The NC State men’s basketball team advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday, taking down Pittsburgh in the second round 81-70.
Head coach Mark Gottfried earned his 20th win of the season, joining Everett Case as the only coaches in program history to reach the 20-win mark in both of their first four seasons with the team.
Sophomore guard Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber set a new career high with 34 points in the win, the most by a member of the Wolfpack in an ACC Tournament since 1975. Only two State players have scored more in an ACC Tournament: David Thompson and Tommy Burleson.
“He’s really raised his game to another level,” Gottfried said.
In the Wolfpack’s regular season tilt with Pittsburgh, Barber was limited to nine points. The sophomore said the difference was a new aggressive mindset that he has brought to the court over the past few games.
“Teammates and coaches were telling me to be me, and they need me down the stretch,” Barber said. “So today I just came out with a high sense of urgency and confidence that I’m going to put the team on my back, and that’s what I did.”
From start to finish, the first half belonged to Barber. The Newport News native bucketed 21 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field with a perfect 4-for-4 mark from three-point range.
Twice, the point guard took over the Pack’s offense completely, scoring eight unanswered early in the half and the final 10 points for his team in the opening half.
Gottfried said it was not only Barber aggression, but his speed that makes the sophomore so unguardable at times.
“They had trouble containing him and stopping penetration,” Gottfried said. “At that point it becomes really difficult to contain Cat.”
Barber’s personal 8-0 run was part of an 11-2 run by State that created separation between the team and Pittsburgh. Following that run, the Panthers never pulled within five points of the Pack.
Barber had a quiet second half until his running mate, redshirt guard Trevor Lacey, had to take a seat with foul trouble. In the final 2:05, Barber scored nine points, completing his first 30-point outing.
“Trevor came in and hit some big shots, so we were giving him the ball,” Barber said. “So when he came out, we knew it was time for me to step back up.”
Foul shooting was a huge part of Barber’s night, as the point guard shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the line. The Pack as a whole shot 23-for-29 from the charity stripe.
The State bigs played their roles well Wednesday, outscoring the Panthers 30-16 in the paint. Sophomore forwards BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman combined for 16 points and 12 boards in the contest.
“It’s important for our big guys to contribute offensively,” Gottfried said. “Sometimes that’s scoring the basketball, sometimes that’s passing, sometimes that’s rebounding the ball.”
A strong post presence will be important for the Pack tomorrow, as the team will face No. 3 Duke and ACC Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor in the quarterfinals.
In the team’s last matchup, the Pack was victorious behind a career night from Anya. The big man had a stat line of 14 points, six boards and four blocks.
Anya and the post core will need to show up in a big way when the Pack attempts the impossible in toppling the Blue Devils twice in one season.
“We’ve had a lot of scoring from our guards throughout the year,” Gottfried said, “but when our bigs have scored and done some things, it’s really made our team better.”
Regardless of the Pack’s outcome against Duke Thursday, State secured its trip to the Big Dance with its win over Pitt. The only question now is how high the Pack can climb.
