Inside Pack Sports beat writer Rob McLamb has some random thoughts on NC State men's basketball.

FLEX FIT

Thinking back to NC State in its successful run to glory late last season, what often stuck out was the great flexibility Kevin Keatts had with a group that did not provide much depth.

If that seems odd, it’s probably because it is quite uncommon. With a group that only really featured seven players (Michael O’Connell, D.J. Horne, Casey Morsell, Mohamed Diarra, D.J. Burns Jr., along with Ben Middlebrooks and Jayden Taylor off the bench) and a sometimes eighth man (Breon Pass), Keatts had the ability to go small or big, slower or faster, diversified or one player reliant (typically Burns).

That is not to imply that players will have the same roles or skill sets to contribute as last season or that the team with a more limited version of depth would be similar stylistically.

In the buildup to an ACC title and Final Four appearance in 2024, the Wolfpack could go big or small, fast or slow, featuring one or two primary scorers or a more collective scoring effort, and be interior-oriented or guard/wing focused.

Looking at the 2024-25 squad, while there are no Burns and Horne as scorers nor a Diarra-type as a primary rebounder, it is easy to wonder if perhaps tightening the rotation might be the answer once again.

A combination of Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield gives NC State a big look. A potential emergence of Ismael Diouf at the power forward (four) could augment that nicely and allow the two bigs to rotate off each other at times, while also sliding Dontrez Styles to a more natural wing (three) spot.

O’Connell has struggled this season at the point and was his best version of himself when he played off the remaining four players instead of seeming like more of a featured type. If NC State is counting on O’Connell, who rarely turns the ball over in the worst of times, to be a 12-to-15 point per game scorer, the Wolfpack can expect to continue winning only around a little more than half of its games.

What could a tightened rotation look like? (NOTE: This does not include the injured Mike James)

(Players listed in alphabetical order)

Point Guard: Hill, O’Connell, Pass, Taylor

Off Guard: Hill, Pass, Taylor

Small Forward: Hill, Styles, Taylor

Power Forward: Diouf, Huntley-Hatfield, Styles,

Center: Diouf, Huntley-Hatfield, Middlebrooks

There could be some flexibility and variety within this eight-man rotation. Diouf at the five and Styles at the four could be a small unit, while Taylor, Hill, Styles, Diouf or Huntley-Hatfield, and Middlebrooks or Huntley-Hatfield would have unique size.

The interesting thing about it is players who performed in one role last season may be in a different one now. The versions of O’Connell or Taylor from 2023-24 might come from someone like Pass or Styles in the next couple of months, while the returners from the ACC title winners and Final Four participant may have to contribute in different ways, which could be in expanded or diminished roles compared to the past.

Perhaps that (or something similar) is a path that Keatts and his staff will look to take in the coming weeks.

HILL CLIMBING

Marcus Hill might have saved NC State’s season against Notre Dame.

What happens from now on is still to be sorted, but losing at home to Notre Dame would have been an early conference dagger. Hill’s three-pointers in the first half kept the Wolfpack afloat when they were listless early on against the Irish. His verve and nerve attacking the basket late in the contest, with positive decision making, guided NCSU in its climb back from a 10-point deficit.

The balancing of fulfilling a dream with continuing to the next phase of the goal can be a challenge. Hill has dreamt his whole life of playing college basketball at the highest level. Being a Wolfpacker is now his normal, and it is about being the best version of himself at the P4 game.

Hill’s line of 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest is solid. He has scored in double-figures in each of the last eight games (14.6 per game), so he is starting to figure it out offensively at this level.

The win over Notre Dame could then be an extension of the growth, as Hill seemed to find an assertiveness and comfort level, while still being willing to defer to others in the moments where games are won or lost.

The comfort level then can be reciprocated from the coaching staff. If NC State continues to struggle at the point could Hill on the ball be the answer?  Can he work effectively on pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, and selecting when to settle mid-range?

Will he drive to the rack with authority, both knowing when to contort for freedom to release his shot unscathed while also understanding how and when to play into contact – creating free throw chances while saddling the defenders with foul issues?

Hill is climbing, and that is great for NC State. There is room for more growth as well.

TAKING CHANCES WITH DANCES

NC State is 9-6 overall, 2-2 in ACC play. The Wolfpack does not yet seem to have an awful loss, but they also do not have a big win. The rally against Notre Dame was vital in a sense, because losing at home to the Irish would have fallen under the former category.

The good news for the Wolfpack is the ACC seems average in 2024-25. Aside from Duke, there is nothing in the way of a major contender or anything that would seem elite.

While that lends itself to NCSU potentially winning lots of games in the next month (assuming they sort themselves), the good news is also bad news for the Pack.

If NC State can go on a solid run, where are the wins that will give them tangible benefits with a NCAA Tournament selection committee? If the Wolfpack does not do well, or even if they find success but fall to the Blue Devils, what is enough to get them back to the dance?

The best ACC record Kevin Keatts has finished with in his tenure at NC State is 12-8 in 2022-23.

For the sake of argument, let’s say the Wolfpack goes 11-5 for the remainder of the regular season conference slate. That would put them at 13-7 in the conference and 20-11 overall. If one of the five losses the rest of the way was at Duke, does that record put NCSU in the NCAA’s? It might not.

Then the Pack would have to make a run in the ACC Tournament. If a team is trying to set itself up for an invitation to the national tournament, going into the conference tournament needing three wins in three days (instead of the remarkable five games in five days that was pulled off just last season) would be the easier road to navigate. Should NC State beat a good team (like Duke) in that tournament, or stack a few wins before losing in the final, a team that is 22-12 overall might get the job done.

Obviously, NC State is going to simply focus on its next opponent every time out, but the long-term goal for the next couple of months should be to posit itself in the best possible light by beating as many of the seemingly winnable games that it has left on the schedule ahead of the ACC Tournament. The quality of the competition that is remaining on the Wolfpack’s slate does them little favors in terms of national perspective. Perhaps that then gives them the simplest formula of all: just focus on winning now.