Kevin Keatt’s Wolfpack survived and advanced in the ‘Battle 4 Atlantis’ last night, toppling #2 Arizona 90-84. They suit up again today with a quick turnaround against the University of Northern Iowa Panthers in the semis.
Gametime: 3pm
How to Watch: ESPN2
Location: Atlantis, Bahamas
Get to Know Northern Iowa
The Panthers come into this game 4-1 after beating SMU last night, in the first round. So far their only loss has come, coincidentally, to the Tar Heels (86-69).
They are led by 6’10“ senior Bennet Koch. He is a skilled big man who can step out and knock down the jumper. Now, he’s certainly no Deandre Ayton (who hurt NC State in the paint last night), but he can do some damage if you’re not ready. He is averaging 16 points and 8 boards.
Most of their other offense is going to come from their guards Juwan McCloud, Tywhon Pickford, and Spencer Halderman who score 12, 10 and 9 respectively. This team can hurt you from 3 if you’re not careful. That’s what happened to SMU last night. They made six 3’s early in the game and helped them jump out to a 15 point lead.
Looking back against UNC, the gameplan seemed to have been pound it inside against the Panthers. UNC forward Luke May took 16 shots and scored 26 points against them.
What to Watch For
NC State is sure to be a little tired after that emotional win over Arizona, but they have to turn around and do it again today.
Lucky for them, Markell Johnson should be fresh. He sat out a good portion of the 2nd half with cramps. They also will have fresh Malik Abu, who is still shaking off rust and only logged 17 minutes.
Look for the Wolfpack to really attempt to bother the UNI guard with the press. They turned it over 18 times last night against SMU and looked a little loose with the ball when given strong pressure.
Also watch for NC State to really attack them in the paint. The Panthers aren’t short, but they’re not very strong. Lennard Freeman and Malik Abu should be able to have big games in this one
Torin Dorn was somewhat quiet last night as the twin towers in the middle didn’t allow him to get to the rim as much as he’d like. UNI doesn’t have as much size and strength so you might see an eager Dorn looking to break out.
A win in this one would likely have NC State meeting up with #5 Villanova on Friday.
