NC State’s best players deliver in win over Notre Dame
It took longer than anyone wanted it to but Markell Johnson and D.J. Funderburk were both clicking at the same time in the same game.
Johnson matched his career high with 27 points while Funderburk had 16 points and nine rebounds in a much-needed 73-68 home win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night.
It’s Jan. 8, and a few weeks (or even months) late, but for N.C. State it’s definitely a case of “better late than never.”
After a disastrous loss at Clemson this past Saturday, and falling behind 51-39 early in the second half, N.C. State needed its best players to be its best players.
And they were.
The duo combined to score the final 15 points of the game for the Wolfpack (11-4, 2-2 ACC), who simply could not afford to fall to 1-3 in the league. Not with an opening lineup of Georgia Tech-Wake Forest-Clemson-Notre Dame.
The 2-2 split means N.C. State will have to make up for the losses elsewhere on the softer-than-usual ACC schedule but third-year coach Kevin Keatts will take it after the way his team rallied on Wednesday.
The Fighting Irish (10-5, 1-3) only used six players on Wednesday night, and this is not a vintage Mike Brey team. But they started hot from the 3-point line and had N.C. State in trouble.
With leading-scorer C.J. Bryce out for a third straight game with a concussion, N.C. State needed someone to step up. Johnson did.
“That was the Markell Johnson that we’ve seen in the past,” Keatts said.
Johnson took the Clemson loss personally. He was too passive early in that game and sloppy with the ball throughout (six turnovers). But Keatts said Johnson came back from the trip and had two great days of practice.
“I got into the gym and I worked,” Johnson said. “And that’s pretty much it.”
There was a little more to it, namely Funderburk’s energy. Neither played in the season-opening loss to Georgia Tech: Funderburk was suspended and Johnson injured.
Johnson has run hot and cold with Keatts trying to pull the consistency out of his senior point guard. The ankle injury derailed the start of the season. Johnson’s shot failed him early but he got over it. He played poorly at Clemson, “terrible” by his own description, but got over it.
The absence of Bryce has hurt but if Boston College, without two starters, can beat Virginia, what’s N.C. State’s excuse?
They were about to be in need of a few, with the home crowd restless early because of the Clemson performance, but none were necessary late.
Not with the way that Johnson attacked the basket and made difficult shots but also found Funderburk and his teammates.
“I just wanted to be the best guard on the floor,” Johnson said.
Prentiss Hubb (24 points) gave him a run for his money but ultimately Johnson was. And, at last, Keatts, got a look at the formula he thought he could rely on when the season started.
Funderburk missed the first two games of the season due to a violation of team rules. He has had some good games but he was mostly absent even in the home win over Wisconsin on Dec. 4 and turnover-prone in the loss at Auburn on Dec. 19.
N.C. State’s not gifted enough or deep enough to absorb off nights from either Johnson or Funderburk. It’s even worse if both are running cold in the same game.
Keatts had been waiting for a signature performance from Funderburk, who comes off the bench to start the game but is always on the floor in the important closing minutes of the game.
“He was the only guy on our roster that I felt like he hadn’t had a breakout game,” Keatts said of Funderburk. “Like one of those big games where we could say he made a difference. He was a huge difference in this game.”
It’s only one game, and over a team that will only be able to see the NCAA tournament field with a drone, but for N.C. State it’s a start. And when Bryce, and his 16 points per game, comes back then N.C. State can take advantage of what is shaping up to be a down year in the ACC.
But the formula won’t change. N.C. State needs Johnson and Funderburk to be able to consistently repeat their effort from Wednesday.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 11:12 PM.
