Preparing for No. 1 Purdue: How the NC State Wolfpack hopes to shock the Boilermakers
In his post game press conference after N.C. State defeated Bethune-Cookman, 65-48, head coach Kevin Keatts stressed the importance of staying prepared.
Keatts explained that if teams aren’t mentality and physically prepared, any team can be knocked off on any given night.
Not even 30 minutes after those words, probably before Keatts even made it home, No. 1 Purdue, the next opponent for the Wolfpack, was upset by Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were unranked, hovering at .500, and needed a prayer answered from halfcourt to knock off the Boilermakers, 70-68.
With that win by Rutgers, Keatts can point to living proof, to show his team the mighty can fall. N.C. State (7-2, 0-1) will get its chance when the Pack battles Purdue (8-1) on Sunday in Brooklyn as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.
“Just the way basketball is today, I feel like it’s more parity than it’s ever been since I’ve been coaching,” Keatts said. “When you look around our league and every league in the country, nothing is guaranteed. I know that you go into every game and there’s projections about which team is supposed to win and which team is supposed to lose, but at the end of the day it’s been different this year.”
So far this season Gonzaga, Duke and Purdue have held the top spot in the nation and lost. The Boilermakers will still be No. 1 two days from now, but they, like the previous No. 1 teams, have shown a dent in the armor. Keatts stayed up late Thursday night watching film from the Rutgers-Purdue game, trying to find a way to exploit any weakness the Boilermakers have. Despite a loss, he didn’t find many.
“They are as talented as a team I’ve seen this year,” Keatts said. “They are a special team.”
Keatts pointed out that Purdue is almost two deep at every position. Their bigs — Zach Edey (7’4), Trevion Williams (6’10), Caleb Furst (6’10) — could all be averaging 20 points a game on separate teams. Those big bodies are surrounded by great shooters on the outside. Not only great shooters and big bodies, but also a veteran team. Keatts will roll out a younger bunch, with one senior, one freshman and three sophomores in his starting five.
Doesn’t help that the best big man on the N.C. State roster (Manny Bates) will be in street clothes. Keatts isn’t sure how much of a difference it would make.
“It would be a big challenge if Manny were playing,” Keatts said. “We got young bigs, they got their hands full.”
EXCITED FOR OPPORTUNITY
When March rolls around, if this young Wolfpack team somehow makes the tournament, this game against Purdue will have a lot to do with it.
Keatts has never played a No. 1 team during his tenure in Raleigh. The last time N.C. State played a top-ranked team was in 2014 against Syracuse. The Pack dropped that game by one, 56-55. The last time they beat a No. 1 team was in 2013, when they defeated Duke at home, 84-76. In the history of the program, N.C. State is 6-27 against No. 1 teams.
With its best player missing and a youth movement in the starting lineup, the Pack will head to Brooklyn a double-digit underdog to the Boilermakers. But, perhaps, because of the youth on the team, the guys won’t know they aren’t supposed to hang around with Purdue. Regardless, Keatts is up to the challenge.
“I’m excited that we get the opportunity,” Keatts said. “It’s a great opportunity, but a huge challenge for us. I look forward to it. Our guys, I think they will be excited.”
KEYS TO AN UPSET
Like they have all season, Keatts wants his guards to apply pressure to disrupt opposing offenses. Against a big team like Purdue, though, Keatts will need them to help on the boards more so than ever.
Dereon Seabron has done his share of rebounding. The 6’7 guard is the top rebounder among ACC players (11.2). Guard Casey Morsell averages close to five boards, but his status is still unknown after suffering a lower body injury versus Nebraska. Morsell was in uniform versus BCU on Thursday, but did not play.
His veteran leadership, rebounding and ball pressure would be welcomed against the Boilermakers. With or without Morsell, Keatts needs his guards to be at the top of their game when it comes to the press.
“It’s important for a couple of reasons,” Keatts said about the press. “They (Purdue) do such a great job when they can come down and run their offense. If you can do anything to disrupt their offense it can certainly help you, but it’s the way we play. We’re a pressing team and we want to try to speed people up or make them take quick shots, or force them into tough turnovers.”
N.C. State forced the Wildcats into 15 turnovers. The Wolfpack is 50-15 under Keatts when they forced 15 or more turnovers. Against Rutgers, the Boilermakers turned the ball over 11 times. The Scarlet Knights and Pack don’t necessarily play the same style, but perhaps the turnover category is an area of success N.C. State can duplicate.
“I thought Rutgers was extremely physical,” Keatts said. “But I don’t know if there is anything I can take from them. Rutgers is a little bit different from us.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
