NC State beats Mount Olive by 10. Takeaways from the Wolfpack’s exhibition
N.C. State hosted Mount Olive on Wednesday night in an exhibition game and learned a lot about itself.
The Wolfpack defeated the Trojans, 89-79, behind a balanced scoring attack and mediocre defense. Head coach Kevin Keatts isn’t overly concerned with the final score — no one got hurt and the staff got a look at various lineups — but he knows there’s things to work out.
Most of it goes back to chemistry, he said, while the players said there were jitters. It was the first time they were playing together in front of a crowd together.
“Obviously everybody knows we could’ve played better, but going forward, We’ve got to focus on us. We’ve got some stuff to clean up. That’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna take it game by game,” guard Jayden Taylor said. “This is a whole new team. We’re gonna have growing pains…Every team is gonna have adversity. I feel like coming in now, facing it now is way better than facing it late in the year. I feel like it’s just gonna help us get stronger.”
Here are takeaways from the Pack’s first outing together.
Rice makes an appearance
Kansas Jayhawk transfer MJ Rice attended the exhibition but did not play. It was his first public appearance with the team since this summer. He spent time away from the program for personal reasons.
Rice posted a photo on Tuesday to his Instagram story, showing himself after a workout with the caption “back.” Keatts told the media last week at the ACC Tipoff that Rice recently began working out with the strength and conditioning staff.
DJ Burns stays out of foul trouble
The graduate student committed just one personal foul in the exhibition, an impressive number considering he racked up 100 last year and had 14 games with at least four fouls.
Keatts said the staff worked with Burns over the summer with discipline, especially not picking or slapping down guards.
Burns didn’t have his best defensive game. Keatts jokingly said his lack of fouls was because “he didn’t play any defense.” According to the advanced analytics, he finished with 2.9 net points, producing more than he allowed. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“One of the things we talked about is how valuable he is to be on the court,” Keatts said. “That’s gonna be something that we continue to preach, because, as you know, I don’t care who he’s playing against. He is really tough to guard.”
Several new Wolfpack players shine
Taylor, DJ Horne and Mohamed Diarra all impressed in their unofficial opener. They combined for 35 points. Diarra added seven rebounds and a block, while Horne contributed three boards and a block of his own.
Horne, from Raleigh, said it felt good to be back where his basketball career started.
“I definitely don’t want to just go out there and be a one dimensional type of guy,” Horne said. “Whatever I can kind of do to help my team and put us in a position to win. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
In total, five players finished in double digits and two were just shy of the mark.
NC State’s defense still needs work
It’s early, so it’s not time to panic, but everyone will be looking for a consistent defense.
The Pack held the Trojans to just 24 points in the first half and gave up 55 in the second. Of those second half points, 24 came from 3-pointers.
N.C. State only allowed Mount Olive, a Division 2 school, to make one 3-pointer in the first half.
“I thought we had a couple opportunities that we missed; some 50/50 balls. One of the things we went into the game saying, I want to do a better job of guarding the 3,” Keatts said. “At halftime, they had one. We missed a couple possessions and then they ended up making some shots at the end.”
Woods remains in limbo
Kam Woods, from North Carolina A&T, also attended the game but did not play. Keatts previously said the program would submit a waiver for Woods to play immediately, since he transferred once already.
Keatts said Wednesday the waiver was filed, and the program is waiting on the NCAA. It did not receive an estimated time frame from the governing body.
The Wolfpack officially opens its season on Monday against The Citadel at PNC Arena. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
