NC State Ready for GT in must win game

NC State is coming off three of what we believe are their best played games of the season. While they may have only come away with one win in that stretch they played three ranked opponents.

Tonight they take on a Georgia Tech team that sits 1-5 in conference play, but the stakes could not be higher. The Wolfpack are in a must win situation. With #15 Miami next, followed by a FSU team that beat them earlier this year and then Duke, nothing is going to come easy.

State is now 1-6 in conference play. If they want to make a serious run at a post season berth, they’ll have to start winning, and start soon.

Here are the keys to tonights matchup.

– Stop Georges-Hunt and Adam Smith
These are the two top scorers for the Jackets. Georges-Hunt is a 6’5 senior guard averaging 16ppg. He’s big, strong and can really pose a threat going to the rim. Smith on the other hand is a smaller guard who really shoots it well. The Pack had trouble stopping Greyson Allen who is plays a lot like Georges-Hunt. They will need to stay in front of him and make him settle for jumpers. If he gets going, things could get interesting.

– Win the battle of the boards
The Pack bigs have been good over this recent stretch, but tonight they have to be great, especially on D and on the boards. This will start with putting a body on Charles Mitchell. Mitchell is a 6’8 senior who is physical and loves to mix it up down low. Abu will likely take on this challenge and really needs to stay out of foul trouble while staying physical and not allowing Mitchell to wreck havoc on the boards.

– Smart shots and patience on offense
Over this recent stretch State has done a much better job of getting the ball down low and playing inside out. This has helped them get better looks, take higher percentage shots and get the defense out of position for Cat to attack. The addition of Cody Martin has been big, but a sustained effort by Cat is paramount. Against UNC and Duke, Barber trailed off late in the game (vs Duke he was likely injured) and the Wolfpack offense scuffled. Cat playing at a high level is the key for this team to put points on the board.

The game tips at 8pm at the PNC arena and will be on ESPN3.