NC State continues to establish identity with points in the paint behind Marcus Hill, versatile centers

NC State senior guard Marcus Hill sensed his team needed some life. The Wolfpack struggled to knock down shots in the first four minutes against Colgate, so he did what he does best, went straight to the rim. 

The Bowling Green transfer, who made a name for himself at the Division I level by getting to the free throw line at one of the highest rates in all of college basketball (219 free throw attempts, T-25 in NCAA) did just that to help settle the Wolfpack down in just his fourth game with his new squad. 

Hill opened NC State’s scoring with a layup before he had a three-point play with a tip in and a free throw shortly after and a layup followed nearly a minute later. By the time Hill looked at the scoreboard, the Wolfpack was on a 17-0 run to take a commanding lead on the Raiders. 

That was all the cushion NC State needed to cruise to a 72-49 win over Colgate at Lenovo Center, the program’s 17th consecutive home non-conference victory. 

“Coach is always saying we need energy,” Hill said, “so I was just trying to be the energy guy and bring some energy.”

Hill did that and more with a new season-best 17 points to be one of the Wolfpack’s key cogs in its ability to dominate the paint for the fourth straight game. NC State entered the game averaging 48.0 points a contest inside the lane and it added another 36 in the win over Colgate. 

While the slashing guard was pivotal in the Wolfpack’s ability to get to the rim with ease, he wasn’t the only NC State player to do that. No. The Pack’s veteran centers — Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield — were able to combine for 30 points, most of which came inside the paint. 

The two make for a formidable frontcourt duo with Huntley-Hatfield’s ability to bully his way through defenders with his chiseled physique and Middlebrooks possesses a finesse game that allows him to move his way around opposing players to finish possessions at the rim. 

“When me and Brandon are coming in and out and Ismael [Diouf returns from injury] … we’re going to have one of the best front courts out there,” Middlebrooks said. “I think it’s going to be tough for a lot of teams having to come up against different matchups. Guys are going to have to guard different ways against each of us, so that’s going to be tough [for other teams].”

While Diouf was out with an elbow bone bruise, Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield proved that they can help pace NC State’s interior game as a team that wants at least one paint touch on every possession. 

For Huntley-Hatfield, who transferred in from Louisville because he wanted “to win,” his first four games at NC State have been a success to this point. He’s been able to score in double figures in each game he’s played with the Wolfpack — a pair of 13-point efforts and two 11-point performances. 

That’ll do. 

“I love that,” Huntley-Hatfield said of his bruising ability to get to the rim. “I want to make sure I’m maximizing all the opportunities I’m getting.”

Getting inside, which helped calm the Wolfpack down on the offensive end against the Raiders, can also assist NC State’s defense in the process. 

“I think it also wears teams down when you’re able to go down and slow down the pace,” Middlebrooks said. “Teams aren’t able to run off that or get long rebounds. It really slows it down, and that lets our defense get set. When our defense gets back and can really settle down, it’s going to be really tough to score on us.”

But, so far, NC State coach Kevin Keatts and his staff will take the results from the offensive end that getting inside the paint has provided. The Wolfpack is now shooting 61% from inside the arc through the first four games and most of those makes have come within close range of the rim. 

Hill, a former JUCO All-America honoree, has been the bus driver in NC State’s ability to establish a paint presence in the early stages of the new season for the defending ACC champions. That showed up yet again with Colgate in town, and the eighth-year coach was overjoyed to see the success from the physical player after preaching driving into the lane at practice recently. 

“It was really good to see Marcus get back to his groove and play his game,” Keatts said. “A lot of times when you transfer, you’re always trying to overthink. We just said, ‘Hey, simplify the game in your mind and just play.’ That was the Marcus Hill that we recruited.”

Hill got downhill, and in turn was able to thrive in the paint against the Raiders. Now, NC State is looking for that trend to continue as he plays free and loose. And as he does that, the Wolfpack’s points in the paint will continue be the team’s strength moving forward.