The NC State men’s basketball team hit the road for the first time this season, beating the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 79-65 in a neutral court game at the Hall of Fame Showcase in Uncasville, Connecticut on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
The Wolfpack (3-0) was a massive 27-point favorite against the Blue Devils (0-3), who rank No. 349 out of 358 in KenPom, a well-respected computer ranking of all Division I men’s basketball teams.
The Pack came out of the gates slowly, allowing the Blue Devils to hang around in the game for far too long. This sluggish start included a six-minute scoring drought in which the Wolfpack was unable to get anything going offensively.
“I think the first road game everything is just different,” said redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron. “From us playing at home, about how we prepare and how we go through the warm ups and everything like that.”
Seabron, who set a career high with 24 points, was just one rebound off his third double-double in a row to start the season. He’s been insanely impressive to start the season, earning ACC Player of the Week honors last week.
“He has been excellent for us,” said freshman guard Breon Pass. “Rebounding, scoring, pushing the ball in transition.”
Head coach Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack trailed the Blue Devils at halftime 33-32, a disappointing score given the opponent, but the Pack came out of halftime a completely different team.
“I thought in the first half we were really flat and never really got into a rhythm,” Keatts said.
The defensive intensity was noticeably higher than in the first half. Keatts-led Wolfpack teams have always created offense from their defense and the Pack got back to playing this style in the second half. Rebounding and getting out in transition are major keys to generating offense for the Wolfpack.
The Pack’s defensive intensity and ability to force turnovers in the second half eventually gave it a bit of a cushion, leading by double digits with seven minutes left to play. The Pack never let the Blue Devils back into the game after that and finished strong, winning 79-65.
The Wolfpack only committed 11 turnovers tonight. Making teams go toe-to-toe with its half-court defense every possession is an area NC State will need to stay consistent with as it heads toward ACC play.
Freshman guard Terquavion Smith was once again impressive, scoring 11 points and racking up a team-leading five assists. Smith has proven himself to be an effective three-level scorer as a freshman and will look to continue to add into the scoring equation for the Pack moving forward.
In keeping with his long-standing tradition of ice cream trips after a road win, Keatts joked after the game that some of the young guys hadn’t been able to experience the tradition yet.
Keatts and the guys won’t have much time to enjoy their ice cream with a tough challenge against Oklahoma State looming on the horizon. Oklahoma State, a much better team than Central Connecticut, will meet the Wolfpack on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. to finish off the Hall of Fame Showcase.
