On Wednesday, Nov. 2, NC State men’s basketball returned to PNC Arena to show Wolfpack fans the team is back and ready to put last year’s lackluster season behind it. The Pack overwhelmed Lees-McRae 107-59 in a contest that highlighted its strengths as a team.
The Bobcats won control of the ball off the tip but quickly committed a turnover that NC State was able to convert into a basket. This sequence was repeated frequently throughout the first half as the red-and-white played tough defense that forced Lees-McRae to take poor shots and prevented the Bobcats from penetrating the lane without losing control of the ball.
In just the first five minutes of the game, the Bobcats had already committed six turnovers, giving the Wolfpack plenty of fast break opportunities to capitalize on. Consequently, the Pack’s big men didn’t make a huge impact towards the beginning of the game as most of NC State’s offensive production centered around the guards, who used their speed and efficient passing to outrun Lees-McRae.
The Pack established its dominance early on, taking advantage of the Bobcats’ passive style of play on both sides of the floor, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first few minutes of play. Lees-McRae only managed to score two points in the first ten minutes of the game while the red-and-white continued to score with ease.
The Wolfpack closed out the first half with a 34-point lead, 55-21.
For the Pack, the second half of the contest was just a matter of maintaining the massive lead it had already built and closing out the game smoothly. Ultimately, sophomore guard Terquavion Smith led the red-and-white with 18 points, but 14 other players made it into the scoring column, including five in double digits.
“Being able to play in a rotation of nine or 10 guys certainly helps us wear teams down” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “I like our energy, I like our versatility, I like our experience right now.”
The ability to go fairly deep into its bench is a notable upgrade for the Pack, as it hasn’t had a lot of players that could be consistently depended on in the past. However, it’s a different look for the Wolfpack this year as 53 of its 107 points against the Bobcats came from its bench.
Much of NC State’s success can also be attributed to their remarkable team chemistry. Despite many new additions to the team, the Pack came together seamlessly on the court to defeat the Bobcats and show its regular season opponents it’ll be a force to be reckoned with this year.
“We all joke and laugh with each other,” said graduate forward Jack Clark. “Everybody kind of hangs on each other and everybody has really good relationships with each other.”
Undoubtedly, the squad’s deep bench in combination with its strong chemistry and individual talent should make for an exciting season.
With its first and only exhibition game in the books, NC State begins regular-season action on Monday, Nov. 7 against the Austin-Peay Governors at PNC Arena.
