Hunt gets hot, helps Pack pull off gutsy win over Syracuse 74-70

NC State used a late 3-point blitz from Sam Hunt and a clutch 3 from Markell Johnson to put away Syracuse and advance to 7-6 in the ACC. Go get some ice cream boys!

Our guys know what time it is. 🍦 pic.twitter.com/jkqnaecU4X

— NC State Men’s Bball (@PackMensBball) February 15, 2018

Syracuse came in ranking 15th in the nation in eFG% defense, but NC State sliced them up, shooting 55% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc. Credit head coach Kevin Keatts for those numbers. NC State was well prepared for this zone and did not settle for contested 3s. They spent the entire night getting the ball into the paint any way they could. And once it was in there, you could tell they knew who would be open on the rotation.

Al Freeman led the Wolfpack with 17 points and was their go-to guy when the shot clock was running down. For anyone who doubted Al Freeman, tonight showed exactly why Keatts kept the faith during his slump. This team doesn’t have another guy who can get into the lane and take it to the rim quite like him. He was 7-14 in this one and also made plays when he wasn’t scoring, netting a team-high 5 assists.

Tonight MVP, however, goes to someone you might not expect. Grad-transfer Sam Hunt hasn’t really gotten into the action since ACC play started, but he made his presence felt against Syracuse. Hunt went nuts from beyond the arc, connecting on 4 of his 6 3’s and all of them coming late in the second half. Hunt was also big down the stretch because him being on the floor caused Syracuse to pinch his way just a bit. If you go back and look at the big Markell Johnson 3 with 33 seconds left, he got open because they Orange had to respect Hunt.

It’s safe to say that this was another game that prior Wolfpack teams would have lost. This team’s mental toughness is very apparent. Whenever their opponent makes a run, this team answers with a big shot. NC State had two or three possessions where this game was on the cusp of getting away from them, and every time they answered with a bigtime shot.

The Pack did turn the ball over 19 times, which if you would have told me that before the game, I would have guessed it ended in a loss. However, they beat the Orange on the offensive glass by 2 and tied them in overall rebounding. Two things that not many people predicted coming in.

This win was huge for the Wolfpack. It gives them another road win and another quadrant 1 win which all barring a complete collapse should be what seals the deal for this team’s dance invitation.

Next up, NC State travels to Wake Forest this Saturday at 4pm to meet a Demon Deacon team who is only 3-11 in conference play.