NC State men’s basketball is just past the halfway point of the 2022-23 season and is in the thick of conference play. The team has remained cool, calm and collected both in wins and losses, an identity intrinsically intertwined to head coach Kevin Keatts’ even-tempered nature.
This squad’s mentality, combined with the star-power of sophomore guard Terquavion Smith, have led the Pack to a 13-4 record. While there are still areas to be improved upon, NC State men’s basketball is on pace to have one of its best seasons in recent years.
3-point shooting
The NC State offense is dependent on getting good looks from behind the arc. In the four games it lost, the Pack has shot an average of 30.7% from distance. In recent victories, however, NC State has shot much better from deep — such as the 38.5% performance from downtown in an upset victory over Duke.
Smith has by far taken the most 3-point shots on the team. He’s fired 148 attempts from downtown through 17 games and made 51 of them, clocking in at 34% from distance. Other standouts from beyond the arc are graduate guard Jarkel Joiner and senior guard Casey Morsell. Joiner shoots 37% from downtown and Morsell shoots a team-best 46%.
NC State is a force to be reckoned with when all three guards are shooting well. The team is sufficient in swinging the ball around the perimeter to get good looks, but the best attempts come when Joiner or Smith can penetrate the defense and kick the ball out to the corner. Shots from distance will likely continue to be a large part of the game plan, but there needs to be other options if the basket has a lid on it any given night.
Big men
With graduate forward Dusan Mahorcic suffering a serious leg injury a third of the way through the season, graduate forward DJ Burns has been tasked with the burden of picking up the slack at the five spot. Mahorcic started in nine of the 10 games he was active and was a huge energy boost for the team as soon as he hit the floor. Burns is not the same player as Mahorcic, but he’s stepped up in several games. He’s capable of dominating the paint and playing stout defense with his 6-foot-9 and 275 lbs stature, but the best thing about Burns is the way he gets the home crowd into the game as a fan-favorite player.
NC State recently added another big man in freshman forward Isaiah Miranda. Miranda has yet to play a game, but his 7’1” stature should help in the rebounding category once he’s ready to go — an area in need of improvement with no Wolfpack players averaging above eight boards a game.
Defense
Points in transition and off the turnover have been something the Wolfpack has excelled at. Smith has been fantastic on the defensive end with a team-high 33 steals, averaging just under two a game. His length and quick hands have created opportunities for himself and his teammates to score easy baskets.
Smith’s active hands have been contagious, with Morsell, Joiner and graduate forward Jack Clark all having 20 or more steals on the year. This is the same group of players that have contributed to solid perimeter defense, with the Pack holding its opponents to 31% from 3. The Clemson Tigers, who remain undefeated in the ACC and beat the Wolfpack on Dec. 30, hold their opponents to 33% from 3. Despite the loss to Clemson, the Pack stacks up well against its in-conference rivals such as Duke and Miami.
Paint defense has been slightly worse than the perimeter. This is how teams like Pitt, a group that doesn’t take as many 3s, was able to beat the Pack. Again, the addition of Miranda should provide blocks and better interior defense to increase the margin of victory against the better teams of the ACC.
