After freshman guard Paul McNeil pumped his fists at center court and listened to a serenade of Wolfpack faithful chant “MVP,” one phrase echoed as he entered the locker room.
“Hell yeah, Paul! Hell yeah, two!”
Ten minutes before tipoff, head coach Kevin Keatts told the true freshman he was being moved into the starting lineup in the Pack’s rivalry game against Wake Forest, but McNeil didn’t seem fazed — making an impact scoring or assisting on NC State’s first eight points.
“It was hard, man, coming in as a freshman, trying to learn ways,” McNeil said. “[Keatts] sees me building. He sees me working. He sees me trying. He trusted me, and it’s paying off. It’s just one game. I had a good one, but I’m trying to keep going, stay hungry.”
McNeil proved to be the difference maker in the Wolfpack’s (11-16, 4-12 ACC) 85-73 victory over the Demon Deacons (19-8, 11-5 ACC). The sharpshooter finished with a career-high 24 points while shooting 62% from the field. He also added a team-high four offensive rebounds and zero turnovers, cultivating a jolt for the Wolfpack’s stagnant offense.
Fans have called for changes in the starting lineup all season with McNeil and freshman guard Trey Parker at the center of the conversation, but it took 27 games and losses in 10 of the Pack’s last 11 games for Keatts to finally put McNeil in the starting five. But like all head coaches, Keatts had his reasons.
“He wasn’t in shape,” Keatts said. “Had no interest in guarding anybody. The maturity and the growth I’ve seen from Paul since he’s been here has been great. Really proud of him.”
Senior guard Michael O’Connell praised McNeil’s work ethic, crediting the freshman’s breakout to his effort behind the scenes.
“It’s annoying sometimes when you’re guarding or playing against him, and it’s just make after make after make,” O’Connell said. “So it’s not really surprising, but I’m super proud of him.”
O’Connell was more than McNeil’s cheerleader, contributing a career-high 13 assists — a much-needed outing as he’s struggled throughout the season as the team’s full-time playmaker. Keatts defended his point guard, who has come under scrutiny of late, in his postgame presser.
“He’s not a scorer, he’s a pass-first guy and he needs some guys around him to be successful,” Keatts said. “I thought tonight he did a great job of finding everybody. He’s kind of our calming factor.”
The Wolfpack controlled the pace of the game, leading for over 33 minutes and scoring at least 40 points in each half.
Down five at the 8:23 mark in the second half, the Wolfpack offense authored a 13-0 run that brought Lenovo Center to an uproar.
“To me, that was the game for us,” said Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes.
The momentum swing was too much for the Demon Deacons to recover from as the Wolfpack recorded a much-needed conference win after an embarrassing loss to UNC-Chapel Hill, which senior forward Dontrez Styles attributed to tonight’s performance.
“We knew coming in Wake Forest is a great team, and we got embarrassed against Carolina,” Styles said. “So we knew coming out today, we were going to come out here and play our hearts out, and that’s what that’s what we did.”
Styles seems to save his best for Wake Forest, notching 22 points and 10 rebounds — his second double-double of the season, both against the Demon Deacons.
“I tell the guys every day that it’s not over,” Styles said. “I know it hasn’t been the season we wanted and expected, but it’s not over yet. We’re still good and we’re still going to make it there.”
Next, the Pack will travel to New York to take on Syracuse on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPNU.
