Kevin Keatts: "It Was A Game Of Runs"

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media after the loss to Miami.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Opening Statement...
Give Miami credit, I thought both Wong and McGusty, two veteran guards, made plays down the stretch. And I thought that was the difference in the game. When you look at Miller, I think Miller had a great game obviously, going 9 for 16 and 4 for 6 [from 3]. That being said, there was a lot of good things we can take from this game.

One of the most positive things is that we were able to get some scoring from our bench. I thought Thomas Allen came in and did a great job and so did Ernest [Ross] and so did Breon Pass and Casey Morsell.

I thought we did some really good stuff in the game. Unfortunately it was a game of runs. We had our runs and then they had their runs. I think at the end a little bit, some veteran guards took over and we showed some youth.

I’m encouraged by some of the things I saw from our guys. When you look at it, this was our highest assist game of the year, 18 assists on 30 made field goals, so I thought we got better in that area. We were able to get out in transition and be able to get 24 points in transition.

We did a lot of things, good things, but obviously we’ve got to continue to get better. And as we grow as a team, I think you’ll see different results at the end.

On how much the defense struggled down the stretch...
I thought [Miami] made some tough shots, but at the end we needed some stops that we couldn’t get. I thought we did a good job, especially on Wong, in the first half. In the second half we let him get into the paint, we let him get downhill to his right hand. I think both him and Auguste made great plays at the end when we needed to get some stops. That probably was the difference in the game.

On getting 27 points from the bench...
I think both Thomas [Allen] and Breon [Pass] came back from break and you could tell they weren’t happy by the way they played, how they had played all year long. And it looks like both of those guys have gotten in the gym every day during the break, and they came back ready to play, and it paid off. When guys are working hard I’ve got to find them more minutes, because both of those guys are doing a tremendous job. Some of our guys who start the game aren’t playing great right now, so that being said, you’ve got to get some other guys some opportunities.

On playing small most of the game...
It was one of those games where I thought we could play a little bit smaller. Obviously when they went small, they spread us out and they had every guy who could drive the ball, shoot the basketball and I didn’t think that we could get anything from Ebe [Dowouna] or Jaylon [Gibson] on the perimeter, so we went a lot with Ernest Ross at the five and sometimes you saw [Jericole Hellems] at the five, but it was more of a matchup than anything. We were gonna play the similar way if Waardenburg played, because we thought we could play small, and same thing on their end.

On if Sam Waardenburg not playing changed the game plan...
It didn’t change as much because we were gonna go into the game, obviously he’s been a great pick-and-pop guy, the only difference is Miller was able to take his place and Miller was able to make shots. They played similar to the same way they would have played if Waardenburg was there. I did find out right before the game that he wasn’t playing, and hopefully he’s OK.

On his message to the team and an early-season slump...
A lot of basketball left to be played.  Our guys are fighting every possession. If you’re watching us play, you might not love everything you do, but one thing you can’t say is we don’t fight and we don’t compete. What we’re talking about in the locker room is hey, find a way to continue to get better, there will be better days.

This is not the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve started the season 0-2 in the league. We’ve always found a way. This time we have to find a way a different way. This is probably the youngest team I’ve coached. We’ve just got to continue to grow, continue to get better. I thought we did some really good stuff. We’ve got to continue to get better on the defensive end to be in every game and to have an opportunity to win these games.

There’s no holding our heads down, we don’t feel sorry for ourselves. We’re gonna continue to get better, we’re gonna continue to grow, and we’re gonna figure out how to get some positive results.