The NC State men’s basketball team will look to add one final regular season win to its NCAA Tournament resume when the Wolfpack takes on Syracuse at PNC Arena Saturday.
Bolstered by a 66-61 win Tuesday night against Clemson, State (18-12, 9-8ACC) holds the momentum coming into the game against the Orange (18-12, 9-8 ACC), which is coming off a 59-47 Monday-night loss to ACC-leading Virginia.
The Pack last played Syracuse in the 2014 ACC Tournament quarterfinal, when the Wolfpack pulled off an unlikely 66-63 upset in Greensboro against the then-No.11 Orange behind 28 points from former State superstar T.J. Warren.
The Wolfpack doesn’t have Warren’s elite scoring this time around but can count on its trio of star guards: sophomore Anthony ‘Cat’Barber, redshirt junior Trevor Lacey and redshirt senior Ralston Turner, all of whom average double figures in scoring this season.
Nothing but an NCAA Tournament berth will do for this year’s Pack roster, and Tuesday’s win, the team’s fifth road victory this season, gives extra energy that head coach Mark Gottfried said he hopes will carry over to the weekend.
“I think a lot of times we all forget that this is a young group,”Gottfried said. “Our guys keep competing, and coming back with a great attitude. Obviously, we have to do that Saturday.”
Although Syracuse instituted a postseason ban due to a pending NCAA investigation, the team is still looking to play spoiler and boasts one of the best players in the ACC in senior center Rakeem Christmas, who averages 17.6 points per game.
The 6-foot-9 Philadelphia native troubles opposing defenses with his long wingspan, athleticism and ability to finish around the basket — a tough matchup for the Wolfpack’s bigs.
Fortunately for State, the team is coming off of an excellent defensive performance against Clemson.
“The biggest thing that stood out is how we defended them,”Gottfried said. “From tip to buzzer, I liked how we guarded.”
The Pack must utilize that same defensive intensity against ‘Cuse, with sophomore forwards BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman, the team’s interior defensive anchors, protecting the basket and pulling down rebounds
Offensively, it will be business as usual for the Pack. Barber and Lacey will act as primary ball-handlers and attempt their usual routine of incisive drives into the paint and creation from the perimeter, while Turner will look to run off screens and find openings to get on one of his classic shooting streaks. The former LSU Tiger scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half against Clemson.
Saturday will mark the last time the Turner takes the court in PNC Arena as a member of the Wolfpack, but the emotional nature of the night hasn’t shaken the one thing on the senior’s mind.
“I want the win,” Turner said. “That’s probably the only thing I’m focused on right now.”
To get that win, the Pack simply must make shots. The team has struggled from the field during its last two games, especially in the first half. Against the Tigers, the team shot just 6-for-24 from the field before halftime.
For a team as jump shot-dependent as NC State, establishing rhythm and creating open looks through good ball movement is absolutely vital. A cold start could mean game over, especially as State’s top scorer in the post, freshman Kyle Washington, has found himself playing limited minutes, or none at all, in recent weeks.
As such, expect NC State to keep its lineup of Freeman, freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu, and the normal backcourt trio at the start against a Syracuse team that head coach Jim Boeheim was brutally honest about after the loss to Virginia.
“I don’t generally assess the team until the year is over, which is usually longer, but it is going to be over this week,” Boeheim said. “My feeling is I’m not sure exactly how this team won 18 games. Really, I’m not sure.”
Be that as it may, Syracuse will go all out in its last game of the season, while the Pack pushes to cement its place in the coming NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt junior guard Trevor Lacey drives for a layup during the game against No. 15 North Carolina Feb. 25. Lacey had 14 points and six rebounds in the Wolfpack's 58-46 win over the Tar Heels at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
