Kevin Keatts shares expectations for second matchup with Duke

Most of the attention in North Carolina revolves around Saturday’s Duke–UNC matchup. However, another in-state rivalry takes place before then, with Cameron Indoor Stadium being the site of the second Duke-NC State game of the year. Head coach Kevin Keatts saw his team victorious earlier in the season and is looking for a rare sweep against the Blue Devils.

The 24-point NC State win came all the way back on Jan. 4, though. So much has unfolded since the two last step on the court together as both are now positioned to be in the NCAA Tournament. Keatts will not be spending too much on the early season matchup to prepare for Tuesday night.

“I tell people when you play teams a second time around — I know everyone is like ‘what can you take from the first game?’ I just don’t know what you can take,” Keatts said. “I thought we played really, really well. I didn’t think they had one of their better games… I haven’t spent a lot of time on the last game we played because they’re different in a lot of ways. They’re scoring the ball, they’re defending well.

Playing Duke can bring out a different kind of emotion, especially at their place. Playing your own game is important, especially since we’re a day away from March. Keatts laid out the plan for NC State, saying limiting turnovers and running the court could be key.

“We’ve got to come out and be NC State,” Keatts said. “I’m sure Duke has got to be Duke. Obviously, try to play with a lot of confidence and I will tell you when you watch them on tape, they’re a completely different team… We got to continue to take care of the basketball. We got to continue to play the game inside out. We got to try to get into transition if we can.

NC State has only one win in Durham since the turn of the century. However, Keatts has never experienced the feeling himself as Mark Gottfried was running the Wolfpack back then.

Duke is just as good at Cameron Indoor this season, sporting an undefeated record. Head coach Jon Scheyer has built a fortress early in his career and is looking to extend the winning streak against Keatts.

“They’ve done such an incredible job,” Keatts said. “I think they are one of the few teams in our league that’s undefeated at home. That says a lot about their program right now.”