The NC State men’s basketball team spent its Thanksgiving break on Paradise Island in the Bahamas for the annual Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, going 1-2 and finishing fourth.

After knocking off No. 2 Arizona 90-84 in the quarterfinals, the Wolfpack (5-2) fell 64-60 to University of Northern Iowa in the semifinals and 67-58 to Tennessee in the third-place game. Here are a few takeaways from NC State’s performance in the Caribbean.

Braxton Beverly is a big boost, and a deadly shooter.

Freshman guard Braxton Beverly logged 96 minutes through three games played during the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament after playing in only 28 minutes in his previous two games. The transfer from Ohio State shined in the quarterfinal against No. 2 Arizona, scoring 20 points while coming off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc.

Beverly had quieter outings in the following two games, scoring only eight in the loss to UNI and 10 against Tennessee. While Beverly couldn’t recreate his success from the Arizona game, going only 2-of-10 in 3-pointers in the next two games, he was still able to provide a spark for the Wolfpack. The true freshman is a prolific scorer, lethal from deep and deadly off the drive as well. Look for him to be a major factor in the Pack’s offensive schemes in games to come.

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.

NC State was plagued by turnovers throughout all three games it played in the tournament. The Wolfpack had double-digit turnovers in every game, and the number steadily increased from Wednesday’s contest to Friday’s. The team turned the ball over 10 times against Arizona, 14 times against UNI and a whopping 21 times against Tennessee.

In close games, the deciding factor between winning teams and losing teams isn’t which team makes the best plays, but more often than not which team limits the most mistakes. Good teams force turnovers and score points off them, which is exactly what Tennessee did, capitalizing on 21 Pack turnovers by scoring 22 points. State’s 45 turnovers in three games is atrocious, and comes as one of the main reasons why the team left the Battle 4 Atlantis with only one win and two losses.

NC State’s deep bench can be a big factor.

The Wolfpack has a deep bench, consisting of freshman guards in Beverly and Lavar Batts Jr., sophomore center Omer Yurtseven and senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu until he heals up from an MCL injury. Beverly, Yurtseven and Abu all recorded significant minutes over every game of the tournament. Batts did not play against Arizona but saw action against UNI and Tennessee.

State’s bench proved to be a factor in its quarterfinal win over Arizona, outscoring the Wildcats’ bench 39-6 following 20 points from Beverly, 11 from Yurtseven and 8 from Abu. In the semifinal game against Northern Iowa, the Wolfpack dominated the bench score line again, this time 30-2. The third-place matchup against Tennessee was the lone time State didn’t win the bench category, as it was outscored 22-13 by the Volunteers.

In addition to Yurtseven, Beverly, Batts and Abu, head coach Kevin Keatts also has graduate transfer guard Sam Hunt to throw in the mix. A deep bench can become a huge factor in any game, especially if the starters don’t play up to par. Furthermore, a deeper bench offers more protection if injuries are to occur.

NC State can play with any team in the country.

First-year head coach Kevin Keatts needed only five games to get his first signature win as the Wolfpack defeated the No. 2 team in the country with a 90-84 win over Arizona. The top-five triumph prompted much speculation as to how good this team can be this year, but two losses in the next two games served as a humbling reminder.

There is one caveat to NC State’s big win, namely that while Arizona entered the Battle 4 Atlantis as the top seed and second-ranked team in the nation, the Wildcats finished 0-3 and dead last in the tournament. Come Monday’s rankings, Arizona may find itself without a ranking at all. While the Wildcats may not have been as good as first perceived, the win is still a big one for Keatts and company. Expect head coach Sean Miller’s team to get it together over the coming months and thrust itself back into the national contender conversation; they have too much talent not to.

The Pack was only a few seconds and a made jump-shot away from beating UNI and advancing to face No. 5 Villanova in the tournament championship. Had the team done so, there might be a better idea of NC State’s ability to play with top teams. Nonetheless, State has hung with every team it’s played this season, a big difference from a year ago and a promising headline moving forward.