The NC State Wolfpack once again saw itself on the wrong end of a one-possession game as they fell 65-62 to the California Golden Bears Saturday night at Lenovo Center.
It was a tight game the whole way, with 11 lead changes – the largest lead getting up to only six points – but in the end, NC State (9-9, 2-5 ACC) just couldn’t get enough shots to drop allowing Cal (9-9, 2-5 ACC) to win just their first road game of the season.
“Obviously, from where I sit, this stinks, said NC State coach Kevin Keatts. “This is our fourth ACC game decided by one-possession. We have to get consistent and mentally and physically tough to finish some of these games.”
It’s been the same story all season for the Wolfpack, who have had strong defensive performances, but have struggled a ton offensively.
The Pack went 1-for-10 from beyond the arc, missed five of their free throws and had just five assists in the entire game.
“We took care of the basketball but we didn’t shoot it well from 3 at all,” Keatts said. “We made our first 3 and then missed our next nine but we had some great opportunities.”
NC State is desperately looking for a bit of consistency from its squad with only two averaging double-digit points on the season (Marcus Hill: 13.2; Jayden Taylor: 12.5). The Pack will have players play well for a few games, but then inexplicably go quiet for a few.
“As a coach, when you go into a game, you want to know you can count on certain dudes,” Keatts said. “This guy is gonna have a high-assist game every game, this guy is going to be a great rebounder every game, but what we’re having is a lot of inconsistent play. It’s leading to one-possession losses.”
Defensively, the team is doing nearly everything you could ask of them.
They forced 11 turnovers – scoring 19 points off of those turnovers – had six blocks, six steals, 31 rebounds and held California over 10 points below their season average, but there were still a few key moments when the team crumbled.
The game-winning basket came just 19 seconds after NC State took their first lead since the first half as the Wolfpack allowed an easy drive-by layup.
The team also gave up 12 offensive rebounds and just overall failed to come away on a lot of 50/50 balls.
“Toughness is what we’re going to preach,” Keatts said. “That’s not just winning the physical battles. Being mentally tough. If you miss a shot, that’s okay. You have to get back and play some great defense and not let that affect you as you go along throughout the game.”
Keatts also expressed a bit of frustration with his squad, not only in their inconsistent play, but also an apparent lack of commitment to team-focused basketball.
“If there’s any team that I’ve coached that needs one another, it’s this team,’ Keatts said. “I have to get some of our guys to stop worrying about how many points they score and worry about what’s best for NC State., You see so many guys disappointed when a shot doesn’t go in and nature makes you not be effective defensively when you’re not making shots. We have to do a better job in pushing some guys. I need leadership from those guys.”
Nearly every conference loss for NC State this season has been close. Four of their losses are one-possession losses and there’s things you have to like about the way those have gone to at least be in every game. But at the end of the day, close losses are still losses and there is no consolation in losing.
“We’re playing as hard as we can play, we’re just not playing as smart as we can play,” Keatts said.
