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NC State Basketball

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME: Miami

January 22, 2018
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Here are some highs and lows for NC State from the Wolfpack's 86-81 loss to No. 25 Miami.


Despite shooting well both from the floor and the free throw line, NC State for almost the entire contest and never quite get over the hump as the Wolfpack fell to No. 23 Miami 86-81 at PNC Arena in a Sunday afternoon affair.

NC State drops to 13-7 overall and 3-4 in the ACC after suffering its first league defeat at home this season. The Hurricanes improved to 14-4 on the campaign and 3-3 in league play with the road victory.

Omer Yurtseven once again was head and shoulders better than the other players on the court but NC State, despite having four players score in double-figures, could not get enough from the rest of the team while Miami always had an answer when the Pack made a run.

The Wolfpack will try to regroup on the road as visits to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and the annual visit to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Smith Center with tip set for Saturday at noon.

HIGHLIGHTS

Omer Yurtseven is steadily moving towards being a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Once again he led the way for the Wolfpack with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor.

It has reached a point where Yurtseven missing a shot seems stunning. He is lethal inside and and has developed enough of an aggressive streak that it offsets some of his tendencies to drift away from contact. The jump hook that he prefers, which drifts away from contact, is going through the basket more times than naught.

* NC State connected on 31-of-57 (54.4 percent) field goals, including 17-of-27 (63%) in the second half. The Wolfpack had no problems scoring.

* Another important stat in favor of the Pack was free throw shooting. NC State made 12-of-16 free throws, all in the second half. The offense flowed when there were drives to the basket, which allowed dump offs inside and kick outs when there was nothing for the ball handler.

* The Wolfpack finished with 22 assists on 31 made field goals (71%).

* Markell Johnson started in favor of Allerik Freeman and finished with 14 assists. However, whatever the NC State offense gave, the Wolfpack defense gave away.

LOWLIGHTS

Unfortunately for NC State it seemed at times that Johnson was dishing to Miami as much as his own teammates. He had six of the Wolfpack’s 15 turnovers and did not score to finish with one of the more remarkable stat lines that will be seen.

Markell Johnson: 0 points, 14 assists, six turnovers

* Defensively the Wolfpack was not competitive. Miami blistered NC State with pick-and-rolls that seemed guaranteed to succeed due to the Hurricanes ability to penetrate at will and knock down open three-pointers.

* No team should allow the opposition to make 63 percent of its shots in the second half while also making nine more free throws over that same span yet manage to outscore its opponent by one point, yet that is exactly what happened. Miami led buy four at halftime and won by five.

* It also happened despite the Canes being outrebounded in the game.

* The Hurricanes made 21-of-35 shots (60 percent) from the floor and 6-of-11 from three-point range in the second half.

* Miami finished with 26 assists on 34 made field goals (76.5%).

* Abdul-Malik Abu once again struggled in what little time he saw on the floor. The senior finished with no points and three fouls in less than five minutes of action. NC State was a minus-eight when he was on the floor.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts started Johnson in place of Allerik Freeman, who with 13 points and 3-of-6 three-pointers made, actually did not play badly. There will likely be a decision to make before the Wolfpack flies to Pittsburgh in regards to Abu.

If Keatts removes Abu from the starting lineup, the question then becomes whether he replaces him with Lennard Freeman (six points, 3-of-3 field goals and three rebounds in 15 minutes) or elets to go small with Torin Dorn Jr. at the four.

Potential Starting Lineup (Big): Beverly, Johnson, Dorn, Lennard Freeman and Yurtseven

Potential Starting Lineup (Small): Beverly, Johnson, Batts, Dorn and Yurtseven

PACK +/-

+/- is the points scored by a team minus the points allowed by a team while a certain player is on the floor.

Braxton Beverly: +4
Lennard Freeman: +4
Omer Yurtseven: -3
Lavar Batts Jr. : +2
Sam Hunt: +2
Markell Johnson: +2
Allerik Freeman: +1
Abdul-Malik Abu: -8
Torin Dorn Jr.: -11

STAT OF THE GAME

Three-Point Shooting: Miami 52.6% (10-of-19), NC State 38.9% (7-of-18)

Points In The Paint: Miami 42, NC State 32

QUOTE OF THE GAME

"We need to guard the ball. I didn't think we guarded the ball. Scouting reports show that Miami is a good team one-on-one in the paint, and today, we did not guard the ball. As a coach, I told my players I was proud of them and that this was a game we could have won. We just need to guard the ball better." -- NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts

 
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