NC State looks to ‘clean up’ its play after sixth straight loss following Clemson defeat

NC State’s locker room was quiet. Most of the Wolfpack’s players looked down as they cut the tape off their ankles, taking a moment to themselves before trying to figure out what went wrong. 

The Pack, which entered its Saturday matinee against Clemson on a five-game losing streak, had a familiar experience on the court with the Tigers on the other side. NC State was right there in the second half against the ACC’s second-place team, but it couldn’t find a way to close the game — again. 

That led to a 68-58 defeat, extending the Wolfpack’s losing streak to six games — its longest such span of losses since the 2021-22 campaign. 

In this iteration of the Pack’s seemingly broken record of a stretch, NC State held a 1-point lead with 14:16 to play after it held Clemson without a point for more than seven minutes. Despite its lockdown defense — the Tigers were 0-for-9 from the field — the Wolfpack wasn’t able to capitalize on the offensive end. 

NC State scored just 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting while Clemson was ice cold. It had a prime opportunity, but instead of squandering a double-digit lead this time around, it was the chance to build such an advantage that the Pack let slip away. 

Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts felt as though his team is “right there” in terms of playing with the ACC’s top teams. It led No. 2 Duke by as many as 13 on Monday night before it kept the score tight against Clemson for much of the afternoon. His offense’s inefficiencies are what he seemed displeased with.

“We’ve gotta figure [it] out,” Keatts said. “We’ve got to get better. We have to figure out these stretches. Our defense is still doing a great job of carrying us through these games, and it looks like when we get in trouble, we don’t score the basketball.”

Even though NC State’s offense, which shot 38.3 percent from the field against Clemson, struggled yet again, its defense was what allowed the game to be tight for as long as it was. The Tigers didn’t pull away until there was 5:03 left on the game clock. 

While the Wolfpack’s shooting has been inconsistent, Keatts liked his squad’s persistence to keep playing no matter what the score was. 

“We have been in every game because our heart is always on the line,” Keatts said. “Our guys show up every night. Sometimes it comes down to maybe the other guys have a few more better players than we do. We just have to keep figuring it out, keep plugging [along.]”

A lack of effort isn’t something Keatts said he has seen from his team. That’s a main priority of any of his rosters, to play for all 40 minutes. He didn’t think that has been an issue, and if it was, Keatts noted he would be quick to make a change on the floor. 

NC State, however, is still searching for answers as to how it can snap this skid. Senior wing Dontrez Styles, who scored a season-best 24 points with five made 3-pointers against Clemson, believes the Pack’s losses have come down to self-inflicted errors. 

“If you go back and watch all the games we have lost, we’ve beat ourselves,” Styles said. “We’re right in the game. We just have to clean some stuff up.”

The Pack will turn the page this week as it prepares to head to California for a pair of ACC games for the first time in program history. NC State will duel with Cal on Wednesday night before a Saturday tilt with Stanford. 

NC State hasn’t quit on the season, and it hopes the trip out west is an opportunity to build momentum across the last 10 games of ACC play. The Pack, which sits 16th in the league standings, needs wins to play its way into the league tournament in March. 

It’s not a guarantee, but the Wolfpack believes the losing streak hasn’t affected what the team brings to the court each game. 

“Losing is always disappointing,” Styles said. “Just knowing the guys we have in here, we’re a great group of guys that can play basketball at a high level. Not getting the wins right now, it’s tough, but I’m proud of these guys. We show up each and every day and still practice hard. Even though we’re losing, we’re still working right now.”

And the squad hopes that, coupled with a focus on toughness, will be enough to turn the tide sooner than later.

“We’re putting in a lot of work and it’s not showing right now,” senior guard Marcus Hill said. “We’re just trying to get better. That’s the biggest goal, getting better and getting over the hump.”