Here we go again! I’m back with another installment of “Loved it, Hated it” where I go off on the 3 things I loved and the 3 things that got my panties in a wad.  That said, let’s get into it.

3 Things I LOVED about NC State’s win over Texas Southern

1. The return of Cam Hayes
   FINALLY! It took a few games of Cam getting into my hate column, but he finally turned things around. In the first half I was wondering if he had simply regressed to a point where Keatts would need to start moving him off the ball, but whatever was said at halftime must have gotten through to him. Hayes had a big 2nd half where he scored all of his 11 points, but I was most excited about his 4 assists. This is where NC State needs him! He was getting into the lane and making things happen, finding open guys and playing through contact. He also added 3 boards and didn’t have a single turnover. Let’s hope this is the Cam Hayes we have going forward.
2. Dereon Seabron does it again!
   Seabron has been a double-double machine. He’d have double-doubles in all of NC State’s 5 games, but he was just one rebound short in the Central Connecticut game. In this one he put up another 20 point performance, finishing with 21 points and 11 boards. He also added 3 steals and 4 assists. Seabron is the reason State is 4-1 and is shouldering all the load. He’s leading NC State in points, rebounds, assists, AND steals. He’s playing through contact and looks like a budding star in the ACC.
3. Dowuona finding his footing
   The big sophomore still isn’t a factor on offense, but he is showing a lot more aggression and physicality over the past 2 games. This is huge for State, since they are going to be forced to play all season with Dowuona and Gibson in the middle. Ebe notched 7 rebounds and had a block. He also altered quite a few shots. Now, this type of stat line usually wouldn’t make it into my LOVE column, but his play is a necessity if State wants to be a factor. Seeing this type of improvement was a welcomed sight and had me optimistic that this team could still make a little noise in the ACC.

3 Things I HATED about NC State’s win over Texas Southern

1. Not enough support from the bench
   This was supposed to be a deep team. They were supposed to have a ton of interchangeable parts, but the past two games have seen the Pack be forced to rely on their starters. The bench just isn’t showing up. They need more from Terquavion Smith, who is adjusting to the size and speed of college athletes. Thomas Allen still hasn’t found his groove and seems a bit unsure of his role at the moment. And Ernest Ross just isn’t ready. You also have Breon Pass, who seems to be slowly acclimating to college, and Gibson who is struggling to steal minutes from Dowuona. If this team wants to have a winning record, they need this to change fast. Over the past 2 games, the NC State bench has only scored 20 points total. Not good enough.
2. Jerricole Hellems still struggling with consistency. 
   He had a good game against OK State, but last night he once again failed to get it going. He did finish with 10 points and 4 boards, but he fouled out with 15 minutes to play (thanks to a technical foul). If there was one guy you figured you could count on day in and day out, it would have been Hellems, but as of now, it’s a crapshoot on whether the old Hellems is going to show up.
3. Long stretches of no scoring plaguing the Pack
   NC State was in control of the OK State game until mid-way through the first half. They were in control of this one until then as well. This team is going on some stretches where they just can’t get a bucket. A big reason this is happening is because they are too one-dimensional. Aside from Seabron getting to the hoop, every bucket is coming from a jumper and when they go cold, there is nowhere to turn. Dowuona and Gibson can’t score in the post and none of the State guards are getting to the hoop consistently (meaning they also aren’t getting to the foul line). Hopefully, Keatts can make a point to change this, but based on the personnel, this might be something that this team has to deal with all season long.