From the start of the year, NC State men’s basketball has struggled. Statistically, the Wolfpack is one of the worst teams in the ACC, struggling in several key areas as it piles up losses. From poor shooting to road struggles, here are the numbers behind NC State’s rocky season.
5.8 3-pointers per game
Tied for last in the ACC, the Wolfpack is hitting less than six triples per game. Stuck trading 2s for 3s, the Pack’s offense lags behind in most games. The red-and-white doesn’t have many knock down shooters to space the perimeter, aside from senior guard Breon Pass who plays a limited role off the bench. Without the ability to force defenses to guard the perimeter closely, the Pack also faces difficulty scoring inside with the paint more heavily congested.
There’s not much the Wolfpack can do to solve its current shooting problem. Senior guard Jayden Taylor is stepping up as a shooter, shooting .359 from deep. However, the rest of the starting lineup is relatively inefficient from 3, with the entire team ranking 16th in the ACC in 3-point percentage. However, when the transfer portal opens up in the offseason, expect shooting to be a high priority for head coach Kevin Keatts.
12.83 assists per game
One sign of a great offense is high assists. Typically offenses that have high assists are creating opportunities for layups and open 3s, two of the easiest shots to create an assist. However, the Wolfpack is ranked 16th in the ACC in assists, failing to facilitate easy looks for its scorers. Graduate guard Michael O’Connell leads the Pack with just 3.6 assists per game, while no other player averages over 2.5.
With a lack of playmaking, the entire offense is suffering for NC State. While the red-and-white aren’t a good shooting team, the poor playmaking is certainly dragging the numbers down. Much like its lack of shooting, the Wolfpack needs to address this issue after the season with a quality transfer point guard to make life easier for its offense next season.
0-6 away from Lenovo Center
NC State is one of the worst teams in the ACC when it comes to road performance. The Pack is 0-4 in true road games and 0-2 in neutral site games. NC State has been far away from the NCAA Tournament bubble for a while, in large part due to its inability to perform away from home.
While some of NC State’s toughest games have come on the road, such as games at Kansas and a neutral site game against Purdue, the Pack has also lost some inexplicable games on the road. Most recently, the Wolfpack blew a 15-point lead at Virginia Tech — a bottom dweller in the ACC this season. The loss was NC State’s second time blowing a double digit lead this season, falling at Virginia after leading by 10. Without a doubt, NC State’s blown leads on the road is one of the biggest marks against the Pack this season.
-2.8 rebounding margin per game
Ranked dead last in rebounding margin in the ACC, NC State has a major problem on the glass. With senior forwards Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield splitting time at the five this season, there was optimism for NC State to be a quality rebounding team. Huntley-Hatfield averaged over eight boards per game last season with Louisville, while Middlebrooks flashed his potential during last season’s March Madness run. However, that has not worked out.
Huntley-Hatfield and Middlebrooks are averaging 5.1 and 4.6 rebounds respectively this season. With neither making a major impact on the glass, teams are taking advantage in the ACC. Ranked last in the conference in defensive rebounds, NC State often plays good defense that gets wasted when the Pack allows easy offensive rebounds.
Unlike shooting and passing, this issue may not be fixed solely in the transfer portal. Rebounding is as much about effort as any other stat, meaning the team as a whole will have to bring more intensity and effort to get every rebound moving forward.
