After recording its first conference win of the 2015-16 season, the NC State men’s basketball team looks to keep the momentum going Saturday at PNC Arena against head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the No. 20 Duke Blue Devils.
The Wolfpack (11-8, 1-5 ACC) defeated the Pitt Panthers Tuesday night in what has been the Pack’s best game of the season. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (14-5, 3-3 ACC) have been uncharacteristically inconsistent this season as they find themselves in the midst of a three-game skid entering Saturday’s game. Dropping games at Clemson and home against Notre Dame and Syracuse, Duke seems to be losing its perennial vise grip on the ACC even with a talented roster.
Along with the first half against the Tar Heels Saturday, the Pack has played its best basketball of the season over the last two games. Junior Anthony “Cat” Barber scored 31 against the Panthers and recorded seven rebounds and eight assists as well. Despite the fantastic stat line, Barber committed a season-high eight turnovers Tuesday night. Sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu continued his unbelievable play this season recording 16 points and 10 rebounds, his ninth double-double this season.
Much like the game against the Tar Heels, the matchup that favors the Pack against the Blue Devils lies in the guard play. Barber’s experience should be advantageous against a Blue Devil team that lacks depth at the point guard position. Duke freshman Derryck Thornton serves as the team’s only viable option at point guard, and he has only started in 10 games for Krzyzewski. Often times Duke ran a starting lineup that did not include a true point guard and that led to sophomore Grayson Allen or junior Matt Jones to take over the ball handling duties.
Another aspect of the game that should fall in the Pack’s favor comes down on the front court. Duke’s only frontcourt presence at the moment comes in the form of senior Marshall Plumlee. Senior Amile Jefferson provided the other low post presence for the Blue Devils, but due to injury, he has only appeared in nine games.
Needless to say, with the way Abu has been playing of late, he should have no problem notching yet another double-double against the Blue Devils come Saturday.
The Blue Devil’s recent woes coupled with a much-needed win over Pitt provides the perfect formula for an upset. A win over Duke would give the Pack a quality win, not to mention a marquee win in the ACC, as it tries to salvage what it can after a 0-5 start to ACC play.
Saturday’s game also marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Pack. Along with the Blue Devils, the Wolfpack will host Georgia Tech and No. 15 Miami (FL) before continuing a brutal conference schedule that includes road trips to No. 2 North Carolina and No. 13 Virginia.
While ACC wins will be hard to come by this season, the Pack needs to take advantage of the winnable games that come its way. A win Saturday over Duke may be the start of something new for head coach Mark Gottfried and company.
