NC State men’s basketball hosted the Pittsburgh Panthers on Friday, Dec. 2 at PNC Arena where the Wolfpack struggled to find an offensive rhythm, coming up short as it ultimately lost to the Panthers, 68-60.
From the opening tip, the energy on the court was palpable as both teams were eager to jump on the opportunity to establish their dominance in the ACC and extend their growing winning streaks. Coming into the game, the Wolfpack (7-2, 0-1 ACC) looked to continue its impressive start to the season, its best since the 2018-19 season when it began the year with a 13-1 record.
The game got off to a promising start for the red-and-white as sophomore guard Terquavion Smith cashed in on back-to-back 3-pointers, but the Panthers (6-3, 1-0 ACC) were quick to respond with a small run of their own.
The first couple of possessions set the tone for the first half of the contest as the two teams continued to trade baskets, and no one could build a comfortable lead. Throughout the half, the Panthers seemed to have no trouble getting into the lane to convert on a quick layup or kick the ball out for an open shot.
On the other end of the floor, graduate forward DJ Burns shined in the paint, showing off his diverse skill set and versatility. Despite his large size, Burns proved able to score outside the paint, hitting a fade-away jumper and a floater for four of his 13 points. Burns’ absence was definitely felt when he wasn’t on the floor.
Smith also had a good first half, tallying 11 points. His scoring came off of three 3-pointers and two free throws, as Pitt’s big men made it extremely difficult for the Wolfpack’s guards to score inside. At the half, the Panthers led 33-28 thanks to a 6-0 run in the final four minutes of play.
The second half saw Pittsburgh take control of the contest as everything that had worked for NC State in the first half seemed to disappear into thin air. Burns and Smith combined for just six points in the last 20 minutes of play despite combining for 22 in the first. The red-and-white had struggled to shoot well for the whole game, but this issue was especially noticeable in the second half when the team wasn’t getting any good looks in the paint either.
“[Smith] carried us early in the game, but a couple of guys never really got into a flow offensively,” said head coach Kevin Keatts.
The Pack shot 21-60 from the field and 6-27 from beyond the arc over the course of the game — a surprising stat for a team that relies heavily on its shooting and came into the contest leading the ACC in 3-pointers made per game (9.0). Overall sloppy play from the Wolfpack also allowed the game to slip away as NC State made bad passes and failed to position itself well defensively, causing the team to rack up unnecessary fouls that eventually sent the Panthers to the line to shoot one-and-ones with over 12 minutes left to play.
Foul trouble made the Wolfpack hesitant to play the aggressive, hands-on defense it needed to retake the lead. As a result, the team allowed Pittsburgh to drive the lane for an easy two points or hit a quick pull-up jumper from close range.
“We didn’t go hard on the defensive end and we let our missed shots affect us on the other end,” Smith said.
Ultimately, the red-and-white had no answer for the Panthers’ scoring runs in the second half.
NC State will look to get back on the winning track on Tuesday, Dec. 6, when it hosts the Coppin State Eagles at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
