NC State Basketball
What you need to know: NC State takes on Boston at 4:30pm
NC State is all set to take on Boston University today at 4:30pm at the PNC (on RSN). They will be looking to get back on track after a tough 88-74 loss to Illinois. Here is what you need to know:
– On Boston University
The Terriers come in to this one 4-3, and while they don’t have any true quality wins, they did nearly knock off UConn a few days ago. Now, that was actually UConn’s first home win, so really it doesn’t say much, but still noteworthy nonetheless.
Boston will be relying on senior guard Eric Fanning for most of their scoring. Fanning dropped 21 on UConn and is averaging over 16ppg right now. He is a big 6’5 guard with a nice stroke and while he isn’t the quickest guy on the court, he is a high IQ ball player. Check him out here.
The Terriers also have been decent on the boards, something that NC State is really going to need to pay attention to. They out-rebounded UConn 44-42.
– On Mav Rowan
It’s been almost 3 weeks and we are still wondering when NC State will welcome back Maverick Rowan from concussion. The sophomore shooter has been sorely missed, but that may change today. Gottfried said he was hoping to have Mav back in this game, but still was not 100% sure on if he’d be cleared.
Getting Rowan back would be a big plus for NC State. They have missed his experience, his shooting and his ability to score in the mid-range. Lately the Pack has mostly been relying on drives to the rim or 3 pointers. It will be nice to have a big guard like Rowan who can exploit mismatches and score from multiple areas on the floor. Let’s hope he suits up
– On Torin Dorn
If NC State is going to beat Boston University, they are likely once again going to be leaning or Torin Dorn. Dorn has been great and really is coming on as the Wolfpack’s glue guy. Now, usually when you say glue guy you are talking about a player who isn’t a super talent, but maybe is a hustle player who is good for team chemistry. Dorn is different. He does all the dirty work, plus he scores. He’s shooing at a high clip, which was unexpected, especially from 3pt range. Over the past 4 games, Dorn is shooting over 70% from 3. Gottfried talks about why that might be the case.
It looked like Smith was making great progress, but yesterday’s game set him back. What in the hell was he thinking out there. At this rate, Johnson should be the point guard of choice. At least he plays some defense. Smith has played too much no defense AAU ball. If he was a regular player, you cover overlook these problems. He is a one and done, therefore he is just taking up space now.
This lineup sucks. Hopefully Yurtseven will change the makeup of this team. Rowan needs to come back also. If not, this team is doomed for the NIT at best.
Not there yet, but better. Defense looked better (minus last minute), and think we would have won by more if shots had been falling. Had good looks, just didn’t go in. Gotta get some of the guys in the gym to work on FTs though.