Kevin Keatts on FSU: "They Have A Huge Size Advantage"
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media to discuss the upcoming game against Florida State.
On Florida State’s depth…
What’s underrated about them is they play 11 guys. When we do the scouting report, we break it up. We gave out the first six and then we’ll go over the next five today. This is about personnel than the team because you have to know each guy’s strength and weakness because they all bring something different.
On how far back he goes to scout FSU…
We’ll go back 4-5 games, but we also look for teams who play similar to the way we play. You want to look at the most recent games and the most similar teams.
On the Seminoles’ strengths….
They play faster than you think. Leonard (Hamilton) has changed the way they play the last few years on the defensive end. They used to be more laid back and now they pressure. They switch all five screens which causes problems. Those are the things we have to concentrate on. They have a huge size advantage, and we have to do a great job blocking out and getting rebounds to get out and run.
On having a week off…
Breaks are tricky. When you’re playing good basketball you want to keep playing. Late in the season, I am okay taking a few days off. We’ve only got nine guys so we hope the rest helps.
On staying focused as it relates to the NCAA tournament….
I haven’t talked about it, but these guys are smart enough to know what’s going on. I’ve only talked about Florida State, not the big picture. We haven’t talked about selection of the tournament at all.
On Torin Dorn’s value…
He’s very valuable. I met with every guy yesterday and I talked about how important his experience is. We had three guys who played last year and CJ Bryce has been to the NCAA Tournament twice, so those four guys are very important so they can help the other five understand how to finish the season and taking it one game at a time.
On Dorn’s contributions…
I’m excited that I’ve had the opportunity to coach him. He’s a great kid. Last year, the system was great for him and he did a good job fitting in. He’s been valuable because he allows us to play small because of his rebounding. If he didn’t rebound, we couldn’t play that way.
On Markell Johnson…
We talked about consistency. He’s one of the most experienced guards in the ACC and I don’t want him to play a great game and then drop off. I’ve talked to him about being a leader in practice. At this time of the year, veterans are smart enough to cruise through practice and hopefully it pays off in the game. I’ve told those guys to put their work in. Our practices are only about an hour, they are mostly film work, so I’ve challenged to do a better job preparing for the game.