Banner night for Wolfpack: 3 takeaways from NC State’s dominant win over USC Upstate
Senior Breon Pass flashed a smile on the bench with 3:25 remaining in the game, when the public address announcer recognized him for his new career high in scoring.
Pass, alongside teammate Marcus Hill, led the Wolfpack with 14 points, propelling N.C. State to a 97-66 win over USC Upstate in the season opener.
“After our first game, we had a meeting and they just told us to go out there and have fun,” Hill said. “The team put a lot of faith in me — from the freshmen, the seniors; they put a lot of faith in me. That gives me confidence to go work.”
The teams traded points for the first four minutes, before Wolfpack jumped out to a comfortable lead. Dontrez Styles hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give N.C. State a 16-12 lead.
Then, a combination of players went on a 15-0 run midway through the first half — and the Wolfpack (1-0) never looked back.
There were times when the team looked like a well-oiled machine; like it was a group that had been playing together for months. There were other times when it got ahead of itself, mostly making mistakes that it hopes to fix when everyone gets used to each other.
Despite the mistakes, N.C. State looked like it has the makings of another NCAA Tournament team.
Four players finished in double figures, Ben Middlebrooks notched a 10-point and 10-rebound double-double and graduate student Michael O’Connell provided six assists. As a team, the Wolfpack finished with 20 assists on 38 made shots.
“The game was great,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I’m glad the game went the way it went, because of the fact that we dropped the banners. I didn’t want to hang two banners and just have an OK game. I’m glad the game turned out the way it did.”
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s season-opening win.
Pass may be unexpected X factor
Pass has been with the program all four years of his career but only played a few minutes in the first three. If Game 1 and the exhibition are any indication, Pass could be a bigger contributor than expected in his final season in Raleigh.
Pass started his night with a pair of floaters after splitting Spartan defenders. He finished with 14 points, two assists and two rebounds, including flying out of the back court to grab an offensive rebound.
One of his assists came after finding Styles under the basket for a dunk. Oh, and don’t forget about Pass catching the lob from freshman Trey Parker for his own dunk.
His big season opener came after contributing nine points in the Wolfpack’s exhibition last week.
“He’s been right there,” Keatts said of Pass’ ability to have a bigger role. “In practice, he’s getting better. I think (it’s) the fact, the mere fact that he’s been practicing and get some really good players. … He’ll graduate from NC State, which is very rare for a guy in these days and ages to start here and finish here. I’m happy because his hard work paid off, and I hope he continues to get better. I like what I saw from him tonight.”
The senior is listed at 6-feet tall and 175 pounds, so he’s not the biggest player on the court, but that doesn’t seem to matter. His shifty movement between opposing players means he can get inside easily. Add in his ability to disrupt on defense, and N.C. State has an effective glue guy off the bench.
“I‘m a big believer in trusting my work,” Pass said on Wednesday. “I think my time is here and I’m ready.”
Wolfpack aggressive but sloppy
In the preseason, Keatts and guard Jayden Taylor said N.C. State wanted to be a faster team this fall than it was last year. According to KenPom.com, the 2023-24 squad ranked No. 150 in the nation for adjusted tempo. It averaged 68 possessions per 40 minutes, narrowly exceeding the national average of 67.6 possessions per 40 minutes.
The Wolfpack finished with 70 possessions against the Spartans. It had 35 possessions by halftime.
Unfortunately, the speed led to sloppiness and a lack of discipline. The Pack recorded 11 turnovers, though it only had three in the second half and 24 personal fouls. Those miscues gave Upstate four points off turnovers and 27 free throw attempts, making 21.
“This team’s got to do a better job taking care of the ball,” Keatts said. “We didn’t in our exhibition or scrimmage. I would like, in every game, to be 10 or less. Because of how fast we play, there are going to be some turnovers. I thought the night, in the second half, we did a great job.”
The fearlessness in N.C. State’s play is a positive, but it’ll need to clean up its ball handling and recognize what contact officials are calling to have long-term success.
Bryce Heard makes a splash in official debut
Guard Bryce Heard reclassified to join the Wolfpack a season early. Keatts said last week the 17-year-old freshman was starting to feel comfortable in his role on the team.
He certainly showed that on Monday night. Heard played one minute early in the first half, recording three rebounds and knocking down a pair of free throws.
In the second half, he saved a ball from going out of bounds for a steal. His effort led to a dunk by guard Jayden Taylor on the other end.
“I don’t know how much he’s gonna play as a freshman, but what helps him is he’s got a really strong knowledge of the game,” Keatts said. “He knows how to play, where most freshmen you’re trying to figure out — defensively, how do you not be a liability and be able to score.”
The rookie added eight points and five rebounds in his debut. Keatts might not have known how much Heard was going to play after the exhibition, but his aggressive play and confidence made a great first impression.
“I see them prepare every single day,” Styles said of the freshmen core. “They’re great. It doesn’t surprise me at all. They are very talented. They’ll continue to get better.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 9:27 PM.
