Graduate guard Casey Morsell stood dejected in front of his locker after a devastating home loss to Duke on senior night. To everyone outside the Wolfpack locker room, it seemed to be the nail in the coffin for NC State’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
Make no mistake, Morsell and the rest of the team were disappointed in the performance they put on in front of Wolfpack Nation, but there was still a sense of hope inside the locker room. Morsell put his belief into words, and at the time it just seemed like a motivational cliche to make it look like he still believed NC State could turn it around.
“It’s just part of our story,” Morsell said. “I think this team has a lot of potential to get momentum, and, I think heading into D.C., I think we’re gonna be in a good position, these low times are going to be part of our story.”
Yeah, alright, Morsell, this Wolfpack team that was on a three-game losing streak and looked disconnected on the court was going to make some miraculous run in the ACC Tournament. It sounded like a delusional fantasy — but that’s the kind of mindset you need to win five games in five days.
Doing something that no other ACC team has done in tournament history and becoming the second team ever to win five games in five days takes irrational confidence. No one else believed NC State would make it past round two, but Morsell’s mindset radiated with everyone on the team, and it all stemmed from the head coach.
Head coach Kevin Keatts was bashed all season long for keeping this seemingly phony sense of belief that his team could win the conference despite crumbling down the stretch. His upbeat attitude began to annoy fans of NC State, but Keatts didn’t let that affect his mindset.
“We still have some opportunities in front of us,” Keatts said. “And if I thought that the league was so top-heavy going into the ACC [Tournament] my mindset would be a little bit different. But I don’t think that there’s anyone on our schedule that we can’t beat.”
Keatts understood heading into the ACC Tournament that his team had a fresh slate. It would take the entire team playing its best in March, but NC State still had a shot to continue its season.
“So I think in our situation it’s not just only us; it’s 10 teams that are gonna have this conversation, like we got to get hot and get hot at the right time,” Keatts said. “And we got to try going in and win a tournament. That’s the way it’s gonna happen.”
Throughout his press conference after the Duke loss, Keatts continued to reiterate that his squad had a chance to win the conference championship. Of course he said his team had a chance in front of the media, but the difference was that he shared those same beliefs behind closed doors. If a coach doesn’t believe his team can win, then there’s no chance that team can win.
In college athletics, players often look to their coach for motivation and take on the attitude of their head coach. Despite everyone outside the locker room making fun of Keatts’ happy-go-lucky attitude while the Wolfpack was faltering, he never changed who he was. Keatts laid the foundation of belief, and his players were there right by his side believing they could win it all, no matter how tall the odds were stacked against them.
Funny enough, during the same press conference, Keatts laid out exactly what the Wolfpack needed to do to raise the conference title, and what he said makes me think he’s some kind of time traveler. Key players such as junior forward Mohamed Diarra, junior guard Jayden Taylor, graduate guard DJ Horne, graduate guard DJ Burns and graduate guard Michael O’Connell were going to have to do what they do best in order to win.
“We need everybody to be on their game,” Keatts said. “Like, Mo [Diarra] has to rebound the basketball, that’s his game. [Taylor] has got to be really locked in defensively and drive the ball and get to the free throw line. DJ Horne’s got to make shots for us. DJ Burns got to be able to score the ball and also be efficient passing the basketball. Michael [O’Connell] has to be solid,” Keatts said. “We don’t need anybody to be anyone else. We just need the best version of them.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
It’s incredible how spot-on Keatts was. Diarra broke the ACC Tournament record for rebounds, and Taylor played lockdown defense while having to score the ball in the first two rounds when Horne wasn’t 100%. When Horne returned, he was the team’s go-to scorer, and Burns dominated in the post while being the team’s best passer.
Then there’s O’Connell, who did just a little better than play solid. “Tournament Mike” didn’t just hit the “shot,” he scored in double figures all five games after doing so just three times in the regular season.
Keatts believed in the squad he had, and it rewarded his faith by making him look like the smartest man on the planet. Performances like this don’t just come naturally; there has to be a strong sense of confidence in oneself, and everyone on the team had it despite being the No. 10 seed.
While it seemed like the entire city of Raleigh had given up on the Wolfpack, the red-and-white still wanted to do everything it could to bring a championship back to the 919. Everyone understood how starved the fanbase was for some type of hardware after 37 years of suffering since the last men’s conference title. While trying to build up a sense of belief after a heartbreaking loss, Morsell still had the city he played for in the front of his mind.
“Hopefully we can get things together and hang a banner because this city deserves it,” Morsell said.
