Kevin Keatts previews Tuesday's rivalry showdown at Duke

NC State basketball faces a big Quad 1 opportunity at a hot Duke team that has won four in a row. The two teams will meet Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN, and before the matchup head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media.

You can watch that press conference via TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel plus read an edited transcript below.

Kevin Keatts transcript

Your thoughts after getting a chance to watch the film back fromSaturday’s loss?

Kevin Keatts: “They shot the ball really well. I was very disappointed at this. Obviously, I’m very stubborn when it comes to our defense with this group here, but they were really good. They shot the ball extremely well. I thought some of those … were contested, some of them they made it. They came out and played well.

“It was weird because we had two or three games this year where I thought we played that well. And they, obviously, that was the game that someone played well against us. Could we have been better? Absolutely. Do we have to do a better job in that area? Absolutely. But I will say give Clemson a lot more credit than I thought after watching the game.”

How different does this Duke team look from what you’ve seen and how different is it playing on the road at Cameron or a place where they’re 15-0 so far this season?

Kevin Keatts: “Well, Jon [Scheyer]’s done a really good job with this team. It’s a completely different team. I mean, they’re playing really good basketball. They got [Jeremy] Roach back and he’s playing a little bit off the ball. And, the young guys have really, really gotten better. Obviously, I don’t even think we can call them young guys because at the end of the year now, at the end of February,. They should be sophomores and grown up, but they bet they’ve gotten a lot better.

“And they obviously, as you said, 15-0 at home. They’re really good at home also.”

I don’t know if you have an update on on Jack [Clark], but can you just discuss what he was giving you when he had returned?

Kevin Keatts: “I don’t have an update. I mean, he’ll be a game to date, game by game situation. I couldn’t tell you whether he’s playing or not tomorrow, when he will play or if it’s in the ACC tournament.

“But what he gives us is obviously, and it’s so funny when he started playing a game you realize how well he really rebounds to basketball. He goes after it. But it gives you another kind of a 6-8, 6-9, long, athletic wing that can shoot the ball, and we can play him at the three and we can play on the four. His ability to shoot the ball kind of helps our team because it opens up a little bit more of the posting for D.J. Burns and, we were allowed to switch a lot of screens with him because his ability to keep some smaller guys possibly in front of him.

“So, we’d love to have him on the court. I think Ernest [Ross] and Greg [Gantt] have done a great job by him being out. But we do need another guy to kind of add to our rotation that was certainly helped us out a lot.

Just wanted to get your thoughts on the importance of having the tournament in Greensboro, a city like that with its history, and its history within the ACC.

Kevin Keatts: “You probably trying to start an argument with somewhere by asking that (laughs) .. .The tournament’s always been a very big success in Greensboro, and I think we all know that I’m a guy who grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Greensboro is probably about an hour and 45 minutes away. And so I’ve always enjoyed it there.

“I think the the folks in Greensboro has always done a tremendous job putting on a good tournament. I’m glad it’s there. I hope it comes back in the future. I think it’s a really good place to have it now. You know, when you got good basketball teams, you can put the tournament a little bit of everywhere and people are going to come, but it is special that it’s back in Greensboro.”

Obviously I’m sure you’re expecting more of a dogfight against Duke than the last time but what do you expect to have success in this game that you did in the last against Duke?

Kevin Keatts: “Well, I don’t know. You know, I tell people when you play teams a second time around, I know everybody’s like, ‘Man, what can you take from the first game?’ I just don’t know what you can take. I thought we played really really well. And I didn’t think they had one of their better games.

“But you know, we just we’ve got to come out and be NC State and I’m sure Duke’s got to be Duke and, obviously try to play with a lot of confidence, I will tell you, you watch them on tape. They’re a completely different team. … I haven’t even spent a lot of time on the the last game that we play because they’re they’re different in a lot of ways and they’re scoring the ball. They’re defending well.

“We have to continue to take care to basketball. We got to continue to play the game inside out. We got to get try to get in transition if we can and, play a lot better. And they’ve done such an incredible job. I think they may be one of the few teams in our league that’s undefeated at home. And so that says a lot about their program right now.

What do you think’s the biggest reason for Terquavion Smith’s shooting struggles in the last four games?

Kevin Keatts: Well, I think he’s getting probably the best perimeter defender because obviously his ability to score. What I like about him, … he hasn’t shot the ball well as of late, but he still have had productive games for us. Meaning passing the ball playing solid in different ways.

“Doesn’t take much for him to get back going. The great thing about him … is that he has a short term memory. So those stats that you’re talking about he don’t even know what you’re talking about. But I think a lot of it is people are game planning him, obviously trying to be physical with him. We’ve got to put him into a little bit, a few more better spots to be able to get some easier shots and I think for him, getting out in transition will help him a little bit, more driving the ball, instead of settling for a few outside shots, I think will be something that will help him and our team a little bit more.”

What are your three keys to winning and Cameron Indoor tomorrow night?

“I just think we got to be us. … I think … we’ve demonstrated that we can really score the basketball and I think we have to be productive and that’s through a lot of ball and player movement, and kind of can we get a few offensive rebounds? Can we get out in transition?

“I think we have to really be good and take care of the basketball. Duke, they’re really good, especially when they can turn you over, and obviously we’re trying to, we don’t want to have a lot of turnovers for touchdowns where they get a lot of easy baskets.

I think you guys are the only team in the country in the top 10 and fast break points and fewest turnovers. Can you just discuss that dynamic of being able to run and play with pace but also limit your own turnovers on the offensive in with with your team?

Kevin Keatts: “Yeah, I’m so proud of our guys. And it usually doesn’t work that way when you have a team who presses and have so much freedom. I think we’ve done a good job. And a lot of the credit should go to the three guys who really handled the ball a lot for us: Terquavion Jarkel Joiner and then DJ Burns. Those guys are really stepped their game up as far as making great decisions and any opportunity that we can get out and run.

“I think our guys do a good job of running and rebounding the ball and getting out and running, but I’ve been very impressed with the way we have been able to take care of the basketball, which says a lot about the guys in the program. We need to do that. In order to be a really good basketball team. You want to limit your turnovers and try to get as many easy baskets as you can.