NC State men’s basketball is set to host Miami in PNC Arena for a matchup between two teams battling in the middle of the ACC standings.
NC State (11-5, 2-3 ACC) is coming off of a disappointing 58-72 road loss to Virginia Tech. This was the third ACC game in a row without redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce, and the team definitely struggled again without him just as it did in the loss against Clemson. The Wolfpack’s offense was too stagnant and not fast enough to keep up with VT’s offense, which can also be attributed to the Pack’s 20% 3-point shooting. Virginia Tech just played the small-ball game better and took advantage of Bryce’s absence.
Miami (10-5, 2-3 ACC) is coming off of a strong 66-58 home victory against a solid Pittsburgh team. Despite struggling to hit outside shots, the team still managed to keep its offense efficient inside the arc, shooting 52.9% from the field. The guard trio of Kameron McGusty, Chris Lykes and Dejan Vasiljevic was dangerous again, with all of them scoring double digits and McGusty leading the way with 19 points.
On the defensive end for the Wolfpack, there needs to be an emphasis on playing tight defense at the guard position. The very efficient backcourt trio of Miami features McGusty averaging 15.4 points, Lykes averaging 15.3 and Vasiljevic averaging 14.3. The team does not have much depth in the scoring department, as its next most frequent scorer is forward Sam Waardenburg, who averages 6.9.
Bryce’s potential return in this game would be huge for the Wolfpack, as he is one of the best defenders at the guard position on the team. Bryce and senior guard Markell Johnson both lead the team with 1.8 steals per game, followed by redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels with 1.6. Starting Daniels as well would give the Hurricanes’ trio of guards difficulty scoring and take their offense out of rhythm.
On the offensive end, the Wolfpack has not been very efficient at all from long range and has not shot over 30% from deep in the past four games. This has kept the smaller Wolfpack team less efficient on offense, since there has been less spacing, and has limited the inside scoring for the team. If NC State is hitting its 3s, its small-ball offense flourishes greatly. However, with Bryce possibly returning in the next game, the offense should be more versatile, since he’s one of the team’s greatest inside scoring threats.
The offense should also look to take advantage of the mismatch between 6-foot-1 Johnson and 5-foot-7 Lykes, which would likely be the matchups unless Beverly starts. Although Lykes leads the Hurricanes in steals with 1.3, Johnson is a very strong ball handler and should be able to take advantage of Lykes’ lack of size instead.
NC State and Miami are tied at eighth in the ACC along with three other teams, and are looking to break away from the middle of the pack of the standings. This game is very crucial for both teams, which are likely dancing around the bubble for the NCAA tournament with five losses on the season.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15 at PNC Arena and will be televised on the regional sports network. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for updates.
