Following its first conference loss of the season at Boston College, N.C. State (11-5, 1-1 ACC) will be looking to rebound against Florida State (12-5, 2-1 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. State is 5-1 in its last six trips to Tallahassee, including an 88-81 victory in the Donald L. Tucker Center last January.
The Wolfpack will have to contend with a Seminole team that has allowed just 61 points per game while earning a place among the nation’s elite in blocked shots (No. 8 in the NCAA) and rebounds (No. 9 in the NCAA). Florida State’s stunning 66-61 upset of top-ranked Duke on Wednesday night was additional confirmation for freshman guard Ryan Harrow and the rest of his teammates that they have to be ready for a dogfight by the time 4 p.m. tipoff rolls around Saturday.
“I watched a lot of it and I thought Duke was going to win the whole time,” Harrow said. “But Florida State pulled it out. I was just like, ‘we have to be ready for them’.”
Although they have garnered plenty of attention for a smothering defensive style of play, the Seminoles’ star forward Chris Singleton has created plenty of difficulties for opposing teams on the other side of the court. Singleton ranks in the top-10 in five ACC categories, including points (15.8), rebounds (8.0), steals (2.2), blocks (1.9) and field goal percentage (.463).
“I know Chris from back in Georgia, so I kind of know his game,” Harrow said. “Richard (Howell) will be guarding him and he’s from Georgia so he knows his game [too]. Tracy’s played against him already, so I think we’ll be prepared, but we’ve got to buckle down because he’s having such a good year.”
Since being forced to take a 10-game hiatus due to a knee injury, senior Tracy Smith has been averaging 18 points per game. For State to be successful on Saturday, Smith said he knows that the team has to be focused solely on its own game.
“They’re a big team, they’re physical, and they’re known for their defense, ” Smith said. “We just have to be ready to run our stuff. We have to execute and be ready to go at them hard. We just have to go through sets and be ready to go with what coach is going to give us.”
In the Wolfpack’s 75-66 loss in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Tuesday, Smith only converted on one basket following the 13-minute mark of the second half. Despite finishing with a team-high 18 points, Smith said he has to work harder if he wants to get more looks as the game progresses.
“I just need to get off to a better start and keep it rolling throughout the whole game,” Smith said. “I don’t feel like I got enough looks, but I probably wasn’t posting hard enough or I was posting too far up. There are reasons why I didn’t get the ball, so I just need to keep on working hard for myself and for the team.”
On a team loaded with young talent, the experienced Smith is looked upon to provide leadership when the team travels to hostile environments on the road. Although Harrow has received high praise from his teammates for his composure and poise, he said that he understands that Smith is a vital piece to the puzzle for the Wolfpack.
“We definitely have to go to Tracy,” Harrow said. “He’s such a big part of our team and he’s such a dynamic scorer. If we get it to him and get him going early I think we’ll be successful.”
After the team returns from Tallahassee this weekend, preparations for Duke (15-1, 2-1 ACC) will begin. The Pack will host the Blue Devils inside RBC Center on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. scheduled start.
