NC State’s road woes continue: Three takeaways from loss at Georgia Tech
N.C. State hadn’t lost to Georgia Tech in 1,862 days. Time to reset the counter.
The Wolfpack fell to the Yellow Jackets, 87-62, on Saturday at McCamish Pavilion to remain winless away from Raleigh this season, its last true road win coming 378 days ago. Though the weekend ACC matchup wasn’t officially an elimination game, it felt like one.
N.C. State (11-18, 4-14 ACC) remains stuck in the conference cellar and its hopes to make the ACC Tournament dropped significantly. According to ESPN, the Pack had a 23% chance to make the tournament entering the game. With a win, it rose to 43% and with a loss it sits at 10%. If California and Notre Dame win their respective games, N.C. State will be eliminated from tournament contention.
Almost everything went right for Georgia Tech (15-14, 9-9) for once this season, and N.C. State couldn’t do much to stop it.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a small lead, which it maintained for the first eight minutes of play, thanks to efficient defense. Dontrez Styles scored five of the team’s first seven points. Then back-to-back baskets put the Yellow Jackets on top.
N.C. State responded well and Styles hit a 3 to retake the lead, 23-21, with a little more than six minutes to play in the first half. The Wolfpack, however, could not build on that.
Instead, it allowed Georgia Tech to go on a 12-2 run, including eight straight points, to create a three-possession deficit. From that point forward, the Yellow Jackets controlled the game. They led by 11 points at halftime and extended their advantage to 22 points in the second half.
Georgia Tech’s impressive showing included an inbounds dunk by Baye Ndongo, Jaeden Mustaf’s ninth 3-pointer of the season and a career high in assists (12) for Naithan George.
N.C. State continued to claw back, but the double-digit deficit was insurmountable. Defensively, the team couldn’t string together stops and gave up more than 80 points for the third time in a month. Offensively, shots wouldn’t fall.
Georgia Tech walk-on Emmer Nichols even hit a corner 3 with 1:10 remaining to seal the Wolfpack’s loss.
One of Georgia Tech’s areas of success against the Pack was in the paint. N.C. State could not stop the Yellow Jackets, struggling in that area of the floor for the second consecutive game. Like Syracuse’s Eddie Lampkin, Georgia Tech’s Ndongo looked confident and in control when he entered the lane. Ndongo averages 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He finished the first half with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Ndongo wasn’t the only player to have success inside, though. The Yellow Jackets went 15 of 20 on layups and 3 of 5 on dunk attempts.
Styles finished the game with 13 points, tying Ben Middlebrooks to lead the team, five rebounds and two blocks. They were the only two players in double figures. Four Yellow Jackets finished in double figures with Ndongo contributing a career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds.
Overall, it wasn’t N.C. State’s day. It hasn’t been N.C. State’s season.
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s loss.
Lack of rebounding hurts again
N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts was heated on the sideline as he watched his team give up two offensive rebounds on a single possession, its effort lacking the urgency necessary to save its season.
At halftime, Georgia Tech’s stat line featured 22 first-half rebounds, including nine offensive boards and 12 second-chance points. It took 12 additional shot attempts than N.C. State. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, finished with 13 total rebounds, two offensive boards and one second-chance point in the opening 20 minutes.
N.C. State performed better in the second half, outrebounding the Yellow Jackets, 19-18, after the break. Georgia Tech, however, finished the game with a 40-32 advantage. It notched 14 rebounds on the offensive glass for 23 second-chance points.
The Wolfpack ended the game with nine offensive rebounds and four second-chance points.
The team’s weakness on the glass has been an issue all season, but it’s become particularly obvious in its recent must-win situations. The Pack has held a rebounding advantage in just three ACC games: At Virginia and at home versus Clemson and Wake Forest.
N.C. State entered the game averaging 32 rebounds per game, including an ACC-low 21.6 boards on the defensive end. Comparatively, the Yellow Jackets average just under 37 rebounds per game, with 10.7 coming on the offensive end.
Rebounding comes down to effort, and N.C. State didn’t have it.
Too many turnovers
One area the Wolfpack could’ve exploited was the turnover battle. It is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation, but the Yellow Jackets were better when it mattered.
The Wolfpack committed five first-half turnovers, which Georgia Tech turned into six points. It added another nine in the second half. The Yellow Jackets capitalized on the miscues and finished the game with 21 points off turnovers.
On the opposite side, Georgia Tech committed just six turnovers and the Pack scored two points from those miscues.
Entering the matchup, N.C. State ranked No. 3 in turnover margin (2.0) during ACC play and No. 1 on the season (3.2). It typically only commits 9.3 turnovers per game, which leads the conference and ranks No. 10 in the country.
The Yellow Jackets, however, were averaging 12.2 turnovers per game — committing an error on 17.3% of their possessions — and only forcing 11.8 on the season, giving them a minus-1 turnover margin.
This could’ve been an opportunity for N.C. State’s press to show off and give the Wolfpack a chance to compete, but that didn’t make the flight to Atlanta.
Bye Ben
Center Ben Middlebrooks’ opening performance was one of the few highlights of the game. The senior has struggled with foul trouble during ACC play, which has affected his contributions. Middlebrooks started well for N.C. State. It seemed like those days were behind him.
He scored a team-high 11 points in the first half and pulled down three rebounds. The Wolfpack big man went nearly 17 minutes without a foul before picking up two in the span of 27 seconds.
The tide changed quickly.
Officials handed Middlebrooks his third foul less than two minutes into the second half. He was called for a fourth foul two minutes later and went to the bench.
Middlebrooks returned with 7 ½ minutes to play but fouled out two minutes later. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.
In a game where the team needs his toughness, having to sit most of the second half hurt N.C. State’s chances of wearing down a depleted Georgia Tech roster.
