Barber Sets Career Mark as NC State Drops Winthrop

Cat Barber went blow for blow with Winthrop’s Jimmy Gavin in a game that was probably too exciting for Mark Gottfried’s liking. NC State did, however, escape with the 87-79 victory over the Eagles.

Barber sets career mark:
For Barber it the type of game he desperately needed. While he had been playing decent, he hadn’t had the type of dominant outing that would kickstart this basketball team. Tonight he was simply unguardable. He used his size and speed to create oppotunities, and when he got them he capitalized on them. Barber was as aggressive as we’ve ever seen him. His defender could never take a break and was constantly under attack. Barber was able to get to the line 22 times and converted on 19 of them. When he wasn’t fouled he shot 9-19 from the floor, finished with 37 points and dished out 8 assists. If NC State is going to be a factor, this is the Barber that will lead them.

Winthrop’s Jimmy Gavin is insane:
For Winthrop, it was Jimmy Gavin, the post-grad lefty with unlimited range and a silky touch. His 38 points were a game high and the real reason that this was even a game. Wintrhop actually had the Pack on the ropes a few times, but after Gottfried challenged Cody Martin to shut him down, he was unable to get clean looks and it allowed State to start to pull away. Please note that this was not one of those episodes where NC State gives up a career night to some nobody. This kid is elite and actually warranted a call early this week from Tom Gugliotta who informed Mark Gottfried that they better watch out for this kid.

Rowan Adding Value
You can see Maverick Rowan adjusting. He’s adjusting to the faster game. He’s adjusting to the physicality. He’s adjusting to the depth perception of shooting in a major arena. But game by game you start to see this kid feel more comfortable. Tonight he set a career high with 17 points on 3-6 shooting from 3 pt range. He sill has a lot of work to do on defense, but tonight he was a major reason that NC State was able to hang with Winthrop early on when Gavin was ‘all systems go.’

Cody Martin Finding His Role
Another major contributor in this game was Cody Martin. Looking at his 7 points and 5 board stat line you probably wouldn’t have guessed it, but he was great tonight. It was his defense that slowed down Gavin late in the game. We watched him closely when Gottfried switched him onto Gavin and challenged him with shutting down this elite scorer. What we saw was very impressive and disciplined defense. He was in the passing lane, deep in his stance, seeing man and ball and following Gavin over every screen. He is one of the two reasons that the Pack won this basketball game (the other being Cat’s huge performance.) Cody is carving out a niche, not only as a defensive stopper and a high motor role player, but as a leader. When Gavin got white hot and started to help Winthrop pull away, it was Cody who took it upon himself to shut him down. His focus, determination and leadership are things that this team needs worse than anything else, and if he can continue to provide that, State will be in good shape.

Next up is…
Next up for NC State is Michigan on Tuesday. The Wolverines are 4-2 with losses to Xavier and #18UConn. It should be a great matchup in the Raleigh.