NBC Sports breaks down why they ranked NC State #24 in their preseason Top-25

A couple days ago NBC Sports came out with their pre-season Top-25, and NC State was sitting at #24.

Over the next few weeks they will be doing some major deep-diving on each team in their rankings, and the write-up on the Wolfpack is pretty in-depth and pretty spot on. Here are some of the reasons they list as to why NC State is going to be good, and why they might struggle.

Why they will be good…

NBC Sports seems to know Keatts pretty well, and because of that, they seem to think that this year’s roster is the type of roster Keatts wants and can succeed with. .

This team looks so much like the juggernauts that Keatts built at UNC Wilmington…Those UNCW teams were built around a certain style of play that isn’t all that dissimilar from what Shaka Smart did during his VCU days. UNCW wasn’t playing an all-out, gambling defense like Havoc, but they did defend full court and they did gamble for steals quite a bit and, most importantly, they were built around the idea that Keatts could play four guards at once, forcing enough turnovers with his pressure and creating enough mismatches on the offensive end that his team would win despite being outsized every time they stepped on the court.(NBC)

Sure, this team is built a lot like his teams at UNCW, however, the difference is the level of talent he has at NC State, and NBC Sports seems to get that…

And that depth on the perimeter isn’t just bodies. They’re talented. Let’s start with Torin Dorn, the redshirt senior transfer from Charlotte that averaged 13.9 points last season. At 6-foot-5, I would not be surprised to see Dorn get quite a few minutes playing as a four for the Wolfpack; Keatts’ best teams at UNCW used Chris Flemmings, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound Division II transfer as their de-facto power forward, and he won himself a CAA Player of the Year award in the process.

Along those same lines, I can see C.J. Bryce getting plenty of minutes alongside Dorn. Bryce, who also stands 6-foot-5, was a first-team all-CAA player as a sophomore at UNCW when he averaged 17.4 points. He followed Keatts to N.C. State and sat last season out as a redshirt.

Their guards are really good, there are a lot of them and if Keatts has proven anything during his coaching career, it’s that he can win with teams that have good guards. (NBC)

Obviously, it’s clear that NC State’s guard situation is in good shape, but if there is one question about this team, it’s the frontcourt and NBC notes that is why they aren’t ranked higher…

Why will they struggle…

If you look at the Wolfpack’s roster, you see a lack of real front court depth. NBC thinks thats a problem, however, I wouldn’t necessarily say that is true in a Keatts system. Most of the time, they’ll only have one big in the game, with Dorn at the 4 and a 3 guard lineup at the top. The real problem is, and it’s noted, is that NC State simply does not have a rim protector. Here is why they believe that hurts the Pack…

1. When you play a gambling style of defense, having someone that can erase shots at the rim is so important. The offense is far more likely to be able to get to the rim, and making it just that much more difficult for those layups to be scored makes all the difference.

2. N.C. State is already going to be playing small, which inherently hinders them on the glass. Having a big man on the floor that can vacuum up caroms on the defensive end helps to end possessions. As the saying goes, forcing a miss only matters if you get rebound.

They rightfully pin a lot of this team’s success on Kevin Keatts. With so many new players on this team, the toughest part is going to be creating chemistry and figuring out who to use and where to use them.

The talent is there, and it seems as if most rankings are taking that into consideration. I also think the reason NC State is finding their way into these Top-25 lists is because of the belief that Keatts can handle a group like this and put them in a position to succeed.

Here is NBC talking to that notion…

And frankly, I think that ceiling is pretty high.

I am a believer in Kevin Keatts. I think he’s a terrific basketball coach and a guy that will find a way to get the most out of the talent that is on his roster, and there is plenty of talent on this roster. It is also the kind of roster makeup that Keatts has had success with in the past…

We don’t really know what they are going to do this season. Hell, we don’t even really know what the starting lineup is going to be.

All we really know is they have talent on paper and one of the best young coaches in the league.

That’s a good combination of things to have.