The Wolfpacker Podcast: NC State basketball at UNC reflections
NC State basketball started Saturday at North Carolina down a pair of starters, and by the end of the game, a third, ACC leading scorer and sophomore guard Terquavion Smith, was carried out of the Dean Smith Center on a stretcher to be transported to the hospital. In the meantime, UNC piled up a massive advantage in foul disparity and free throws attempted.
Those two subject matters were foremost on the minds of a lot of NC State basketball fans following the Wolfpack’s 80-69 loss in Chapel Hill. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided by Smith, who is listed as day-to-day after being released from the hospital. X-rays were negative, and the use of the stretcher was a precautionary measure dictated by medical procedure.
A day after the game and with a little more time to digest what happened, The Wolfpacker duo of Matt Carter and Matt Coe met to record the latest podcast episode, reflecting on the NC State basketball loss to UNC.
Among the many topics discussed:
• The co-hosts start with addressing one of the two elephants in the room: the foul on Smith that also led to UNC super senior wing Leaky Black’s ejection from the game with a Flagrant 2 foul.
Both Coe and Carter noted that they doubt that Black had any malicious intent and that he attempted to make a basketball play, but there was no denying that he committed a flagrant foul. The two discussed the fallout from the incident both on the court and in the public.
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• Then there was the other elephant in the room from the game: the foul disparity. NC State was whistled for five more fouls against UNC than any other prior contest this year, and meanwhile the Tar Heels were called for one of the lower totals by a Pack opponent.
The difference in the officiating approach to both ends of the court dominated the conversation. Carter noted that both NC State and UNC employed similar offensive attacks, at least statistically, so it seems unusual that North Carolina would be credited with playing defense that much cleaner than NC State.
Perhaps the reputations of UNC’s ability to draw fouls and the Pack’s penchant to be aggressive on defense preceded both of them going into the game.
• Not all of the game was about Smith’s injury and fouls. Rebounding played a major role in the loss, with Carter noting that is a key indicator for UNC. The Heels excel when rebounding well, and struggle when the opponent holds its own on the board.
NC State was outrebounded 42-27 by North Carolina.
All those topics plus more!
Listen to the podcast or watch via The Wolfpacker’s YouTube channel.
