NC State just made easy work of a pretty darn good 11-3 Virginia team on Saturday, 76-60.
That win brings NC State to 11-3 on the season and 3-0 in the conference, both tied for the best mark in the ACC. Pretty impressive for an almost completely retooled roster. So what is it that’s working for the Pack right now? Here are our top 3 things…
1. They have accepted DJ Burns as a point Center
First off, they have started to really play through DJ Burns. When NC State is at its best, Burns is touching the ball every time down. Having a touch on almost every possession is vital for the big man because it makes their defense reactionary. There aren’t many bigs in the country who can handle DJ one on one. Establishing him early is the key. They did this against UVA and while Burns only ended with 6 points and 4 assists, his early dominance shifted UVA’s entire defensively strategy for the rest of the game.
Earlier this season there were big chunks of time when Burns would go without a touch. Then when he finally got one, it seemed like he felt required to force a shot up. Lately, they’ve been playing through him a lot more, and with more touches, you’re seeing Burns become more patient. And when he’s patient he’s extremely dangerous.
Passing out of the post is such an advantage and that luxury State has isn’t talked about enough. First off, when Burns gets the ball, all eyes go to him. The defenders know they may need to help, and at the same time, they know they need to keep track of their man, because Burns can find them. This has their heads on a swivel and really puts pressure on them.
If Burns starts backing in, they need to send a double-team, or bluff with a hedging defender. Either way, it puts them out of position, and it only takes a second for DJ to make you pay. There are only a handful of games where teams will have a big they feel can match up with Burns. Everyone else will need to use help-side. If NC State can keep focusing on playing through DJ on the block, they will be at a huge advantage for all of those games.
2. Keatts has traded fast breaks and volume scoring for pace control, ball security, and ball movement
To all of you out there who have criticized Kevin Keatts for never changing, you need to ceed some ground here. And while I’ve been on record supporting Keatts, his reluctance to adjust his system has been one area that I’ll admit has been frustrating.
I’ve said for years that Keatts needs to bring in a true PG and stop relying on 2 guards who can dribble. His tenure has been flush with guys who can score, but when his teams are forced into a half-court game, they look lost, constantly just isolating and trying to beat their man off the dribble. That’s not efficient basketball, nor is it good for team morale.
Enter Mike O’Connell. When State landed him from Standford, everyone was probably wondering why NC State would take a senior lead guard who averaged just 5 points per game and shot only 30% from 3 point range. Well, check out the past 4 games and you’ll see why.
Over those past 4 games, O’Connell’s minutes have ticked up and so have the assist totals. During that span, O’Connell has 17 assists and ZERO turnovers. When O’Connell is in there, the ball moves and NC State gets open shots.
Now, this is going to touch on my next point, but there are games where O’Connell won’t be able to be out there. O’Connell has trouble against small, lighting quick guards (both defending them, and handling the ball against them), but when you’re playing a team that wants to slow the pace down, or a team that has a good matchup for O’Connell, you want him out there because with him and Burns on the floor, defenders can’t get comfortable. Suddenly every single off-ball cut is a potential bucket.
Keatts came to Raleigh wanting to turn games into track meets, but after 6+ years he sees that in the ACC, valuing possessions and making the defense work has its benefits. NC State can still press and ball-hawk on defense, but offensively they are starting to find success in taking their time and working a bit to find open shots.
3. This team has the versatility of an elite contender
Piggy-backing on my last point, this roster, if managed correctly, can be elite. The pieces Keatts has this season allow him to play many different types of basketball. As I just pointed out, he can go with a more controlled, slower pace attack. He can go athletic with Horne and Taylor at the top. He can go big and long with Diarra at the 4, or big and bruising with Middlebrooks at the 4. He can go athletic and bruising with Rice at the 4. Or he could go athletic and spread the floor without losing much rebounding, thanks to the emergence of freshman Dennis Parker Jr.
This team has pieces and options in a way that they can really match up with anyone on any given night. This is something you usually only see with the top 15 teams in the country, and this year we have it.
While this is exciting, I think it puts a lot more pressure and scrutiny on Keatts. He has to be able to manage this group, see what’s needed, and adjust. He has the horses, and so far it looks like he’s adjusting to that fact. He’ll need to continue to do that with #8 UNC and Wake as 2 of their next 3 opponents.
