Manny Bates injured his shoulder, but NC State beat Bucknell. What we learned
N.C. State winning on Tuesday night against Bucknell was not always a sure thing.
Yes, the Wolfpack was at home and playing a team hailing from the Patriot League, but they were without two starters a minute into the contest — one suspended and another suffering an apparent shoulder injury. The Wolfpack fell into a double-digit deficit, but battled back.
Behind a double-double effort from Dereon Seabron, N.C. State beat Bucknell 88-70 on Tuesday night at PNC Arena, starting Kevin Keatts’ fifth season as head coach off with a victory.
N.C. State star Manny Bates headed to the locker room just 58 seconds into the game, grabbing his shoulder and grimacing.
Those absences may have contributed to a disastrous start for the Wolfpack. They missed their first 10 shot attempts from the floor — four of them layups — as Bucknell sprinted out to a 13-1 lead. With a few runs, N.C. State was able to equalize the contest by halftime at 40-40. By the 11:26 mark in the second half, N.C. State had its first double-digit lead of the night following a made layup by Seabron.
For Seabron, his 18 points were a career-high. He had 11 rebounds to go with it, marking just the second double-double of his collegiate career. The redshirt sophomore from Norfolk, Virginia, also added three steals and an assist.
Manny Bates hurt, Thomas Allen suspended
Bates started this game for the Wolfpack but exited it before it really got going. The junior forward was chasing after a loose ball, grabbed his shoulder and walked to the locker room before the one-minute mark hit. Ebenezer Dowuona subbed in for him.
Bates, a native of Fayetteville, has had multiple surgeries on his shoulder throughout his career, dating back to high school. After leading the ACC in blocked shots last season, he was named to the conference’s all-defensive team.
“He’s going to have an MRI done. And as soon as we get any results — and as soon as I talk with him and his family — we will share it,” Keatts said. “But I don’t know anything. And I don’t want my mind to go to the worst situation. So, I have no idea what the situation is. I just look forward to getting the results. And I’ll keep praying for him.”
Bates is 6-foot-11 and led the Wolfpack in rebounding last season. Should his absence be prolonged, it could be bad news for N.C. State’s skill and depth in the frontcourt. Despite Bates’ absence in this game though, the Wolfpack still won the rebounding battle 42-33 and blocked two Bucknell shots.
The Wolfpack was also playing without Allen, who was suspended by the NCAA for one contest for playing in an unsanctioned summer league game, according to a statement from N.C. State athletics. Allen, a senior guard from Raleigh, started 15 games for the Wolfpack last season and averaged 7.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He is expected to play Saturday vs. Colgate.
Not doomed by slow start
Last season, the Wolfpack displayed an inability to dig themselves out of early deficits, as they went 0-6 in games where they trailed at halftime. And the Wolfpack were 0-9 in games last season in which they trailed with 5 minutes left to play.
On Tuesday night, the Wolfpack was able to erase two deficits of more than nine points. The team’s ability to do so helped N.C. State avoid what would’ve been a historically bad loss. The Wolfpack hasn’t lost to a mid-major team at home since 2015, when it fell to William & Mary in its season-opener.
Hellems picks up where he left off
Jericole Hellems is the leading returning scorer for the Wolfpack this season, having averaged 12.9 points per game last year. The senior from St. Louis put the team on his back at times against the Bison, scoring 22 points while also adding four rebounds
On an otherwise abysmal shooting night from 3-point range for the Wolfpack — in which they connected on just 29.2% of their attempts from deep — Hellems swished three shots from long distance.
Taking care of the ball
N.C. State was not careless with its possessions against the Bison. The Wolfpack only registered seven turnovers. Last season, N.C. State’s season-low in turnovers came against North Florida, when it had just six.
Taking care of the ball has been something N.C. State has done often with Keatts as the head coach. The Wolfpack is now 66-24 under Keatts when turning the ball over less than the opponent. N.C. State has finished in the top four of the ACC in turnover-margin in each of Keatts’ previous four seasons at the helm.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 10:12 PM.