NC State figured out how to win without Devon Daniels. Here’s the formula to test again
N.C. State beat Boston College, its first victory without Devon Daniels.
The Wolfpack enjoyed its ice cream, a treat for a road win.
The scoring was balanced, the touches many by many, and the Wolfpack was impressive in an 81-65 victory. There was a lot to like.
But ...
Boston College was coming off a long COVID-19 pause. The Eagles had six scholarship players available. The outcome was predictable before the opening jump given BC’s depleted roster.
The question: Was Boston College a one-game outlier based as much on BC being shorthanded rather than N.C. State’s good play? The Pack (8-7, 4-6 ACC) will gain some answers this week with Syracuse at PNC Arena on Tuesday and Duke coming in Saturday.
With Daniels out for the season with a knee injury, NCSU coach Kevin Keatts has said the Pack needed more scoring help from its backcourt. Freshman Shakeel Moore responded Saturday. He was the Pack’s leading scorer, draining 8 of 12 shots including three 3’s and finishing with 19 points in 23 minutes.
Again, was it a one-game thing, or can Moore develop into a solid scoring threat to help replace Daniels, who was the Pack’s leading scorer? The lefty has a nice release, good touch and can slash.
“He had fallen in love with the 3-point line,” Keatts said Saturday on a postgame media call. “Our conversation the other day was, ‘Man, I need you, you’re the only guy who can consistently get into the paint.’ I needed him to get into the paint and make plays.”
The Wolfpack bigs had matching games at BC. Manny Bates and D.J. Funderburk each had 14 points and 7 rebounds and controlled the inside play. Bates is a hustler, working hard for everything, but Funderburk’s play can drift from game to game, half to half.
“It’s been up and down,” Funderburk said Saturday, stressing the need for more consistency.
And the two big men need to get the ball in scoring positions. Jericole Hellems can find his shots. The Pack’s bigs need the ball in the right places, from good entry passes, and got it at BC.
Late in the first half, Moore had a look at a 3 from the wing but instead passed to guard Braxton Beverly, who found Funderburk open low for a layup. It was a heady, unselfish play by Moore, who was feeling it offensively but made the right decision.
“On every given night, I need a guard to have a good night, especially if our bigs continue to play that way,” Keatts said.
It could be Beverly one night or it could be Thomas Allen or Cam Hayes. But Keatts will be counting on more than Moore.
Pack played well at Syracuse
In the first game after the Daniels injury, the Pack handled the Syracuse zone reasonably well in the Jan. 31 road game but lost 76-73. Funderburk was held out of that game for “university polices” but Hellems had 24 points and Bates 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Pack had more second-chance points and points off turnovers than the Orange but was 6 of 23 on 3-pointers.
Keatts will have Funderburk this time, saying Monday on the ACC coaches call, “He’s our best offensive rebounder, he’s a low-post scorer, he’s a leader in the locker room. Just having him available certainly has got to be a positive for our team.”
After the loss to Syracuse, the Wolfpack also pushed Virginia, then ranked 14th. A string of late-game lapses led to a 64-57 loss at PNC Arena. Then, BC. And some ice cream — for Moore, chocolate chip cookie dough.
“I didn’t know how this team would respond after losing Devon Daniels,” Keatts said. “We’re 1-2 since he’s gone but we played against two really good defenses and two really good teams, one on their home floor and the No. 14 team in the country, where we put ourselves in position toward the end to win.”
Syracuse at NC State
▪ When: Tuesday, 6:30 pm.
▪ Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.
▪ TV: ACC Network.
