NC State’s ‘fact-finding’ nonconference slate continues with Texas in ACC-SEC Challenge

NC State coach Kevin Keatts isn’t one to shy away from evaluating his team, especially after an 0-2 trip to the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego over Thanksgiving. 

The Pack, which faced its first two power conference opponents in BYU and No. 13 Purdue, couldn’t get its offense into full gear. NC State entered the tournament with the nation’s best fast-break scoring mark at 28 points a game, but it mustered just 13 total between the two losses. 

For Keatts, it came down to rebounding on the defensive end. The team lost the battle on the boards in both games, averaging a 41.5-30 difference against the Boilermakers and Cougars. 

“I think the biggest thing that stood out for us is we didn’t do a good job of finishing possessions with defensive rebounding, which I thought really cost us getting out in transition,” Keatts said Tuesday. “[If] you don’t rebound the basketball, you’re not able to get out in transition.”

Rebounding has been a focus for NC State since its return to Raleigh, and it will be ever-important as Texas, which holds a 37.3-33 advantage on the glass this season, visits Lenovo Center on Wednesday night at 9:15 p.m. in the ACC-SEC Challenge. 

The Wolfpack, which debuted at No. 91 in the first edition of the NCAA’s NET Rankings, has an opportunity to earn its first quality victory of the year over the 56th-ranked Longhorns. But it won’t come easy. 

“It’s very seldom you get a chance to have a really good Power 5 team come into Lenovo,” Keatts said of Texas. “We’re excited about the opportunity. … Texas is really good. [Head coach] Rodney [Terry] has done a really good job with the program. This is probably going to be the most athletic team we’ve played so far. We’ve gotta be ready for the opportunity.”

NC State is looking to clean up what hindered the Pack in San Diego, which included moving the basketball on the offensive end for the entire 40-minute game. Keatts believes the nonconference slate has provided a “fact-finding” opportunity for his team, which is filled with eight newcomers (five transfers and three freshmen).

Keatts noted that a reason why NC State struggled to beat BYU and Purdue could have come from the team not being entirely connected for 40 minutes. The team, which doesn’t have a DJ Horne-type player who can explode for 20-30 points on a given night, has to rely on a group of five or six players to compete at a high level together. 

That includes things outside of scoring, too. He pointed to defense, rebounding and bringing a sense of energy to the floor each night. Those winning characteristics will be important against Texas — and later at No. 1 Kansas in just over a week — as NC State looks to improve game-to-game as the ACC slate looms with Florida State on Saturday before the full league schedule begins New Year’s Eve at Virginia. 

“We’re just trying to get better to prepare us for the Florida States or any team that plays in the ACC,” Keatts said. “We gotta continue to grow because, at the end of the day, you just never know how many teams we’re going to get into the tournament.”

These nonconference tests against some of the top teams in the country were scheduled to provide NC State with a litmus test of where it is now, plus the opportunity to continue to be battle-tested. That came into play during last season’s ACC Tournament, which Keatts likes to use as an example. 

Last year’s team was connected and one heartbeat by the time it took the floor at Capital One Arena. There’s a process that each team filled with new faces has to go through to reach that moment, but Keatts knows it’s possible. 

“When we play really good basketball together, we’re a really good team when we’re connected,” Keatts said. “When we play and everybody contributes in a positive way or doing their job, I think this team has the chance to be really good.”

The team is still evolving to reach that point, but the sooner it does, more victories are likely to follow.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” Keatts said. “I think our guys learned a valuable lesson, which every team with transfers figures out, in order to be successful, you have to do it together. Teams that come together a lot faster are the guys that are going to win a lot quicker.”

The next test is Texas, and the Wolfpack has an opportunity to continue to show its growth against a quality Longhorns squad in front of its home faithful in Raleigh.