What we learned about NC State basketball in exhibition win ahead of Monday opener
Just five minutes into N.C. State’s exhibition game against Lees-McRae, it seemed that N.C. State stuff would follow it into a new men’s basketball season.
Guard Jarkel Joiner, a graduate transfer who played at Mississippi, was grabbing his right shoulder after making a 3-pointer. Though he didn’t appear to be in intense pain, he was in front of the Wolfpack bench telling coach Kevin Keatts to take him out of the game.
For a program that lost starting center Manny Bates 57 seconds into the opener a year ago, and lost starting guard Devon Daniels after just 12 games two years ago, the sight of another starter heading to the trainer, for a fleeting minute, it was understandably to expect the worst.
But it’s a new season, and N.C. State has a pack of players who know nothing about those misfortunes of the past.
“It was just a stinger that’s all,” Joiner said. “It went away, everything’s good.”
Joiner was back in the lineup less than 90 seconds after leaving the floor, and the Pack dominated its NCAA Division II opponent the way it should in these type of games, 107-59 at PNC Arena on Wednesday.
Here’s what we learned from N.C. State’s win before its season opener against Austin Peay on Monday:
Turning teams over
The Pack created an average of 12.7 turnovers per game last season, which tied Wake Forest for fourth in the ACC. And that was primarily just from its halfcourt defense because Keatts chose not to press as much with a limited bench.
Keatts can go 10 deep in his rotation, if need be this season, to keep his players fresh. And they should again be among the top of the league this season because their full-court pressure will again be their trademark. Against Lees-McRae, the Pack jumped out to an 11-0 lead with nine of those points coming off turnovers.
The sign of a good press and overall good defense in Keatts’ system is when they get at least 20 deflections per half. The Pack had 25 by halftime and forced the Bobcats into 21 turnovers for the game.
“One of the things that I wanted was (Terquavion Smith) to become more of a two-way player, and he leads us in steals with four,” Keatts said. “Jarkel Joiner really can dog the basketball and turn his guy (over) and then we got length on the perimeter. So being able to play in that rotation nine to 10 guys, certainly helps us wear teams down.”
New faces and old, new faces
N.C. State didn’t look like a team that was infusing so many players into the rotation that were not here a season ago. The Pack welcomed three transfers into the starting lineup in Joiner, forward Jack Clark and forward Dusan Mahorcic. (A fourth transfer, forward D.J. Burns, came off the bench.)
But it also welcomed back forwards Greg Gantt and Ernest Ross, who were both on the team last year, but saw their seasons cut short by injuries. Gantt missed the entire season and Ross played in 14 games before suffering a fractured ankle in January.
“I felt like I couldn’t be vocal (last year) just because I wasn’t out there in the fire with these guys,” Gannt said. “But just everyday in the locker room we just get along. Guys have, for us to only be around for a couple of months, guys have really come in and created very good relationships with each other.”
Keatts said part of his goal in constructing this roster was to find some experienced players to surround his young returnees.
“We’re in a new age of basketball where they’re going to always be new pieces and a lot of transfers,” Keatts said. “We’ve got to try to be selective and picky with the guys that we bring in. ... I’m looking for guys that will play for N.C. State. If we can play for N.C. State I think we’ll be fine.”
Keep an eye on the boards
Rebounding wasn’t exactly a problem against the undersized Bobcats. The Pack outrebounded them 54-38, but it will be something they have to consistently do as a team. N.C. State finished 14th in the ACC last season with a minus-2.8 rebounding margin.
NCSU doesn’t have a dominant rebounder on its roster. And against comparable competition it will likely play with a lineup that will make it the undersized team. Keatts said last season the Pack was good on the offensive boards, but his challenge this season is to become a better defensive rebounding team.
“You have to rebound by committee now because more basketball has become more positionless and so people are all over the place doing different stuff,” Keatts said. “We’ll be a committee rebounding team. Jack Clark has been our best rebounder so far.”
Clark, a 6-8 graduate transfer from LaSalle, will play the 4 spot in the lineup and will be somewhat of a barometer in how well the Pack does on the boards. He had 10 points and nine rebounds against Lees-McRae.
“It’s basically about positioning, following the ball off the players and kind of just like getting them before the other guy,” Clark said. “Recently, I have been the tallest and like Ernest and D.J. have been the strongest against other guys. So playing against like Kansas and all those other guys, it’s all about positioning so we’re ready for that test.”
The Pack will face Kansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Nov. 23. It will be the first game back for KU head coach Bill Self, who will sit out the first four games of the season due to a school-imposed suspension.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 9:08 PM with the headline "What we learned about NC State basketball in exhibition win ahead of Monday opener."