NC State will square off against the Pittsburgh Panthers at 7PM tomorrow night in the Greensboro Coliseum. It will be interesting to see how the Pack will respond as this is the first time in the past two seasons that they are a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament. I am expecting the Pack to come out focused and fired up come Wednesday. I know Coach Gottfried and his Staff have expressed the importance of playing in arguably the greatest conference tournament in college basketball. Seriously can you think of a better time of the year? The weather is starting to break and we are about to embark on a couple of weeks of exciting college basketball. Who will be the team that steals the spot light from Duke and UNC this ACC Tournament? I have three keys as to why NC State could be just the team…

1. Defense:

NC State is not an elite team offensively; however, this team has shown that they can be elite on the defensive end when they are pressuring the ball. Look at our last 6 games or so at just how stifling State can be when they ratchet up the pressure. The reason the Wolfpack have found a way to win 5 out of the last 6 games is because they have made up their minds to get stops. I cannot think of a more pleasing sight than I did this past Saturday as Cat Barber was up full court wrecking havoc on Syracuse. He was excellent in using his length and speed to consistently turn the ball handler in the direction he wanted him to go and on a couple of occasions he forced turnovers in the back court that led to easy transition buckets. Not only was Cat outstanding defensively but the rest of the Pack stepped up and followed his example. BeeJay Anya get a ton of credit and rightfully so but we are an average defense when we rely solely on Anya to protect the rim. When our guards and forwards step up to the challenge of keeping opponents out of the paint teams struggle to find points against the Wolfpack. The best offense is a good defense, especially one that has struggled at times to find points. State must find ways to turn teams over and create easy baskets as a result. I am confident that NC State will continue to improve defensively and use it to propel them in the ACC Tournament!

2. Attack:

When has State struggled offensively? State has struggled to score when they become complacent and trigger happy from the perimeter. I believe  there have been times that we are a good offensive team; but only when State works inside…out. Our big men are not super skilled with their backs to the basket but have shown the ability to finish in traffic. Abu, Freeman, Anya, and Washington all have the ability to play above the rim and have had success scoring the ball off of penetration from Cat and Trevor. It doesn’t take much more than a couple of easy dunks or layups to keep opposing big men honest. This is all State needs as they have a three pronged attack on the outside. If Cat can beat his man and not worry about the opposing big man playing off and clogging the lane then he will score the ball more times than not. As the ball finds its way inside the outside opens up tremendously which allows Ralston to have clean step-in three pointers. Ralston can be a streaky shooter but he’s pretty dead-on when he gets a step in three. Lacey also benefits as big men do not hedge ball screens as aggressively which gives him a better angle to set his man up for his signature pull up. Look for the Wolfpack to attack Pittsburgh inside and then put them away on the perimeter.

3. Value Possessions:

Today was an excellent example of how important it is to make wise choices with the basketball. Georgia Tech should have easily closed out Boston College, but they were careless with the ball in the last 2 minutes which allowed BC to win. State must take care of the ball and not turn the ball over due to carelessness. Recently the Wolfpack has done a better job at valuing the ball and it’s not a secret that this has been a big reason why they finished the season on a positive note. 10 or less should be the goal for the Pack in terms of total turnovers. NC State has proven to be able to play with or beat any team in the country as long as they have had fewer than 10 turnovers. If State can maximize their possessions and limit the possessions of their opponents then I see no reason why the Wolfpack cannot be the surprise team of the ACC Tournament!

This is the time of the season where legacies are made and I am confident that we have a group of coaches and players that bring their best stuff when the lights are the brightest. There is a reason why this team was capable of beating Duke, UNC, and Louisville this season and that is because they are never scared. This team has handled more adversity this season than most teams and have found a way to forget the past and move on. It is essential that a team have short term memory come Tournament time as you must win and prepare for your next game the next day. NC State has the makeup of a team that is ready to shake up the status quo in the ACC. NC State’s journey starts at 7PM on Wednesday night!