NC State takes on the #21 Tarheels tomorrow at 2 pm at the PNC. This is a big game for the Pack on many fronts.

For one, NC State is 6-5 in the league and coming off a road loss to Virginia Tech. A win over UNC would likely lock the Pack into the NCAA tournament and pave the way for a solid ACC finish (thanks to what appears to be an easier slate of games to close out the season.

Secondly, it’s Carolina. Keatts is already 1-0 against Roy Williams and a win would go a long way in turning the tide of this rivalry.

Here are the keys to the game for the Wolfpack.

• Capitalize on the timing. UNC is coming off a very emotional, hard-fought, comeback win over Duke. If you watched that game, you saw how Carolina scrapped and clawed on every possession. These types of games drain you both physically and emotionally. On top of that, UNC has a one-day turnaround to prepare for the Pack. Now, this is a rivalry game (no matter what Joel Berry thinks) so the Heels will show up. The question is, how mentally and physically ready will they be and will they be able to sustain that for 40 minutes, on the road, in front of a sell out NC State crowd that will be loud and aggressive.
• Keep the chip on your shoulder. Joel Berry said he didn’t consider NC State a rival. Don’t think for one second that isn’t being used as a driving motivator for this game, especially with Keatts. He’s a competitor and he’s not here to barely raise the status-quo. He’s here to blow up the entire power structure. Step one to doing that would be a clean sweep of Tobacco Road in year one. Going 2-0 against Roy would surely put a crack in the big blue narrative.
• Stop Joel Berry. Markell Johnson did it in game one and he’ll need to do it again. Berry only had 6 points in the first game on 3-12 shooting. He really didn’t push the issue in that game, but he’ll certainly look to get going early in this one.
• Don’t lose sight of Kenny Williams. Then junior guard did next to nothing against the Pack in game 1 (4 points), but that 3-game losing streak the Heels went on must’ve made Roy issue him a challenge. Over the past two (both wins) Williams has been very aggressive and very effective. He’s gone 13-24 from the field and 9-17 from 3 and totaled 35 points in those game. Beverly will likely get this matchup, but man, he’s been getting killed on the dribble drive lately. Teams are specifically attacking him. Keatts needs to find a way around this. You need him on the floor for offense, but at some point you wonder if he’s going to be forced to play Batts and take the shooting hit.
• Find the right matchups. This is tough. NC State played great on offense, but it really hid the deficiencies they showed on D vs. UNC. Maybe the Virginia Tech loss will finally prove to them that they need to figure out their defense and do so fast if they want to contend for anything. How will they match up with UNC’s frontcourt is the big question. Pinson abused them with dribble penetration in game one and Luke Maye as out there looking unstoppable That can’t happen this time if State wants to pull this off.
• Play together. Let Markell lead. UNC couldn’t’ stop Markell Johnson down the stretch. He finished with 20pts and 11 assists. The Heels just don’t have a guard who can stay in front of him. Yurt’s ability to pick and pop makes him that much more dangerous. They need to let him probe and drive on the UNC defense and find open guys. That’s how they beat UNC the first time and that’s how they can do it again. A 7-7 night from Al Freeman would be fine, but if he’s off, State can’t allow him to take him down that 1 on 1 hole he likes to explore for 5 minutes every game.
• Feed Yurtseven– The Virginia Tech game may have gone differently had they been able to keep Omer on the floor. He’s the key to this team’s balance. He already had a big game against UNC this year (16pts) and Duke’s big just smoked Carolina’s front line last night. Yurt could be in store for a big game if he stays out of foul trouble vs UNC.