NC State is certainly not a complete product heading into ACC play, but they are definitely showing signs of moving in the right direction

On Tuesday they defeated Northeaster 72-66. Cat Barber dropped 29, Maverick Rowen scored 16 and Abu added 10 points and 12 boards. We’d be making a bigger deal about a Pack player scoring 29 points, but this is becoming routine for Barber who now has over 20pts in his last 4 games. However, Barber was a guy Gottfried could count on. He was going to be focal point for this team if they were going to be decent. To be competitive he needed his other guys to step up.

As the season progresses you’re seeing more consistency around Barber. Abu has turned into a pretty sure bet for a double-double (4 of his last 5 games) and freshman Mav Rowan or Caleb Martin have pitched in as secondary scorers. Rowan still needs more time before Gottfried can trot him out and ask him for solid numbers. Last night he got hot in the 2nd half and dropped 14 of his 16 points, which helped propel the Pack to victory. Against Greensboro just a week prior, he was 1-10 with 2 points.

With ACC season upon us, State is going to need to rely on a team effort night in and night out. Rowan is getting there (double digit scoring in 3 of his last 5) and the Martins are fitting into their niche, so consistency will be key if State wants another run in March.