NC State basketball defends home court: 3 takeaways from the Wolfpack’s win over Colgate
With 7:46 remaining in the first half, Breon Pass put his arms out — a sly smile spreading across his face — as he moved backward in N.C. State’s press defense.
Pass had just hit a 3-pointer to give the Wolfpack a 12-point lead, a shot that keyed an 8-0 run. From that point forward, the Wolfpack led by double digits.
N.C. State defeated Colgate, 72-49, on Wednesday night at Lenovo Center. It was the first time the program held an opponent to fewer than 50 points since beating Bethune-Cookman, 65-48, on Dec. 9, 2021.
“I thought our guys came out with a lot of energy and did some really good things,” Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said. “It’s a game that you can see your team kind of growing in. This is a team that we played that has been to four NCAA Tournaments, have won their conference. This one may not seem as big right now, but it’ll pay off in March.”
The Wolfpack (4-0) struggled with offensive consistency to start both halves — it went 1 of 5 from the field in the first and 2 of 6 in the second — but exploded for points after the first media timeouts.
N.C. State looked sloppy and out of sync in the first four minutes of the game. Colgate led 6-2 before the Wolfpack went on a 17-0 run to take the lead.
The Pack finished the game with five runs of at least seven consecutive points. It added a 10-0 run midway through the second half.
The Raiders (1-3) entered the game as a 13-point underdog, ranked nearly 170 spots lower than N.C. State in the KenPom.com rankings.
Colgate is a feisty mid-major that knows how to play with effort, though, and was coming off a narrow 74-72 loss at Syracuse. The Raiders have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances — it could have been six consecutive qualifications had COVID-19 not forced the cancellation in 2020 — and have won three straight Patriot League championships.
Last time the two teams played was Nov. 13, 2021, when N.C. State squeaked out a 77-74 win.
Based on the Wolfpack’s defensive struggles in its first three games, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see the Raiders stick around after that first big N.C. State run — but the Wolfpack never relinquished control.
Forward Ben Middlebrooks led the team with 19 points. He shot 5 of 8 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line.
Guard Marcus Hill added 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Keatts said Hill looked like the kind of guy the staff recruited: Someone who can get to the rim, shoot free throws and assist the rebounding effort.
Forward Dontrez Styles finished with a game-high 11 rebounds, just two off his career high. The way he flew through the air wasn’t a surprise for Keatts, his teammates or himself. Styles, who added seven points, said he takes the most pride in being a physical presence down low.
“I was just trying to be aggressive, not just scoring, but also just like defending and going to get rebounds; being an impact player on both ends of the ball,” Styles said.
“I’m happy we’re where we are,” Keatts added. “This team is getting better per game, per practice, and that’s good. We haven’t taken a step back, and I really like that part about us.”
Here are three takeaways from N.C. State’s big win:
Points in paint
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield backed his way up under the basket, dribbling against the defender. Turnaround jumper.
Colgate center Jeff Woodward entered the game shooting 70.8% from the field and averaging 12.3 points per game. Woodward is listed at 6-foot-11, taller than both Huntley-Hatfield and Middlebrooks, and there were questions about how the Wolfpack would compete against the big man.
N.C. State pounded the paint with no issue. The two Wolfpack post players led the team with eight points apiece on 3 of 5 shooting. The duo finished with a combined 30 points.
Except they weren’t the only ones with success with post penetration. N.C. State entered the game averaging 48 points per game. In the first frame, the Pack out-scored Colgate in the paint, 22-8.
“I think that’s huge. I think that also kind of just wears teams down,” Middlebrooks said. “When you’re able to go down and just slow down the pace, teams aren’t really able to get out and run off that. (They’re) not able to get long rebounds and get into transition, which really slows it down, and that lets our defense get set.”
N.C. State continued to bully its way to the bucket after the intermission and finished with a 36-22 advantage inside.
“We’re a paint touch team right now, and that’s our identity,” Keatts said. “We want to drive the ball and kick, or we want to throw the ball inside. I love our center position. When you look at the between Ben and Brandon, what they’re what they’re averaging in both rebounds and points, I think we’re doing a really good job. And, our guys are willing passers, so we’re getting better in that area.”
Pack wins the glass
N.C. State lacked energy in its win over Coastal Carolina last week and put together an abysmal first-half rebounding effort, trailing 15-9 in that category at halftime against the Chanticleers.
That wasn’t the case Monday. Instead of swatting the ball away, Pack players actually got hands around loose balls.
The Wolfpack’s rebounding kept Colgate at bay, even when shots weren’t falling. N.C. State entered the locker room with a 20-16 rebounding advantage. That total included three offensive rebounds for five second-chance points.
It ended the game with 41 rebounds to Colgate’s 37, including five offensive rebounds for nine second-chance points.
The Raiders entered the game ranked No. 363 in the nation — next to last — for offensive rebounding percentage (.146). It averaged 7.7 offensive boards in its first three games but actually notched nine in their loss.
Individually, Styles entered the game with 14 rebounds in the first three games, tied with Huntley-Hatfield for the team lead. Styles’ 11 boards gave him the No. 1 spot outright.
“If you told me before the season who’s going to lead us in rebounds, I would have said maybe Brandon and I would say maybe Ben, because both of them are great career rebounders,” Keatts said. “But Dontrez — that’ll be a challenge I’ll put in front of everybody to see who’s going to lead us in rebounding this year.”
Keatts said he knows people were concerned about the rebounding this season and whether it could fully compete off the glass, but the Wolfpack’s win against Colgate proves it can.
“When you get games when Marcus has five, last game, I think Trey Parker had five, and (Jayden Taylor) is rebounding the basketball, we’re going to be fine,” Keatts said. “Last year, rebounding was Mo Diarra. He rebounded everything, so it took care of itself. But with this group, I think we have so many guys that can rebound the basketball.”
Defense dominates Colgate
After Primetime with the Pack, Keatts jokingly said he didn’t want to get comments about the relaxed defense.
“Nobody direct message me, asking me about defense,” Keatts said in October. “We’re gonna work on it. We’ll get better at that.”
The Wolfpack played with aggression and confidence against Colgate, one of the most disciplined teams in college basketball. It forced an inbounds turnover and shot clock violation in the first half.
N.C. State made the visitors look uncomfortable on offense with its press, traps and double teams. In total, the Wolfpack forced 16 turnovers — or a turnover on 23.2% of its possessions.
Colgate ranked No. 1 in the nation for turnover percentage (.081), which evaluates the number of possessions that end in a turnover, and averaged just 7.7 turnovers per game. Those numbers will certainly change after its loss.
Additionally, N.C. State averaged 69.3 opponent points in the first three games. And, according to KenPom.com, had a defensive rating of 100.6. Its tireless effort on the defensive end led to a season-low for points allowed and held the Raiders to .710 points per possession.
“We’re gonna really be a good defensive team. We have the capability,” Hill said. “It’s up to us to do that. Tonight showed we really can do it. I feel like we’re gonna keep building on this.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 9:04 PM.
