NC State basketball falls in seventh straight game: Three takeaways from loss at Cal
N.C. State men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts sat on the bench with 1:37 remaining in the Wolfpack’s game against Cal on Wednesday night, appearing to have accepted yet another loss.
With its 74-62 loss, the Wolfpack lost its seventh straight game — the longest losing streak in Keatts’ tenure — and remains teetering on the edge of completely missing the ACC Tournament 10 months after its miraculous conference championship and Final Four appearance.
Cal held N.C. State to fewer than 65 points, the fifth straight game the Wolfpack missed that benchmark, and the Wolfpack moved to 0-8 in contests away from Lenovo Center — and 0-6 in true road games.
Though the teams jawed back and forth early, Cal (12-11, 5-7 ACC) took its largest lead of the game with fewer than two minutes remaining thanks to a 14-3 run.
N.C. State (9-13, 2-9), down double digits, looked gassed and demoralized at the 1:21 mark. It scored on two of its last 12 shot attempts.
Additionally, the Wolfpack had no answer for the Bears’ baskets from deep. Cal entered the game shooting 31.3% from long range, ranking 289 in Division I, according to KenPom. The Bears made 9 of 21 from the perimeter (42.9%), including a 3 at the halftime buzzer, to keep N.C. State at bay.
Cal took a lead after the impressive first-half performances of Jeremiah Wilkinson and Jovan Blacksher. Wilkinson scored the Bears’ first eight points of the game, while Blacksher added 15.
N.C. State fought back and cut the Cal lead to four by halftime.
The Pack exited the locker room with significant energy and scored 24 points in the first 12 minutes after halftime, nearly matching its first-half scoring total. N.C. State also managed to work its way back to a two-point lead, but it couldn’t extend the lead.
Cal slammed it home with a two-handed dunk with 10 seconds remaining to seal its 10th victory at Haas Pavilion.
Marcus Hill led the Wolfpack with 20 points and eight rebounds. Jayden Taylor and Trey Parker added nine points.
Dontrez Styles scored 42 points in the past two games against Duke and Clemson, hitting at a 62% success rate. His success on offense did not continue against the Golden Bears. Styles finished with six points on a 3 of 16 shooting night, but led the squad with 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Cal found offense on all areas of the floor, even with the Wolfpack’s defensive scrappiness. Three different players finished in double figures and the Golden Bears notched 16 assists on 27 made baskets.
Andrej Stojakovic was held to six points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. He went 2 of 12 from the field. In the game at Lenovo Center, Stojakovic recorded 10 points, 5 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals. It was unclear if he’d play after missing four games. Averaging nearly 20 points per game.
Wilkinson finished with 14 points and Blacksher notched 18.
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s late-night tilt.
3-point consistency remains elusive
N.C. State has struggled with consistency all season, few metrics as glaring as its 3-point shooting. The Wolfpack’s game log includes performances where it hits 40% or better from the arc, including the two previous games, and games in which the team makes four or fewer.
The Golden Bears seem to bring out the worst version of the Wolfpack’s perimeter offense.
N.C. State started the game 0 of 4 from 3-point range and did not score from outside until three minutes remained in the first half. Ismael Diouf scored his first career triple and the team’s first 3 of the game. Trey Parker added a second triple with 12 seconds remaining and sent the Pack to the locker room 2 of 6 from 3.
It finished the game 3 of 13 (23.1%), with Taylor making 1 of 5 and Styles finishing 0 of 2.
This performance comes two weeks after N.C. State finished 1-10 from 3 — its worst 3-point shooting efficiency of ACC play — also against Cal. It was the second-worst of the season, following an 0-10 outing against Coastal Carolina in November.
Small player, big rebounder
Hill is listed at 6-foot-4, but he doesn’t look that big. That hasn’t stopped him from being the most impactful players on the glass.
Hill nearly led the team in rebounding Wednesday night, pulling down eight boards. He collected seven in the first half.
Keatts always talks about getting players to contribute even if they’re not scoring. Hill — the team’s leading scorer — can do both.
Cal is one of the weaker rebounding teams overall, averaging 37.1 per game, but it dominates on the offensive glass. The Golden Bears lead the ACC and rank No. 28 in the nation with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Hill’s efforts kept them off the glass in the first half. He limited Cal to two offensive rebounds and two second-chance points. Hill was unable to hold the Bears off the entire game. They responded after the break with 10 offensive boards and 12 points on second-chance opportunities.
NC State short staffed again
The Wolfpack was without the services of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who did not travel with the team due to illness. He has missed three straight games after also not playing against Clemson. Huntley-Hatfield also missed games last month due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Wolfpack’s win over Notre Dame.
This left N.C. State with Ben Middlebrooks and Diouf as its primary big men. Then, Middlebrooks only played 16 minutes due to foul trouble. He shot 0 of 2 from the field and made a pair of free throws.
Diouf contributed seven points, three rebounds and one block.
Though Huntley-Hatfield hasn’t lit up the stat sheet this season — he averaged 8.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 18 appearances — his absence hurt the team’s depth.
