North Carolina State Wolfpack
ACC (20-13, 11-9)
In retrospect, North Carolina State’s non-conference slate was tough. Losses to Purdue, Wofford, West Virginia and Cincinnati are not as bad now as they may have looked at the time. In fact, their worst losses of the season probably came at home to Clemson and a week later at Wake Forest. Since then this team has turned the corner and beaten some of the best teams the ACC has to offer.
Big Wins: 1/11 Duke (87-75), 2/14 at Louisville (74-65), 2/24 at North Carolina (58-46)
Bad Losses: 12/14 Wofford (54-55), 2/3 at Wake Forest (84-88), 2/28 at Boston College (63-79)
Coach: Mark Gottfried
Why They Can Surprise:
The Wolfpack rely heavily on the backcourt trio of Anthony Barber, Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner. Those three account for well over half of NC State’s points. Barber is not much of a shooter, but he has boosted his scoring up to 12.1 points per game. The sophomore is getting much more comfortable attacking the basket and looking to finish instead of always looking to pass. Lacey can handle the ball too and he also leads the team in scoring. Lacey is a great shooter and a very good all-around scorer. Even if Lacey is having a below average shooting night, he can still score quite a few points by getting to the basket. Rarely does Lacey fail to reach double figures. Tuner is predominately a shooter and does it very well.
Why They Can Disappoint:
When firing on all cylinders, this is a very good team. However, they can be a pretty bad team too. That inconsistency means this team can lay an egg at any time and head home earlier than hoped. Part of that consistency is due to youth in the frontcourt. All five of the forwards in the regular rotation are underclassmen. Kyle Washington is the best scorer of the bunch and can block a few shots too. Beejay Anya is the better shot blocker though. Lennard Freeman, another sophomore, is a beast on the glass. The best thing about the frontcourt is that Coach Mark Gottfried can ride the hot hand, if there is one, and rotate in different players depending on the situation and the opposition.
Probable Starters:
Anthony Barber, Sophomore, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 3.8 apg
Trevor Lacey, Junior, Guard, 15.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 4.4 rpg
Ralston Turner, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg
Abdul-Malik Abu, Freshman, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Lennard Freeman, Sophomore, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Beejay Anya, Sophomore, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Caleb Martin, Freshman, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Kyle Washington, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 pgg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.6 (89th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.9 (134, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.7 (160, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.8 (42, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (132, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (89, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.0 (220, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.5 (71, 5)
Assists Per Game: 11.5 (252, 14)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.7 (30, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Xavier
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Saint Louis
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to Temple
2012 NCAA Second Round win over San Diego State
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Georgetown
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kansas
2010 NIT First Round win over South Florida
2010 NIT Second Round loss to UAB
2007 NIT First Round win over Drexel
2007 NIT Second Round win over Marist
2007 NIT Quarterfinal Loss to West Virginia
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over California
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Texas
2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Charlotte
2005 NCAA Round of 32 win over Connecticut
2005 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Louisiana
2004 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Vanderbilt
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
