NC State men’s basketball needs to take advantage of Heels down year

Bryan Danner, Correspondent • January 25, 2020

Redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce kicks out the ball from the interior while being guarded by UNC-Chapel Hill forward Luke Maye on Tuesday, Feb. 5 in the Dean E. Smith Center. Bryce scored 15 points against UNC as the Wolfpack lost 113-96.

The Wolfpack will be taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday, Jan. 27 in PNC Arena during one of North Carolina’s least successful starts in recent history.

UNC typically has one of the best basketball teams in the nation, led by head coach Roy Williams and plenty of talent. However, this year the Tar Heels (9-10, 2-6 ACC) have been stuck in the mud. After beating Notre Dame in the ACC opener, they lost six ACC games in a row, including a double-overtime defeat against Virginia Tech this past week.

NC State (14-6, 5-4 ACC) was on a roll, beating tough competitors and showing plenty of strength on both sides of the court. The Pack beat Clemson, which beat the Pack earlier in the season and upset No. 3 Duke, and Virginia on the road, which won the NCAA championship this past year and beat UNC earlier in this season.

However, the Pack lost its most recent game to Georgia Tech for the second time this season. Senior guard Markell Johnson had a great performance against Georgia Tech, scoring 21 points. His pacing in the game and points on the board should be used heavily as one of the focuses on offense.

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Defensively, NC State needs to focus on two main threats: guard Brandon Robinson and forward Armando Bacot. In their most recent game against Miami, Robinson put up 29 points, including six made 3-pointers, and Bacot notched his seventh double-double on the year.

Redshirt freshman center Manny Bates, the lead defensive specialist on the team, has 53 blocks as of Jan. 21. He left early during the Clemson game with a concussion, and did not play against Virginia or Georgia Tech. Graduate forward Pat Andree was also out against Georgia Tech, and it is currently questionable whether he or Bates will be able to play Monday night.

Redshirt junior center D.J. Funderburk proved to be a capable defender against Clemson and Virginia. He managed to score 14 points and five rebounds before getting fouled out against Virginia, and he gathered a double-double playing Clemson with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He will need to step up his game against Robinson and Bacot on defense and on the boards. Funderburk currently leads the team in total rebounds and offensive rebounds.

No matter what, this game will be an exciting first matchup of the year. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates.