NC State men’s basketball wrapped up its non-conference schedule with an 83-66 win over Detroit Mercy. The Pack moved to 4-0 all-time against the Titans and will head into the new year with a perfect home record.
Early on in the contest, it looked like the Wolfpack (9-3) had checked out for Christmas break early, falling behind 9-2 to the Titans (0-13) — one of the three winless teams in Division I men’s basketball. Even though NC State ended up winning by a large margin, slow starts have been an issue for the red-and-white all season and it can’t afford to start slow as conference play approaches.
Graduate guard DJ Horne was the only player on NC State ready to start the game — he scored eight of the team’s first 12 points and lifted the Pack out of an early deficit. The Arizona State transfer finished the contest with a season-high 26 points including six three-pointers. Twenty of those points came in the first half — nearly half of the home team’s 43-point total in the first 20 minutes.
It was fitting that former NC State guard Terquavion Smith was in attendance for today’s game because Horne has taken on the role Smith had last year as the team’s go-to scorer and 3-point specialist. The Pack’s leading scorer has made 20 3-pointers in the last four games after only netting 15 in the first eight. Not only is Horne the team’s best scorer, but he’s also proven that he can orchestrate the offense as he dished out six assists against the Titans.
The second half was a completely different story offensively, as not one player recorded double-digit points in the final 20 minutes. It was an excellent display of ball movement and unselfishness that helped the Pack pull away. The Wolfpack totaled 18 assists on 32 made baskets with Horne and graduate guard Micahel O’Connell leading the way with six assists apiece.
While no individual player stood out over the rest in the second half, freshman guard Dennis Parker Jr. continues to impress in his rookie campaign. Parker has started the last four games, which shows how much trust head coach Kevin Keatts already has in his lone freshman. The six-foot-six guard led the team with eight points in the final frame and showed his ability to score on all three levels.
While it’s impressive to see what Parker has done on offense, his defense is what has set him apart so far this season. His long wingspan makes it tough for opponents to shoot over him and he causes many deflections and steals that lead to fastbreaks. It’s a luxury for Keatts to have a freshman performing at this level so early and it’s likely that he’ll rely on him to play key minutes against ACC opponents.
One area of concern NC State has to address as the calendar flips to 2024 is rebounding. The Pack was outrebounded 37-33 against a team that was considerably smaller and allowed eight offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points. It will be critical for the Wolfpack to crash the boards harder because the ACC is littered with talented big men who will make the Pack pay if it doesn’t collectively rebound as a team.
NC State will have 11 days to prepare for its next game, when it faces off against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. and can be found on the ACC Network.
