After disappointing road loss, NC State gets two huge home opportunities
Kevin Keatts didn’t like the way N.C. State’s game with Boston College ended on Sunday night. The third-year Wolfpack coach also quickly realized the opportunity ahead of his team this week.
N.C. State (16-9, 7-7 ACC) gets Duke at home on Wednesday and Florida State at home on Saturday. Two prime chances to pick up a quality win and improve its NCAA tournament chances.
“At the end of the day, whether you win or lose (this game), you have to move on and be able to play those games anyway,” Keatts said after the Wolfpack’s 71-68 loss at Boston College.
The games against Duke, No. 6 in the NET rankings, and FSU (No. 15) give Keatts’ team a chance to improve its NCAA tournament resume. The Wolfpack has a 3-2 record against what the NCAA considers “Quadrant 1” games with Wisconsin (No. 31) teetering on the edge of making it 4-2.
N.C. State was left out of the NCAA tournament last season because it didn’t have enough quality wins.
The loss to Boston College on Sunday was disappointing, Keatts said because his team had won its two previous road games, and because there was an unusual sequence that led to Boston College’s final basket.
With 14.5 seconds left, Keatts wanted a timeout while one of his players still had the ball — and his team was down 69-68 — and then Boston College forward Steffon Mitchell went out of bounds after he made a steal in front of N.C. State’s bench.
Mitchell tip-toed the sidelines but the call wasn’t reviewable. Keatts was more irked at the timeout that wasn’t granted.
“We’ve got to have a short-term memory and move on and prepare for Duke,” Keatts said. “That’s as simple as it is.”
Too many turnovers for NC State
There is one big part of the loss that has Keatts concerned with the Blue Devils (22-3, 12-2), who are a half-game ahead of Louisville for first place in the ACC race, coming to Raleigh.
“I think we’re turning the ball over way too much,” Keatts said. “We’ve got to value possessions.”
N.C. State had 16 turnovers in the loss to the Eagles, including a combined 11 by its starting backcourt of Markell Johnson and Devon Daniels, and 19 in a win at Syracuse last Tuesday.
In the final 70 seconds, N.C. State turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, which led to Boston College run-outs.
“We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” senior guard C.J. Bryce said.
The 3-point line also continues to vex the Wolfpack. After a an 11-for-25 effort against Syracuse’s zone, N.C. State was 2 of 19 against the Eagles, who also mostly played zone.
In 14 ACC games, N.C. State is shooting just 30.6 percent from the 3-point line. In ACC play, Duke is holding its opponents to 25.7 percent from 3, tops in the league.
The Blue Devils have rediscovered their tough man-to-man defensive roots under coach Mike Krzyzewski. They’re No. 6 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Virginia is the only other ACC team ranked in the top 10 of adjusted defensive efficiency. The Wolfpack scored a season-low 53 points, and went 10 minutes without scoring in the second half, but found a way to win.
“You have those nights where the shots don’t fall but you have to make up for it in other areas,” Bryce said.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
