OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME: North Carolina
Here is a look at the highs and lows from NC State's 95-91 road win over No. 10 North Carolina.
In a game where neither team led by more than six points, there were many wild statistical swings. When the clock struck zero for the second time in Chapel Hill it was NC State that held the advantage in the stat that matters most.
The Wolfpack, buoyed by terrific three-point shooting and solid pick-and-roll execution on offense, knocked off No. 10 North Carolina, 95-91, in overtime Saturday inside the Smith Center.
NC State improves to 15-7 overall and 5-4 in the ACC with the upset win on the road. The Tar Heels fall to 16-6 on the season and 5-4 in the league with the loss.
With the victory, the Wolfpack has matched its victory total for each of the past two seasons and surpassed the number of wins in ACC play from 2016-17.
Kevin Keatts is the first NC State head coach to emerge victorious in his first game against Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina since Tal Stafford accomplished the feat while guiding the Wolfpack during the 1918-19 campaign.
The last time a NC State coach won his first game against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill was in 1965 when Press Maravich’s squad bested North Carolina in the final season at Woollen Gymnasium prior to Dean Smith’s team moving to Carmichael Arena (then-Carmichael Auditorium).
HIGHLIGHTS
Three-point shooting in general, Allerik Freeman specifically.
NC State knocked down half of its 30 three-point attempts against the Tar Heels, which led to success in another offensive strategy that will mentioned later.
Freeman certainly had his best game at NC State and it likely is the top performance of his college career. He drilled 7-of-7 from long range, the most made three-pointers by a player without a miss in the history of the Smith Center (which opened in 1986).
He finished with 29 points on only 11 shots despite coming off the bench. Freeman did everything completely within the flow of the game and played 41 minutes -- which amounts to starter’s time in an overtime contest.
While he has been a source of bewilderment and even anger at times from NC State faithful. Freeman’s effort to guide the Wolfpack to a road win over UNC probably gives him a mulligan for perpetuity.
Conversely North Carolina, which was shooting well from long range this season, made only 4-of-19 of its threes in the game.
* It almost goes without saying that Markell Johnson was sensational Saturday and he devastated the Tar Heels on the pick-and-roll, particularly in the second half. Joel Berry II was often the player abused defensively, whether he moved above the screen or sagged down to guard the player picking him.
Johnson would then summarily drive past whichever player emerged guarding him and drove to the basket. The end result was points, whether from his drives, his assists (kick-out for threes or dump offs inside) or the player he passed to swinging it to the man free due to a help-off.
Simply put, Johnson was the best guard on the court Saturday.
Markell Johnson: 20 points, 7-15 field goals, 2-5 three-point field goals, 4-4 free throws, 11 assists, five rebounds and three turnovers in 39 minutes
Joel Berry II: Six points, 3-12 field goals, 0-3 three-point field goals, 0-1 free throws, four assists, three rebounds and three turnovers in 41 minutes
* Johnson was not the only Wolfpack player to finish with a double-double. Omer Yurtseven continued his march to First Team All-ACC status with a solid effort, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds despite some foul trouble.
Seven of Yurtseven’s 13 rebounds were offensive, including one with 30 seconds left in overtime that led to a follow up basket to give NC State a three-point lead.
* Torin Dorn Jr. was also solid for NC State. Playing against his father and brother’s school, tallied 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 42 minutes. Dorn made four of seven three-point attempts.
If Freeman had been a lone ranger from behind the three-point line, it is unlikely NC State would have pulled out the win. Dorn combined with Johnson and Braxton Beverly to shoot 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from long range.
* While it was not the perfect effort that Freeman provided on three pointers, it was more than adequate to buffer the Wolfpack from a defense that simply collapsed as Pittsburgh did earlier in the week. Yurtseven did not get the support offensively from Abdul-Malik Abu or Lennard Freeman, and had his hands full with Luke Maye, so made three-pointers certainly provided some freedom of movement within the interior.
* The Wolfpack committed only nine turnovers and more importantly, North Carolina just scored nine points off of those miscues. Conversely, the Tar Heels finished with 14 turnovers and it led to 22 points for NC State. The Pack did not allow ‘Pick-6’ turnovers Saturday and it helped them get a big road win.
LOWLIGHTS
The expectation heading into the game was this was a contest where the Wolfpack could dominate, or at least win the battle inside.
That did not happen.
In fact, North Carolina controlled the interior despite an early 8-3 deficit in rebounding. Overall, the Tar Heels dominated the boards to the tune of a 48-34 advantage although NC State did manage to limit UNC to 18 second-chance points.
* Theo Pinson almost joined the list of players who inexplicably had a monster game against the Wolfpack to lead his team to a victory. Pinson had the stats but UNC did not get the win. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Where Pinson hurt NC State was drives to the basket, with his defender not properly addressing the pick-and-roll and then getting beat by the senior’s quickness. Foul trouble mitigated his impact further although the Pack deserves credit there as well.
*Luke Maye was also dominant. His individual totals were obscene from a NC State perspective. Maye scored 31 points and hauled in 12 rebounds.
* North Carolina as a team shot 52.8 percent from the floor with a key being its success inside. The Heels scored 58 points in the paint with Maye and Pinson doing most of the damage. UNC had 21 layups and three dunks. The Wolfpack will need to continue to work on its help-defense.
* NC State led North Carolina in bench points by a 29-16 margin but there is an element of fool’s good from the Wolfpack’s point of view as Al Freeman scored all 29 of State’s points among reserves.
PACK +/-
+/- is the points scored by a team minus the points allowed by a team while a certain player is on the floor.
Allerik Freeman: +9
Abdul-Malik Abu: 0
Braxton Beverly: 0
Torin Dorn Jr.: 0
Markell Johnson: 0
Omer Yurtseven: 0
Lavar Batts Jr. : -2
Sam Hunt: -2
Lennard Freeman: -9
STAT OF THE GAME
Allerik Freeman
Three point shooting prior to UNC game: 34 -of-111 (29.8 percent)
Three point shooting versus UNC: 7-of-7 (100 percent)
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"I just go out there and enjoy it. This is my last year in college so It was fun being out there. I have never played here before...It was great.” -- Allerik Freeman