The N.C. State men’s basketball team kept its hope alive for a berth in March’s NCAA Tournament, earning a critical, 74-70, win against the Florida State Seminoles late Wednesday night.
The Wolfpack rode the play of sophomore forward T.J. Warren, who had 30 points, seven rebounds and three steals against the Seminoles. Warren has a knack for sinking the Seminoles in PNC Arena. Last year, Warren scored 31 points in N.C. State’s 84-66 win over the ‘Noles on Feb. 19.
The Wolfpack earned the win Wednesday night despite dealing with injuries and foul trouble issues with its big men. After starting quickly with a 9-3 run, redshirt senior Jordan Vandenberg had to sit on the bench with two fouls.
His replacement, freshman forward BeeJay Anya, quickly exited the game with a right knee injury and would not return. Anya was assisted off the floor and went straight to the locker room for X-rays.
By the end of the first half, freshman forwards Lennard Freeman and Kyle Washington also had two fouls. Despite State’s frontline foul troubles, Warren’s heroics kept the Wolfpack ahead at the half. The sophomore had 20 points at the break, including a crucial three-pointer in the first half’s closing seconds.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried said. “I thought this was a game where there a lot of things happening that we had to overcome.
“In the first half we lose [Anya]…our big guys were all in foul trouble. We went to a smaller lineup but Warren and [junior guard Ralston Turner] both got into foul trouble late in the game. A lot of things to overcome and guys did a tremendous job of continuing to compete.”
In the second half, the teams traded the lead back and forth in a see-saw battle. Warren continued to score with high-efficiency, but would eventually have to sit with five fouls.
That allowed Vandenberg and junior guard Desmond Lee to steal the spotlight and make the plays down the stretch to win the game. Vandenberg had an emphatic two-handed slam to cap a 7-0 run with 3:17 left that brought the PNC Arena crowd to its feet.
Lee, not be be left out, had a momentum-changing, three-point play with 4:29 remaining and then had the game-sealing, put-back lay-up with 12.1 seconds to go.
Without any wins against top-50 RPI teams coming into the game, N.C. State capitalized on a golden opportunity against the Florida State team with an RPI of 26. After starting 1-4 in the ACC, the Wolfpack is in must-win mode and must get every resume-boosting win it possibly can if it wants to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack, especially sophomore guard Tyler Lewis (7 assists, 0 turnovers) and freshman guard Anthony “Cat” Barber (4 assists, 1 turnover), did a terrific job of protecting the ball and eliminating one of Florida State’s strengths: creating points off turnovers.
Warren continually attacked the Seminoles defense, exploiting their man-to-man sets and forcing the Seminoles to try a zone defense against the Pack. With the Seminoles looking uncomfortable and erratic in their zone, the Wolfpack bombarded the lane and earned easy lay-up attempts.
Rebounding was also a key factor in the game as the Pack preyed on Florida State’s inability to grab defensive rebounds, earning 16 second chance points, including Lee’s late put-back.
Florida State’s inefficiency from the free-throw line helped the Wolfpack earn the victory. The ‘Noles, a team that is shooting just under 70 percent from the stripe on the season, made just 57.7 percent of their free throws Wednesday. Seminoles senior forward Okaro White missed three key free throws late in the game.
The win will do a lot to bolster the Wolfpack’s resume moving forward. If the Pack could’ve earned wins against Missouri and Wake Forest, games in which the Pack led for most of the contest, then N.C. State could possibly be on the inside looking out of the NCAA Tournament’s bubble.
But for now, all the Wolfpack can do is look forward and continue its push to play in the big dance.
