What We Learned About NC State
Three takeaways that no one is talking about
On Sunday, we had an opportunity to see two Top-25 programs square off in Charlotte. No. 9 NC State took on No. 18 USC in a highly anticipated early-season matchup between two championship-contending teams. The Trojans trailed late in the contest, but thanks to some stifling defense and a clutch basket from freshman phenom Jazzy Davidson, they were able to get the victory.
From what I’ve been reading, a lot of articles are talking about the play of Davidson in the game, and I’d agree her impact on the defensive end was felt all day and in the second half she was a key piece in the Trojans comeback with her scoring ability, scoring 18 of her 21 points in the second half after a slow start.
As good as Davidson played down the stretch, I believe the Wolfpack lost this game. There were several moments throughout the game, from the very beginning to the end, where NC State lost the game on both ends of the floor. Here are my three biggest takeaways that the Wolfpack will need to figure out moving forward.
Defense
NC State’s defense throughout the entire game was flat-out poor. Defenders were going under screens on Londynn Jones in the first half, knowing she is capable of knocking down threes. Jones, who transferred to Southern Cal from crosstown rival UCLA, is a career 35% shooter from deep, shot 3-3 from three-point range in the first half, and had 11 points. In those makes, twice defenders went under on screens, and the third made three-pointer came off of a turnover where Zoe Brooks failed to sprint back on defense. For a team like NC State, which wants to be in the mix for a National Championship, players cannot take plays off. Adjustments must be made throughout the game, especially when a player like Jones is hot. But it wasn’t just the threes from Jones in the first half.
In the second half, Davidson, who was 1-10 from the field in the first half, found her rhythm attacking smaller defenders and finishing around the rim. NC State failed to make adjustments against Davidson by providing help from Trygger or making it tough for Davidson to get downhill and into the lane. I wonder why Coach Moore didn’t look to put Qadence Samuels on Davidson once she started to get going, giving her different looks and matchups to go against. On the possession where Davidson scored the go-ahead layup off of the inbounds play, Trygger stayed attached to Gerda Raulusaityte, who was at the three-point line (where she isn’t a threat), allowing Davidson an open lane to catch the ball and lay it up without seeing a defender rotating over. These lapses on the defensive end are not a good sign, whether it’s coaching from Wes Moore or the players failing to execute on what is called the Wolfpack, they will have to clean up the mistakes and be able to make in-game adjustments.
Point Guard
Zoe Brooks and Zam Jones are not true point guards. The backcourt duo are very talented scorers, but having the responsibility to score and try to run the offense/get others involved isn’t for everyone. Yes, if you look at the stats, they will tell you that Brooks had 6 assists but in late game situations and in the fourth quarter, Brooks had several costly turnovers. The Wolfpack offense also was stagnant and unable to generate points, going scoreless for four minutes in the first quarter (from 7:18-3:13) and then again in the final 4:38 of the game. When you have a true point guard who can run the show, settle the team down, and get them into offensive sets that generate points and looks, these droughts are not as major.
For NC State moving forward, they have to figure out how the offense will be run. Having Samuels in the starting lineup with Jones and Brooks is good defensively with her length and size, but on the offensive end, Samuels isn’t the scoring threat needed, especially when Jones was on the bench in foul trouble. Looking at the Wolfpack in their first two contests, I don’t know if this will be something they will be able to address this season, unless they play through their bigs and use one of the two scoring guards as a primary point guard.
Khamil Pierre
Before transferring to NC State this past offseason, forward Khamil Pierre was a double-double machine at Vanderbilt. Now with the Wolfpack, Pierre has continued her dominant ways and has been a force on the glass, averaging 15.5 PPG and 16 RPG. I know it’s a small sample size, having only played two games, but her energy on the glass and her presence to go after rebounds has been felt by Tennessee and on Sunday against USC. Despite Pierre being tenacious going after rebounds, I still found her performance on Sunday (especially in the second half) very lackluster. Now, there was a moment towards the end of the game where she visibly grabbed at both of her legs, which one could assume she was either fatigued or cramping but that showed me that Pierre has to be able to finish games. In the second half, Pierre scored only two points, on two free throws in the third quarter. We can give credit to Southern Cal’s defense, but still expect more from Pierre as a top option for the Wolfpack. Her ability to get to the free-throw line and not settle for midrange jumpers will be big, especially when State needs a bucket. For NC State to be successful and make a deep run come March, Pierre will have to find a way to be more efficient, get to the free-throw line, and score more than 10 points in a game.
The Wolfpack will look to get back on track against a Maine squad led by Adrianna Smith tonight at 7 p.m. NC State will then host No.17 TCU on Sunday, November 16th in another Top-25 matchup that is sure to bring fans an exciting look at both teams.
What were your thoughts on the game against Southern Cal? Do you think NC State will fix their lapses on defense and scoring droughts on offense? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!