Day and night. Yin and yang. Caddyshack and Caddyshack II.
Those are just a few of the ways to describe the difference in the N.C. State men’s basketball team’s past two performances, a road loss at Duke on Saturday afternoon and a home win against Maryland on Monday night.
After getting thumped, 95-60, by the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Wolfpack bounced back 48 hours later and rallied past the Terrapins, 65-56, outscoring Maryland 45-27 in the second half. Making Monday’s effort all the more impressive was the absence of sophomore forward T. J. Warren, who averages 22.2 points per game and has carried the Pack in just about every game this season. State’s next-leading scorer is freshman guard Anthony “Cat” Barber, who puts up 11.4 points per game.
A key for head coach Mark Gottfried’s bunch is finding someone to step up behind Warren and Barber. When someone does, the Pack usually wins. Case in point—in a 77-70 road win over Notre Dame on Jan. 7, junior guard Desmond Lee scored 12 points and senior center Jordan Vandenberg grabbed 11 rebounds. Lee also reached double figures in a Dec. 30 road win over Tennessee, contributing 10 points.
On Saturday at Duke, Warren was the only State player to score in double figures. With him sidelined on Monday, the Pack needed to find someone to produce otherwise it faced dire consequences.
That man was junior guard Ralston Turner. The transfer from LSU scored 23 points against the Terps to match his career high, sinking five three-pointers to spur the second-half comeback. He also finished with seven rebounds, which was the second highest for the game behind freshman forward Kyle Washington’s 10 boards. Washington’s effort on the glass also helped shore up a void created by Warren’s absence.
Looking at the bigger picture, Monday’s win snapped a dismal three-game losing streak that had slowed the Pack out of the gates in ACC play. Three days before the loss at Duke, the Pack went on the road and dropped a heartbreaker to Wake Forest, allowing Wake’s Codi Miller-McIntyre to drive coast-to-coast with four seconds left in a, 70-69, loss.
The good news for the Pack, which stands at 12-7 and 2-4 in the ACC, is that its next two games are at home, beginning Sunday afternoon against Georgia Tech, also 2-4 in the conference. Wednesday night the Wolfpack will welcome Florida State, whose RPI currently stands at No. 20 in the nation and provides a golden opportunity for a NCAA resume-building win. It’s still fairly early in the conference season, but these next two home games are about as close to must-win as games can be at this stage.
Not to look too far ahead, but on Feb. 1, the Pack travels to archrival UNC-Chapel Hill in a game most have circled on the calendar. With five of its first six games in February on the road, it is imperative that the Pack holds strong against Georgia Tech and FSU.
No official word has been given, but considering the relatively long layoff between games, Warren could be ready to go on Sunday. However, the point stands—someone other than him and Barber will have to sustain a high level of play for the rest of the season. If that doesn’t happen, it’s going to be a long month-and-a-half for Wolfpack Nation.
