The NC State men’s basketball team earned its third straight win Tuesday, besting UNC-Chapel Hill by score of 58-46, marking the lowest point total ever recorded by a Tar Heel team in the Dean Smith Center.
The win marked the Wolfpack’s first win in Chapel Hill since the 2003 season. Sophomore guard Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber said Tuesday’s win was an extremely significant victory in the history the two teams’ long-standing rivalry.
“Kids at school make all this commotion about UNC,” Barber said. “I’m very aware [of the importance of the win], and I’m sure everyone watching was very aware.”
The Pack’s win was marked by defense. State held the Heels to 34.5 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers. Head coach Mark Gottfried said it was the “one best defensive games [his team] had this year.”
Gottfried said he put an emphasis on knowing the opposing team’s personnel, which included preseason all-American guard Marcus Paige. Barber was given the task of checking Paige and held the junior to just seven points on eight shots.
Gottfried said Barber’s defense was the critical factor in the win.
“With Paige we wanted to exaggerate our help on ball screens and try not to let him get loose,” Gottfried said. “I thought Cat did a phenomenal job.”
Sophomore forward BeeJay Anya also stepped up on the defensive end of the court, swatting six shots and altering many more in a career-high 32 minutes. Anya and the other State bigs locked down the interior, not allowing the Heels to score in the paint until the 7:20 mark in the first.
“BeeJay changed the game tonight with inside,” Gottfried said. “He rebounded well and blocked some shots. His presence inside was really important for us.”
Offensively, the Pack was reluctant to take the ball into the teeth of the Carolina defense, opting to run a perimeter-oriented offense that relied on on-ball pick-and-rolls and movement without the ball.
This strategy led to a lot of shots late in the shot clock, but the Pack often ended possessions with a bucket thanks to the athleticism of the State backcourt.
Barber utilized a quick crossover to attack, taking advantage of the open interior. Not only did the young guard excel as a scorer, but Barber stayed composed and resembled a seasoned vet with his mature decision-making.
“I learned when to slow down, when to go fast,” Barber said. “I learned you can’t go 100 mph, but when it’s time to go, then it’s time to go.”
The second half began with short runs from both squads. The Pack quickly added seven points to double the Heels’ score, 36-18, but Carolina answered with a 14-0 run of its own, causing Gottfried to burn three timeouts to slow the team’s momentum.
“I can’t really say the vocabulary I used in those timeouts,” Gottfried said. “We just had breakdowns everywhere. We just fell apart for a few minutes.”
However, the State team held strong, never giving up the lead in the second half.
“We had a nice lead, and they made a run,” Gottfried said. “The rafters were shaking, but our guys settled in and answered it. We answered their run, which I thought was really important.”
The State attack was carried by the late appearance of redshirt senior guard Ralston Turner. After scoring just three points in the first, Turner went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, sinking clutch triples when his team needed points.
“Ralston made big shots for us,” Gottfried said. “Huge baskets I thought were important.”
With 1:34 remaining in the game, junior guard Marcus Paige made an ill-advised pass, leading to a turnover and an and-one lay-up from Lacey, extending the Pack lead to eight.
From that point, the Heels resulted to desperation 3-pointers, all of which came up short. Carolina made just two of its final 12 shots from the field, while the Pack ended with an 8-0 run.
“Our guys came in here with a great belief and confidence in ourselves,” Gottfried said
Looking ahead, Gottfried said his team is on the right path, but there is much work still to be done.
