NC State men’s basketball defeated Coastal Carolina 82-70 on Wednesday night at the Lenovo Center, leading wire-to-wire. The Wolfpack played a balanced game on both ends, leaving head coach Kevin Keatts with a fervent smile postgame.
Though he acknowledged the night’s imperfections, Keatts beamed as he envisioned what this team is capable of.
“The thing about this group, they’re competing every day in practice,” Keatts said. “All of my teams play hard, but consistently playing hard on both ends of the floor — I think our depth will show more.”
In its first meeting since 1998, the Wolfpack (3-0) had four players in double-figures to take down a Chanticleers squad (1-2) that hasn’t beaten the Pack in four matchups all-time. With freshman guard Trey Parker and senior forward Dontrez Styles scoring over 10 points, eight players have already hit double-figure scoring in a game this season.
Senior guard Jayden Taylor has led the team in scoring the past two games after he scored 22 against Coastal Carolina and it seems like he’s asserted himself as the go-to guy on offense. Does Keatts feel the same way?
“No, I don’t,” Keatts said. “I don’t think this group needs him to have the DJ Horne role. I think we got a lot of guys that are all going to be anywhere from 12 to 15 points a game, just depending on the night and the opponent.”
Taylor said he liked the idea of being the number one option on offense and thinks it’s his responsibility to set the tone in his last year of college basketball.
“I feel like I got to be more aggressive being a returner and a senior,” Taylor said. “I have a lot of experience in college basketball so I’m just trying to do what I can to help my team win.”
Despite not making a 3-pointer throughout the contest — the first time since last season when the Wolfpack shot 0-8 from deep in a win over Wake Forest — Keatts’ emphasis on the paint owned the night. Each of the first four offensive plays ran through senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who scored the first five of the first seven Wolfpack points on the way to his third-straight 10-plus point game.
Through three games the Wolfpack has scored 144 points in the paint, making up for the poor three-point shooting. The fact that NC State only attempted 10 threes provides a glimpse into the offensive mindset of this team.
“I think we’re a driving team,” Keatts said. “[Huntley-Hatfield] is very comfortable with his back to the basket, and so we’re throwing the ball into him and we’re cutting off of him, and we’re playing it. I think [Taylor and senior guard Marcus Hill] are doing a good job of getting paint touches, and so is [graduate guard Michael O’Connell]. [O’Connell] is getting in there, and he’s spraying the ball out. It’s too early to get a clear understanding of what our identity is, but it looks like we could be a good paint-touch team.”
O’Connell played limited minutes after picking up two fouls in 14 seconds, creating expanded opportunities for Parker. The 20-year-old answered the call with 13 points in 20 minutes, giving Keatts a potential new staple in the rotation.
“Was very excited at what I saw from Trey Parker,” Keatts said. “I thought he was very aggressive. He was an energy guy, and every game, I go into the game saying ‘Who’s going to be my energy guy?’ And I thought Trey was great.”
The Wolfpack’s tenacious defense set an early tone that alleviated a lack of perimeter offense, forcing a season-best in the turnover department.
“We came in wanting to play fast and make them play fast,” Keatts said. “I thought we did a good job on the defensive end, once again, forcing 19 turnovers.”
Coming out of halftime with a mere two-point lead, the Wolfpack erupted for a 10-0 run, driven by seven from Taylor, building a comfortable margin that NC State maintained to the final buzzer.
“Loved the way our guys came out in the second half with energy,” Keatts said.
The Wolfpack will stay in Raleigh for a meeting with Colgate on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
