Cat Barber will need to be prepared for a demanding matchup tomorrow as NC State squares off with the Duke Blue Devils. In his recent interview Cat talked about how Coach K has plenty of tricks up his sleeves to keep him out of the lane. Let’s take a look at how Barber can counter, have a successful game and get some much needed vindication for last year’s ACC Tournament game.
Stay in the moment…
Sometimes the only person on the court that can stop Cat is Cat. In the UNC game he let some bad plays linger too long on his part. NC State needs Barber to be positive and display great body language each time out. It is no secret that NC State’s success relies heavily on the play of the leading scorer in the ACC. Against Duke, Cat will face difficult stretches, but it comes with the territory when playing against the best coach in college basketball. Barber will have to play through mistakes and lapses and be ready for any type of trickery K can throw at him. Coach Gottfried always pleas with his guys to just play, play through bad calls, play through turnovers, and play for one another.
The only way State doubles their wins in the ACC is if Cat stays upbeat, maximizes each offensive possession and just plays
Don’t Settle…
Last season Duke had an excellent strategy to keep Cat out of the paint and limit his time with the ball, by mixing up defensive looks. Cat finished the game scoreless and had to exit the game after a collision with Amile Jefferson. Duke used a combination of defensives schemes including a 3/4 court press, a 1-3-1 zone, and using four perimeter defenders and leaving one big man down low. These actions caused Barber to be a non-factor.
Don’t be surprised if Duke uses some of these same tactics in tomorrow’s game, especially since State has less ball handlers than they did a season ago. The key for Cat is to not be too reserved and accept that Duke is going to try to take him out of the game. With the new rules about hand checking, it will be even more important that Barber look to turn the corner and create havoc off the bounce. Duke is thin and are only playing 7 guys. They are smaller inside as they only have Plumlee patrolling the interior. This could play to Barber’s advantage. If he can draw a ton of fouls it could be a major factor in tomorrow’s contest.
One area that Cat can find some freedom is in the fast break, and that is where he will have to be outstanding. Cat must push the ball with pace each time the opportunity presents itself. This takes away Duke’s ability to set up their defense and get in position. Duke will want to turn Barber into a jump shooter tomorrow, but Cat must resist and create opportunities off the dribble for himself and his teammates. K’s guys will sell out on stopping Barber, which should lead to plenty of assists if he can accept what they’re giving him and beat them that way.
Find Abu…
The sophomore power forward has finally been playing like we all thought he could as of late, and it will be important that Barber gets him involved early. Duke is thin in the post and if Abu can draw some early fouls on Plumlee, then it will force the Blue Devils to play some alternative line ups. It could also create some advantageous match ups for the Pack. Coach K may be forced to play the frail freshman Brandon Ingram at the power forward position, which would be a dream scenario for Abu.
One thing that Cat does well is that he has a way of drawing all five defenders to look his way, if he and Abu are on the same page it should create some easy baskets for Malik. Cat has to score, but a key indicator for success tomorrow could be his assist numbers.
Game time is scheduled for 2PM at the PNC and can be seen on CBS.