? It is no secrete that that the Sundevils have a couple of NC State connections on Bobby Hurley’s staff and team.  Levi Watkins is an assistance (former member of Gottfried staff) and knows the high post system. Mark Gottfried doesn’t care if the other team knows whats coming, his whole thing is if you execute the offense it will not be stopped, this theory will be tested tonight.

2. Will State defend? 

My word has been on the line as I stated that this could be one of the better defensive teams Coach Gottfried has had, but they have yet to prove me right. Losing Henderson has not helped by any means; however, mental lapses have been the main root of the problem. ASU returns four of their top five scorers from a season ago and should be a tough test for State on the defensive end. State must use it’s length on both the perimeter and in the paint to contest each attempt. The Sun Devils are not a large team which should give NC State an advantage. Look for State to funnel them inside to Anya and Abu and then force them into tough inside shots.

The biggest thing State must improve on is forcing some turnovers to ignite the fast break. Caleb Martin, and Cat Barber are made for the open court and can be an area where they can get some easy baskets. Defense can be a team’s best friend if they struggle in the half court, this is how State can improve its’ efficiency.

3. Can Abu establish himself on both ends? 

Malik Abu is the type of player that has to perform each and every night for State if they are going to be successful. His combination of size and skill give him an advantage on most nights. Tonight it will be an advantage once again as he should be able to out quick and out muscle ASU big men. The main thing for Abu is to play with an aggressive nature and not settle for jump shots. Yes he can make a 12 foot shot but that is not his strength, he is so much more valuable attacking the rim and trying to put his defender in the basket. Malik can cause so much havoc and fouls by attacking off of the high post iso…a la CJ Leslie style circa 2012-2013.

The main difference is that Abu has a much stronger build that can punish teams inside, where as CJ was more of a slight build who had to out quick his man. Coach Gottfried wants him to step up and take more responsibility on the offensive end. He needs him to be a monster underneath and I believe we will see him do just that tonight.

Summary: 

Tonight is a big game for this group, ASU is not expected to set anyone on fire this season but it is critical that the Pack play well under the bright lights in Barclays. Coach Gottfried always seems to get his guys to perform best in these types of games, and it will be interesting to see how they play tonight. Cat Barber has an opportunity to control the pace and use his strengths to put his teammates in the best possible situation, last game he was better at controlling the pace which Gottfried highlighted in his post game comments. Look for the Pack to get the win tonight behind a blue collar effort. They should control the glass and use their length to disrupt the Sun Devils.