N.C. State ‘is on a good course,’ one coach says, despite Pack’s 5-game losing streak
Despite a five-game slide and an 0-3 start to ACC play, N.C. State has a big believer in its team. The source may surprise you.
On Tuesday the Wolfpack looks to snap its losing streak, heading to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The Hokies (8-5, 0-2 in ACC) haven’t played since Dec. 22 at Duke.
There is someone in the Virginia Tech camp, though, who is looking past N.C. State’s overall record of 7-7.
“I’ve watched them (N.C. State games) all,” Hokies head coach Mike Young said Monday, during the weekly ACC coaches teleconference. “And they’re right there. They had an opportunity to win all of those, a little young. Kevin’s bunch is on a good course.”
Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts has said all year how young his team is. There is no denying that.
Keatts’ most experienced player, Jericole Hellems, had the late turnover against Florida State Saturday in its down-to-the-wire loss. Against a bigger and deeper FSU team, N.C. State led by seven late into the second half. It led Miami by eight on the road. The Pack rallied from a double-digit deficit against Louisville, only to give up two 3-pointers in the final minute.
“I think it’s experience, you haven’t been there before,” Keatts said on Monday. “In the ACC I guarantee when you look back at the end of the year, there are going to be probably 20 games decided by two or three possessions. You either have experienced guys who have been there before and know how to close out games or you have some inexperienced guys who don’t.”
Outside of Hellems, none of the Wolfpack’s top contributors have played more than two years. The late game meltdowns can be pinpointed to not finishing possessions, Keatts said. In practice, he and his staff try to put the team in game situations, but so far it hasn’t translated.
“It’s very frustrating because I feel like we’re right there every game,” sophomore guard Dereon Seabron said. “It just comes down to a couple of mental breakdowns. We just have to find out how to close out games.”
N.C. State has at least one believer that it will turn a corner.
“I like his team a lot,” Young said. “They’re going to figure it out and go on and have a really good year, I’m certain.”
Teams: N.C. State vs. Virginia Tech
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 4
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACCN
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 1:26 PM with the headline "N.C. State ‘is on a good course,’ one coach says, despite Pack’s 5-game losing streak."
