NC State blows out Charleston Southern in season opener
This game was just about what one would expect in a season opener. Not just a season opener, but a season opener with no exhibition leading up to opening night.
N.C. State looked like it outmatched Charleston Southern out the gate, then showed some early game jitters before finally pulling away.
Playing in front of about 20 fans in Reynolds Coliseum, the Wolfpack, playing its first game since the ACC and NCAA Tournaments were canceled last March, looked good, not great, at times, but it was good enough to knock off the Buccaneers, 95-61.
Kevin Keatts is now 3-1 in season openers as the head coach for the Wolfpack.
This, of course, was unlike any season opener ever played at N.C. State. The players were spaced out on the bench and wore masks whenever they weren’t on the court. The Wolfpack played a rare opener in Reynolds and, oh yeah, there were no fans, except for a small group of family members of the team.
The empty building didn’t seem to matter much to senior Devon Daniels, who scored the first five points of the game and had 20 at the break. He finished with a career-high 29 to lead the team, the eighth 20-point game of his career. It’s a good thing Keatts had Daniels.
Offensively, the rest of the team struggled in the first half. Daniels and classmate D.J. Funderburk were the only two players in the opening 20 minutes who looked comfortable. Funderburk finished with 10 points.
Keatts, who welcomed five freshmen to the team, plus redshirt Dereon Seabron and transfer Thomas Allen, looked like he was trying to figure out a good rotation. Every scholarship player saw action in the first half, apparently making up for a lack of preseason games. Seabron and true freshmen Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore combined for 20 points.
While Keatts shuffled, Charleston Southern did just enough to hang around. The Buccaneers led by three in the first half, their only lead of the game, but enough to snap the Wolfpack back to reality.
Good thing for N.C. State, Charleston Southern, which at one point was shooting 80 percent from the floor, was sloppy with the basketball. At halftime the Buccaneers had more turnovers (17) than field goals. CSU finished with 32 turnovers. The Wolfpack led by 12 at the break and didn’t let up in the second half, leading by as many as 30 at one point.
Keatts’ three seniors — Daniels, Funderburk and Braxton Beverly — did most of the heavy lifting offensively, combining for 52 points.
The Wolfpack returns to action at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, hosting North Florida.
AND ONE
Freshman guard Cam Hayes didn’t get the start, like so many predicted he would, but his first basket in a Wolfpack uniform was a memorable one.
Hayes (6-3, 175 pounds) entered the game at the 17:13 mark of the first half. Less than one minute later he got a steal at halfcourt and threw down a dunk for his first career basket.
LANE VIOLATION
Charleston Southern freshman forward Terence Porter Jr. apparently got sick in the first half and threw up on the court during play. The officials stopped the game immediately as Porter walked off. Porter and Funderburk changed jerseys when play resumed.
ICYMI
Keatts wore a white towel over his shoulder with a Black “J” on the front to pay tribute to former Georgetown head coach John Thompson, who passed away over the summer. Keatts told the media on Monday that several Black college basketball coaches would do something to honor the late Thompson.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
32-6: N.C. State’s record versus non-conference opponents under Keatts. The Wolfpack has won its past 21 home games versus non-conference foes.
40: Number of points off turnovers for the Wolfpack.
11: Number of made field goals by Daniels, also a career high.
5: Five players connected on at least one three-pointer for N.C. State. Daniels, shocker, led the way with four made from behind the line. Beverly hit 3 of 4.
12: Number of players who scored for N.C. State
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 10:45 PM.
