NC State played pretty bad basketball all around in the first half. Offensively, they were shooting a ton 3s for no good reason. When those aren’t falling, you really need to settle down and start looking for more high percentage shots. Wake has a pretty good 7 footer in there (Doral Moore), but after him, they have nothing. Also, Moore has had trouble staying out of foul trouble as of late, so why didn’t the Pack try to pound it inside early and see if they could get him off the floor?
Markell Johnson set the tone. When he entered in the first half, the Pack quickly went up 9. When he came out, they lost the lead again. What Johnson brings to this team isn’t always going to show up in the box scores. Yes he does rack up assists and he did have 13 points, but he uses his quickness and athleticism to create for others. We’ve said this over and over, but this is probably the one guy that can hide a lot of the Pack’s offensive flaws. He forces the defense to move and shift, giving his teammates open looks and easy buckets. Johnson was the difference maker in this one.
Yurtseven is a pro. To anyone who thought he might come back next year, sorry. The kid is showing why everyone thought he’d be one and done in the first place. He was NC State’s entire offense for a good portion of the 2nd half. His ability to pick and pop turns NC State’s high-screen and roll into imminent danger for defenses whenever they run it. He finished with 22 points and 8 boards.
Defensively, State looked bad in the first half. But this is kind of who they are. Beverly brings so many positives to this team, but his size and quickness, coupled with State having slower bigs, allows teams to really ravage the Pack with the pick and roll. Yurtseven, Abu, and Freeman all have problems hedging and recovering on that high screen, and Beverly doesn’t have the quickness or size to make up for that. With Yurtseven, it’s usually not as big a problem because of his size and the fact that the guys he’s guarding are usually immobile as well. But for Freeman and Abu, guarding a versatile 4 has been a struggle, and with most teams going with the versatile 4, it’s made Keatts limit their minutes.
Enter Torin Dorn. Dorn played a great game once again. Sure, you have to look past his out-of-control drives, and you’ll have to just deal with the possessions when he goes ‘coast-to-coast’ and in your head, you’re screaming “Give it to a guard, give it to a guard!” only to watch him turn it over. But all joking aside, what Dorn brings to the table, makes you able to stomach those things. He is bringing to this team what many thought Abu would. An athletic slasher who is fearless around the rim and rebounds like an animal. Dorn’s 11 points and 6 boards were big, and again, he hit a huge shot down the stretch for the Pack.
Al Freeman is starting to get his minutes eaten into. I don’t know what to say here. Freeman seems to have lost all confidence in his game. He’s turning it over more on the dribble, his shot is off and he’s tentative with everything he does. I don’t believe that is the real Al Freeman, however. This guy has the size, the handle and has proven over his 3 years at Baylor that he has the shot to really be a dangerous scorer. But for some reason, things are a struggle right now. With Johnson back and Batts starting to come along, Freeman is losing minutes. He’s going to have to build himself back up and re-work his approach if he wants to earn those back. That said, they need Freeman if they want to make a real run at this thing. He has a high ceiling and right now he’s playing nowhere near it.
Keatts mentioned Beverly benefitting a lot from Johnson’s return and I really agree with that. Braxton brings a lot of poise and headiness to the floor for this team, but he does lack size and quickness. That makes bringing the ball up against elite defenders quite the task. It takes him a lot of effort to get to where he wants to go on the floor. He eventually gets there, but with a lot of overall consumption. Johnson, on the other hand, gets where he wants to go fast. These two guys are really complimenting each other right now, and I think you’ll see a lot more of them on the court together in the future.
This win was huge. NC State is now 3-3 with a home game against #25 Miami on the horizon. That too is a winnable game. They need a big performance there, because after that is @ Pitt (who is 0-6 in the ACC and just lost their leading scorer.) If State can come out of this stretch 3-0, then they put themselves in a very good spot for an NCAA tournament berth.
Lastly, just a note. That game last night is one NC State loses over the past 10 years. That game needed the right mix of coaching, defense, and mental toughness. Those are 3 things that this program has really lacked. Sure, they’ve had high-end talent, but they didn’t have grit or true ‘want-to.’ Keatts has made these guys work hard in practice and that has given them confidence in their approach. When the minutes wind down, knowing you’ve worked harder for this than your opponent gives you the mental edge. It gives you the feeling that you deserve it, and when you deserve it, it’s easier to go and take it. NC State did it all right down the stretch. The coaches, the players and the fans were all in on it. This is what ‘building a program’ really looks like.