NC State was ‘hungry’ in its win over Duke. Can it stay that way against Florida State?
After his team’s loss to N.C. State on Wednesday, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about the difference in urgency between the Blue Devils and the Wolfpack.
Duke had won seven games in a row and is fighting for first place in the ACC and is jockeying for seeding in the NCAA tournament. N.C. State is on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, and was coming off of a road loss to Boston College.
“This time of the year, in conferences, you are playing against really good teams that need wins,” Krzyzewski said after Duke’s 88-66 loss to the Wolfpack on Wednesday night. “Our team, obviously felt tonight, they didn’t need the win.
“This team (N.C. State) was unbelievably hungry for their win and they got it. They deserved it.”
The question for N.C. State (17-9, 8-7 ACC) after picking up the quality win: Will it stay hungry?
The challenges keep coming for Kevin Keatts’ third team. Florida State (22-4, 12-3), No. 15 in the NET and a half-game out of first place in the ACC race, visits PNC Arena on Saturday.
N.C. State hasn’t played many teams with the depth and athletic ability similar to Florida State’s but Auburn and Memphis are comparable. The Wolfpack lost to both of those teams early in the season.
Those games, back in November and December, seem like a long time ago. So does the home loss to Louisville on Feb. 1. N.C. State has won three of its past four games and, Keatts noted after the Duke win, that coincides with the lineup being healthier.
“We’re a good basketball team when we’ve got everybody healthy,” Keatts said after the Duke game.
Finding a consistent Markell Johnson
Forward Pat Andree (ankle) missed the Duke game but this is as healthy as the Wolfpack has been all season. The absence of senior guard C.J. Bryce for four games because of a concussion was the primary injury issue. Regular starters Markell Johnson (ankle), Jericole Hellems (shoulder) and Manny Bates (concussion) have also missed some ACC games.
But there is a bit more to it than that. The Wolfpack shot a blistering 61.5 percent (8 of 13) from the 3-point line against the Blue Devils. The 3-point line (31.9 percent as a team in ACC play) has been a problem for N.C. State, even when the lineup has been in tact.
The other main challenge for Keatts has been getting consistent play out of Johnson. He was, as Krzyzewski said, “elite” against Duke with a career-high 28 points and nine rebounds and played with maximum effort. In losses to Clemson, UNC, Boston College and Louisville, that hasn’t always been the case for the senior point guard.
“It’s just a mindset,” Johnson said after the Duke game. “We came into the game with a different approach and different mindset.”
N.C. State needs Johnson to be in the same mode for FSU, who has dropped two of its past three ACC road games. The Seminoles are another chance for the Wolfpack to pick up a “Quadrant 1” win.
N.C. State goes into the game with a 5-2 record in Q1 games — which the NCAA tournament selection committee considers the most valuable.
“We’ve got to build off of this,” Bryce said after the Duke win. “We know the mistakes that we have made in our losses. We have to fix those minor mistakes.”
Florida State at NC State
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: WRAL-101.5, WXRC-95.7
FSU (22-4, 12-3 ACC)
G Trent Forrest 11.6 ppg, 4.3 apg
G M.J. Walker 10.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
G Devin Vassell 13.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Raiquan Gray 6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
F Malik Osborne 6.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
NC State (17-9, 8-7 ACC)
G Markell Johnson 13.2 ppg, 6.4 apg
G Devon Daniels 12.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
G C.J. Bryce 13.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg
F D.J. Funderburk 12.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg
F Manny Bates 5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 3:44 PM.
