Can NC State end its four-game losing skid? Better defense would go a long way.
After the loss Saturday at North Carolina, N.C. State senior Devon Daniels spoke about the Wolfpack needing more passion and enthusiasm in its play, more of a refuse-to-be-beaten mindset in games.
You know, like the Wolfpack women.
On Sunday, the Wolfpack women’s team returned from its own COVID-19 pause. It played without center Elissa Cunane, one of the ACC’s best and a player, Pack coach Wes Moore said, who was in the COVID protocol. The Pack was playing for the first time in three weeks, trailing an energetic Virginia Tech team by double digits in the fourth quarter.
But came back and won, 89-87. Ranked No. 2 nationally, the Wolfpack women remained No. 2 this week behind Louisville and are 11-0.
“We’ve got some players who at crunch time can make some plays,” Moore said.
Daniels and the men’s team will be trying to secure their first win of 2021 on Wednesday when they host Wake Forest at PNC Arena. And talk about timing. The Pack (2-4 ACC) will face a Wake team coming off its first ACC win under new coach Steve Forbes and a team that knocked down 15 three-pointers in beating Pitt 76-75 on Saturday.
As Forbes put it Monday on the ACC coaches media call, “The coffee just tastes better” after a win, another way of saying everything feels better for the players and coaches.
Coronavirus, injuries and other Wolfpack issues
While Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts has few complaints about his team’s offense, some of the key defensive metrics are not good. The Pack leads the ACC in forced turnovers (17.4) and steals per game (9.4), but it’s giving up 80.2 points, last in the conference. Opponents are shooting 51.1 percent against NCSU in ACC games, and Florida State shot 70.7 percent in a 105-73 victory, causing Keatts to say, “They could have beaten the Lakers that day.”
Disjointed practices and limited practice time have hurt, Keatts said. Some players have had COVID issues and others injuries. The Pack had several nonconference games canceled because of COVID. Much time, Keatts said, has been spent teaching the offensive system and game plans to such freshmen as guards Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore.
Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings (kenpom.com) has the Pack’s adjusted offensive efficiency (109.6) ranked 60th. Its defensive efficiency (97.1) was 91st through Monday’s games, based on points scored per 100 possessions as adjusted for opponents.
“It’s tough,” Keatts said on the ACC call. “We were off for 10 to 12 days. When you’re off and you can only practice for a certain amount of time, you’ve got to try to figure out what’s important. You’ve got to kind of pick your poison.”
It helped that two players, center Manny Bates and senior guard Braxton Beverly, were able to come off injuries and play against UNC. Both played well in the 86-76 loss. But the Tar Heels, who shot 54.4 percent from the field, played their game.
NCSU’s late slip against Clemson leads to skid
The Pack (6-5 overall) has lost four straight ACC games. A late-game slip, against Clemson, now has turned into a skid and the Wolfpack, 5-1 in home games this season, needs to find a way to reverse it against Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons (4-6, 1-6 ACC) went two weeks without team activities in early December and had five games canceled or postponed because of COVID. They lost their first six ACC games under Forbes. They rank 14th in shooting percentage (.421) and defensive shooting percentage (.494) in ACC games but have been competitive.
In their game last week at UNC, the Deacons led at halftime, battled the Tar Heels evenly on the boards and made 13 three-pointers -- seven by junior Isaiah Mucius -- before losing 80-73.
Against Pitt, the Deacons’ 15 three-pointers were their most in an ACC game since 2002. Sophomore forward Ismael Massoud, who did not score in 26 minutes at UNC, had eight of the 3’s in scoring 31 points, both career highs.
“They’re playing hard,” Keatts said. “We have had five to seven games postponed or canceled because of COVID. Wake doesn’t have as many games because of when (COVID) hit but they’ve had so much time off. So when you look at them, they’re becoming a better team because they’re finally getting a chance to practice a little bit.
“They’re tough. They’re playing hard. They believe in one another.”
Wake Forest at NC State
When: 8 p.m., Wednesday
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 3:02 PM.
