NC State Faces Identity Crisis After 66-59 Loss to Michigan

NC State started fast, but puttered through final half on their way to a 66-59 loss to Michigan.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Gottfried and company as Michigan was forced to play most of the game without their leader Derrick Walton Jr. who left with a sprained ankle in the first half and still won.

This is a young NC State team, but not a team void of experience.  There were some positives last night, but also some red flags and things that desperately need to be addressed if they want to be in tournament contention by the end of the season. Here are a few areas that NC State came up short against the Wolverines last night.

What’s going on with the bigs?

Abu, Anya and Freeman were being relied on for some major contributions this season, but this group has been largely underwhelming thus far. It’s not all their fault. The Pack is not playing as a cohesive unit. The guards are not feeding the posts enough. Then when they do, the Wolfpack bigs are forcing shots in fear that they won’t get the ball for a few more possessions. This has got to stop. The guards need to trust their bigs. When they get position, feed them the ball. The bigs, however, have to be quick to move the ball when a double comes or if they’re not in great positions to score.

Last night we saw some glimpses of what Beejay Anya could be if he was more aggressive and he was given more touches in the post. His frame, added quickness and length allowed him to get some really easy buckets. He was 4-5 from the field for 9 points (and added 7 boards and 3 blocks) but his free throw shooting was crippling. He was 1-6 from the stripe and has had trouble there his whole career. If he gets the ball in the post and keeps attacking he’ll get his points but may really hurt the Pack if he’s getting to the line and not knocking down the free ones.

Abu has gone missing. At the end of last season we were watching a future NBA star emerge. He was strong on the blocks, always in attack mode, and getting to the line at will. He was playing with tenacity, his emotion sparked runs and his play pushed the Pack into the sweet 16. This year has been puzzling. He has gone back to settling for jump shots, playing less aggressive and without the edge we’ve seen from him in the past. Gottfried says he’s not hurt, but you have to wonder why a kid with this much size and athleticism is shying away from contact and post play. Last night, the guy who many thought could be the centerpiece of the Wolfpack offense played 13 minutes, went 0-6, finished with 2 points and didn’t have a single rebound. This game is on the heels of another 14 minutes, 2 point performance against Winthrop in a game Abu should have absolutely dominated. We will monitor this situation, but we are as surprised as you are by Abu’s play of late.

Shooting (shot selection) Woes Continue

Last night we were made aware of a stat that said only Caleb Martin and Maverick Rowan have hit 3s for NC State this season. When we looked back, it was correct. And it’s not only the 3s that have been a problem for State. Cat Barber is shooting just 36% from the field (last on the team) after hitting nearly 44% last season. He’s also 0-8 from 3 so far. Last year Cat hit 38% of this 3s. 

So if State isn’t shooting well from 3 (31%) and their bigs aren’t getting touches, then how are they attempting to score? The answer is that they are relying on mid range contested jumpers far too often. They are forcing 3 points shots at times, which is hurting their percentage, and they are not getting to the rim with any consistency. At the end of they day they are shooting such a low percentage because they are taking such low percentage shots. That has got to change.

If this team wants to win it needs to play as a unit. They need to move the basketball, run the offense, cut with conviction and attack with authority. This team is playing too soft, too loose and too selfish to be considered dangerous in the ACC. Gottfried may say that this group is just missing their shots (video below), but it’s most certainly a deeper problem than that. It’s fixable for sure, but not just guys missing shots.

Find your Identity and Embrace it

The trend we’ve seen with Gottfried is that his teams get better as the season goes along, and are usually in contention by season’s end. That may be the what we’ll witness as the season unfolds, but if it does, it will be because this team found it’s identity.

This team’s identity won’t be it’s sharp-shooting, or it’s ability to spread the floor and let one person out athlete everyone else. No, if this NC State team wants to be great it’s going to have to start getting serious about it’s defense.

Now, denying the basketball and staying in the passing lanes doesn’t fill up the stat sheet. Boxing out and constantly communicating on help side aren’t exactly the sexiest things one can do on the basketball court, but these are qualities of teams that have an edge about their defense. Teams that take it personal when their man scores on them and are happy to expend most of their energy not trying to get open, but to get stops. These are the qualities of teams with a killer instinct. These are teams that want to win together. They’re not looking at points or rebounds or trying to make a highlight reel play on the break. These qualities are only found in teams that are playing for each other and for a common goal. Right now NC State isn’t close to being this type of team. Aside from a few spurts where Cody Martin has really locked down, and a couple possessions when Cat has decided to harass his man, this team has played passive defensively.

This team doesn’t have a Trevor Lacy. Maverick Rowan hitting more 3s isn’t going to change the game. Caleb Martin knocking down deep 3s isn’t going to make this NC State team a true threat night in and night out. However, buying into defense will. By forgetting about the box scores and the fans and the scouts, and by being obsessed with locking down their opponent, disrupting offensive sets, making it a chore for the PG to get down the court, this team could be a true disrupter in the ACC.

Great defensive teams make it difficult for the initiating pass to be made. They keep a hand in the passing lane. They see man and ball at all times.  They force teams to start their offense from further out by pressuring the ball handler. They never lose focus on the defensive end.  This is the type of teams that offenses are afraid to face. These are the types that get people out of their comfort zone and out of their rhythm. If this Wolfpack team is going to achieve greatness this season, it’s going to have to change is style and focus and start getting down to the dirty business of defense.