NC State beat Cal State L.A. yesterday 71-54. It was your typical exhibition game, with many fouls being called, but overall I liked what I saw from the Pack.
Here are my three thoughts on the Pack from yesterday:
1. Cat Barber looked comfortable:
It is no secret that NC State will only go as far as Cat will take them this season. He will have to have a lights out season for State to reach its’ full potential. In the opening game a few things stood out to me with Barber. First, he looked to be in excellent shape and appears to have put on some more muscle. I could tell that he was stronger with the ball and had better elevation on his pull up jumper as he knocked down some tough ones with a defender draped all over him.
All in all, Cat should of dominated the game, which he did, but he did it very smoothly and efficiently. On the night he finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting (2-4 from three) and had 6 assists to just one turnover, and for good measure made all 3 of his free throws. The biggest thing for Cat is consistency, just keep getting a little bit better each game.
2. Defense was solid:
The Wolfpack played an excellent game on the defensive end as they held Cal St L.A. to 32% shooting on the night. Coach Gottfried started both Cody and Caleb Martin which gave the Pack some added oomph on that end of the court. The ball pressure was fantastic which really helped our big men move their guys away from the basket, making it difficult for Cal St to get anything easy in the post. One thing that stands out on the stat sheet is the number of blocked shots, accumulating 8 on the game. Most of the blocks were retained and used to ignite the fast break attack. NC State has the desire to be good defensively which is a great omen for the season!
3. Malik Abu:
Abu has been all in the headlines this off-season being pegged as a breakout player and yesterday he showed why. Tallying 17 points and 9 rebounds Abu proved that he is ready to have a greater share of the offense. Coach Gottfried said that he played well, but he wants to see more attacking the rim from Abu. He sometimes settled too quickly for the 12 foot jump shot. Don’t get me wrong, he can knock it down, but when you look at the physical gifts he has, you want to see him putting his man inside the rim!
Abu is the type of player that can get to the free throw line 10 plus times a game with ease, and given his touch from the charity stripe he should! Not only will he score a lot of points, but he can damage a teams game plan by getting opposing teams post players into foul trouble. The sky is the limit for Abu as he gains more experience and confidence for the Pack.
Just like I expected, two guys scored more than 50% and foul trouble is going to kill us.
Wolfer96
8 years ago
I had to watch that game with no audio so that sucked. I thought Cat’s mid-range game was on point. He’s definitely been working on his jumper. Henderson needs to be looking for his shot. Cat can’t make up the loss in scoring from last season all by himself. Rowan was as expected from a freshman. He took one too many ill-advised shots. He will struggle this season on defense because his feet just aren’t that fast at this point. Especially lateral speed. He needs to keep moving and looking for the open shot and not settle for a contested… Read more »
Nelson was only at UMASS for 1 season under Frank Martin. Prior to that, Nelson was the Head Coach at Holy Cross for 4 seasons, posting a 27-84 record.
Prior to taking the Head Coaching mantle at Holy Cross, Nelson was at Marquette for 5 seasons, spending the first 3 as an Assistant Coach, and the final two as an Associate Head Coach. Prior to Marquette, Nelson also served as an Assistant Coach at Ball St., Drake, Arkansas and Marshall.
Before coaching basketball, Nelson played for the University of Florida from 1999-2003. He was All-SEC twice, and earned Third Team All-American honors. When he left Gainesville, he was the Gators’ all-time leader in three pointers made, and ranked 2nd in steals.
As a Senior in High School, Nelson was a McDonald’s All-American.
Last Friday, Ross committed to UTSA after entering the Transfer Portal on April 17th, but it looks like he had a change of heart over the past couple of days.
NC State has been in desperate need to add a Big out of the Portal. They have hosted ECU’s Ezra Ausar and Georgia’s Frank Anselem-Ibe, but neither of them have found a home yet. With the addition of Ross, NC State has added depth in the Frontcourt, and unless something changes, their roster is full with 13 scholarship players.
Ross played in 14 games this past season, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.
Ross was a consensus 4-star player in NC State’s 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.
According to NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, a matchup between NC State and Marquette next season might be in the works.
Love that @CoachShakaSmart doesn’t shy away from big games next season. @MarquetteMBB will play 3 @B1GMBBall teams in Purdue, Wisconsin and likely Maryland. Iowa State is on the schedule and the hope is Marquette could also get a game with NC State. Kam Jones could be @BIGEASTMBB…
The NC State Men’s Basketball Team will be playing in the 2025 Maui Invitational, on November 24-26 in Hawaii. This will mark the first time that NC State has ever played in the Maui Invitational.
NC State will be joined by Baylor, Oregon, Seton Hall, Texas, UNLV, USC and Chaminade.
And now your starting lineup for the 2025 Maui Invitational! 🏀🏆🌴@TheAndyKatz reveals the eight premier programs with 156 @MarchMadnessMBB appearances, 19 @MFinalFour‘s and 5 national championships between them coming to the Lahaina Civic Center Nov. 24-26, 2025. pic.twitter.com/dnq94dQfvH
Just like I expected, two guys scored more than 50% and foul trouble is going to kill us.
I had to watch that game with no audio so that sucked. I thought Cat’s mid-range game was on point. He’s definitely been working on his jumper. Henderson needs to be looking for his shot. Cat can’t make up the loss in scoring from last season all by himself. Rowan was as expected from a freshman. He took one too many ill-advised shots. He will struggle this season on defense because his feet just aren’t that fast at this point. Especially lateral speed. He needs to keep moving and looking for the open shot and not settle for a contested… Read more »