NC State’s freshman guards could see more playing time in near future

Midway through NC State’s 63-61 loss to North Carolina on Saturday afternoon, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts looked to shake things up with his rotation. The Pack has seemingly narrowed its key core of players to eight, but the eighth-year coach decided to insert a new face on the floor. 

Freshman guard Bryce Heard, a reclassified 2025 recruit, entered just over five minutes into the game. It marked just his second appearance since the New Year — he played two minutes in a blowout loss at Wake Forest on Jan. 4. 

And when Heard stepped on the court, he quickly made an impact on the defensive end. He spelled senior guard Jayden Taylor, who was in early foul trouble, and Heard brought the same intensity to the floor that the Wolfpack’s starting group had. 

Heard’s assignment? UNC freshman standout Ian Jackson. The Pack’s rarely used freshman as of late logged a rebound and a foul in his first stint, which spanned just under three minutes. Heard limited Jackson, who got going in the second half to pace the Tar Heels with 21 points, without a shot over that stretch. 

The Chicago native finished the game without a point, though he did log the rebound in 4:17 of playing time. Heard was the Wolfpack’s only freshman to see the floor against the Tar Heels, but that could change moving forward. 

Keatts, who signed a trio of top-150 freshmen, said he believes they will all start to see more action as NC State gets deeper into ACC play. Point guard Trey Parker has played just five minutes this month, while wing Paul McNeil has appeared in two total minutes over that stretch — both played at the end of the Pack’s loss at Wake Forest.. 

The Wolfpack is hopeful that will change in the near future.

“Those guys are starting to get better in practice,” Keatts said during the ACC’s coaches Zoom call Monday. “With the rotation, we’re getting down to eight guys and there’s going to be one or two of those guys that’s going to play each game. A lot of that is going to be determined by how they practice. Some of it could be matchups.”

Keatts wanted to stress that each of the three freshmen have played well at times, and he was excited to see them continue in larger roles down the back half of the season. 

Parker is averaging 3.5 points with 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in his 13 appearances, but he hasn’t played more than 10 minutes since NC State’s 15-point loss at Kansas on Dec. 14. McNeil, meanwhile, has logged more than 10 minutes in just two games this season (most recently 13 in the Pack’s 89-63 win over Rider on Dec. 22). Heard is averaging 1.3 points with 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.5 minutes through his 11 appearances in his collegiate debut season. 

The practice court will determine which of the three freshmen gets to play each night, and that could start as soon as Wednesday’s game at Virginia Tech (7-9, 2-3 ACC).  

“I thought Bryce came in and was very solid. Trey’s had moments where I’ve thought he’s played solid, and so has Paul,” Keatts said. “As those guys continue to grow and get better and understand what we’re looking for, I think you’ll see more of those guys on the floor in an increased minutes role.”

‘Starting to put it together defensively’

In the Wolfpack’s loss to the Tar Heels, NC State seemed to play with its highest level of intensity on the defensive end that it has all season. The Wolfpack, however, got lost on a switch to allow UNC big man Jalen Washington to hit the go-ahead dunk in the final 30 seconds. 

Despite that, Keatts seemed pleased with the steps forward his squad has made on that end of the floor.

“I like where we’re at,” Keatts said. “There’s a thin line between being 3-2 and 2-3, and I completely understand that. We’ve closed some games out, we’ve had some great defensive stops at the end — you look at Notre Dame. … I do like where we are. I think we’re starting to put it together a little bit more defensively.”

The Wolfpack made a game-winning stop to edge Notre Dame 66-65 last Wednesday as Markus Burton tried to push the Irish in front, but the Pack’s pressure was enough for him to misfire. NC State, as a whole, has played in four one-possession games in its first five ACC contests. The Pack is 2-2 in those games with wins over Florida State (in overtime) and Notre Dame, while Virginia and North Carolina beat NC State by a bucket. 

NC State’s biggest issue in those one-score losses on the offensive end? It hasn’t hit enough shots. The Pack held a 14-point lead against the Cavaliers, who went on a 17-2 run to level the score, while NC State was under 25% from the field against the Tar Heels for most of the first half. 

In both of those losses, the Wolfpack couldn’t break into the 70s on the scoreboard. And that has been an issue when NC State can’t. The Pack is 7-0 when it scores more than 70 points this season, but it’s 2-8 when it doesn’t.

Keatts is looking for his roster to take a step forward offensively, including finding teammates for open shots. The Wolfpack logged seven assists in the loss to UNC, its lowest total of the 2024-25 campaign. 

“We played better defensively this week, we just have to find a way to score a few more points,” Keatts said. “You look at both of those games, it was in the low 60s. If we can get a little more ball movement, player movement, I think we’ll be fine.”

Injury update

NC State coach Kevin Keatts did not have a status update on senior center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield or redshirt junior guard Mike James this week. 

Huntley-Hatfield missed the Wolfpack’s loss to UNC with a shoulder injury he sustained on a hard fall against Notre Dame and Keatts had yet to see him since the loss to the Tar Heels. He expected to get an update on the Louisville transfer during the team’s Monday practice session. 

James, meanwhile, still remains inactive from a preseason knee scope that was expected to hold him out two to four weeks. Keatts noted after the Wolfpack’s loss at Wake Forest that James was able to participate in a few individual drills, but was pulled from those once he came down with a fever. The Pack coach has not provided an update on the Louisville transfer’s status since.