The Dean E. Smith Center has been a house of horrors for NC State men’s basketball, and that once again continued to be the case after a 97-73 beatdown against UNC-Chapel Hill. While it wasn’t as lopsided as the Wolfpack’s infamous 51-point loss at North Carolina in 2017, the result left no doubt — NC State didn’t belong on the court.
Over the years, the Wolfpack (10-16, 3-12 ACC) has suffered a number of blowout losses to the Tar Heels (16-11, 9-6 ACC) — and they almost always spell trouble for the head coach. In former coach Mark Gottfried’s final year in Raleigh, the Pack suffered its most lopsided loss to Carolina in program history. Former coach Sidney Lowe took a 20-point loss at the hands of the Heels. For head coach Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack program, a 24-point loss to a very pedestrian Tar Heel team is not a good look.
The Wolfpack’s attempt at pulling off a win was dead by halftime. Heading to the locker room down 54-26, the red-and-white seemingly showed no fight in one of the biggest games of the season. From giving away easy shots to failing to compete on the glass, nothing looked right for NC State.
While no single issue completely sunk the Wolfpack, rebounding was by far the most eye-opening problem. Outrebounded 40-21, NC State allowed itself to be bullied in the paint. The Wolfpack has struggled to rebound all season, ranking dead last in the ACC in rebounding margin, but this was a new low. Allowing an opponent to nearly double up on the glass is almost unheard of in college basketball — until today. With its two centers, senior forwards Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, combining for two total boards, the Pack received no production from its two most important rebounders.
Offensively, the Wolfpack also showed no ability to score on the Tar Heel defense. Continuing their rough performances, Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield combined for one total bucket. Senior guard Marcus Hill, NC State’s most talented scorer, only had one made basket himself. Only senior guard Jayden Taylor and senior forward Dontrez Styles showed any threat offensively, scoring 19 and 18 points respectively. Having just two capable scorers is not a winning recipe — something the Pack learned the hard way tonight.
After suffering its 10th loss in 11 games, the Wolfpack is in serious danger of missing the ACC Tournament. Additionally, after a historic run to the Final Four, the program has failed to capitalize on the positive momentum and is now enduring one of the worst seasons in program history. In a way, this game encapsulates the Wolfpack’s performance in ACC competition this season quite accurately — disappointing as soon as it started.
Next up, NC State will host Wake Forest at Lenovo Center. After taking a 77-59 drubbing, the Pack will try to put forward a more competitive effort against the Demon Deacons. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN2.
