The Heritage Game at Reynolds Coliseum is a staple of NC State men’s basketball, a way to honor the Old Barn’s time and history. But on Wednesday against Texas Southern, sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. rewrote that history.
With senior forward Darrion Williams — the Pack’s No. 1 option — out with a shoulder injury, McNeil took it upon himself to put the Wolfpack (8-4) on his back, recording a career-high 47 points. The output — tied for fifth-most in program history and the most by a Wolfpack player in nearly 35 years — guided a 108-72 rout of the Tigers (1-8).
“You gotta just stay down and work,” McNeil said. “If you’re a star, you’re gonna shine in any light. As long as you keep guiding your life, a lot can open up for you.”
But it wasn’t just about the points he scored; it was the way in which he scored them. McNeil was unconscious from downtown as he knocked down 11 3-pointers, breaking Rodney Monroe’s program record and tying the ACC record for most 3-pointers in a game.
“[Monroe’s] a great shooter, great player,” McNeil said. “But records are meant to be broken. I feel like somebody is gonna break mine one day, so I was blessed to be in this position.”
McNeil was so unstoppable that Texas Southern had three men guarding him as the clock expired just so he didn’t hit 50 points.
“Yeah, that was crazy,” McNeil said. “That was my first time ever really getting triple-teamed like that. They was telling me ‘you ain’t about to break it.’”
Looking at the sharpshooter’s background, it’s no surprise that the man who set the North Carolina high school record for most points in a game put on such a performance. But it hasn’t all been golden for McNeil, who was in the midst of a shooting slump prior to the game, shooting 11-of-40 from beyond the arc over his last eight games.
“Everybody else went home and [McNeil] was in the gym by himself [last night],” said head coach Will Wade. “He worked for an extra 45 minutes after our meal last night. You get what you earn, you get what you deserve, you get what you work on.”
McNeil wasn’t the only one to benefit because of Williams’ injury, as senior center Scottie Ebube got the most playing time he’s received all season and made the most of it, though that’s hard to tell from the final box score. Ebube recorded five points, three rebounds, three blocks and fouled out of the game, but his impact was much greater than the stat sheet.
In the second half, Ebube threw down a two-handed dunk, bringing all of Reynolds Coliseum to their feet. On the ensuing play, Ebube got an emphatic block, sending the ball flying out of bounds and staring down his opponent, once again igniting the Wolfpack crowd.
“Scottie plays with an edge, I’m the dumbass for not playing him,” Wade said. “When he’s in there, something is going to happen. Somebody’s band is playing, ours or theirs, and that’s a good thing.”
Despite recording a 36-point win, Wade wasn’t content with the lack of intensity, physicality and attention to detail.
“Give up the amount of points we gave up, offensive rebounds we gave up, just our attention to detail is lacking,” Wade said. “Our effort, our intensity on a consistent basis… it’s not where it needs to be.”
Along with other errors that come with being too complacent, such as giving away unnecessary fouls, easy points on inbound plays and giving up easy offensive rebounds, Wade continues to demand consistency from the team.
“It’s fine, we beat Texas Southern,” Wade said. “But that’s why we hadn’t been able to beat Kansas, why we hadn’t been able to beat Auburn, why we hadn’t been able to beat these guys. It’s because we make those same mistakes in those games and they kill us and we don’t get it corrected.”
Wade and company have just days to correct their mistakes before traveling to Greensboro on Sunday, Dec. 21, to take on Ole Miss in a neutral-site game. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN.
