Observations From the Game: Tennessee
NC State drops the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis by a 67-58 score to Tennessee.
The Wolfpack drops to 5-2 overall after losing its second straight game following the win over No. 2 Arizona.
Shooting woes continued to haunt NC State Friday. The Wolfpack never led in the game.
Here are some observations of NC State’s loss to the Volunteers.
HIGHLIGHTS
Lennard Freeman rebounded from a subpar effort to finish with 11 points (4-4 FG) and six rebounds. He had foul issues against Tennessee and played 26 minutes. NC State seems to play better when he is on the foul. The recipe for success may be closer to 34 minutes of game action.
* NC State won the battle of rebounding and second chance points by a margin of seven rebounds (43-36) and 14 points (19-5). The Wolfpack needs that type of production going forward. Kevin Keatts will likely make sure to accentuate those positives from the loss to Tennessee.
* Al Freeman and Omer Yurtseven combined for 21 points (9-10 FG) and 12 rebounds at the center position for NC State. Again, Keatts will have to find a way to keep the pair out of foul trouble and on the floor, potentially together at times.
LOWLIGHTS
* NC State shooting in last two games
43/120 FG (38.4%)
11/46 3FG (23.9%)
21/35 FT (60%)
* Allerik Freeman struggled mightily against the Volunteers. He was 4-of-18 from the floor and committed five turnovers, all in the first half. Freeman played 38 minutes, which means Keatts has deemed his play essential to NC State’s chances this season -- at least at this point. The Wolfpack will need more if he is to receive that much playing time.
* The Wolfpack committed 21 turnovers. Assuming NC State shot the same percentage on the shots they would have taken that means the Wolfpack would have scored a minimum of 16 more points.
Turnovers are a big reason why State only finished with 58 points. Shooting poorly will happen. Having more than 20 turnovers in a game cannot.
* Tennessee also outscored NC State 22-13 in bench points. The Pack has to win the second team stats to be a productive team. While the starters have talent, depth is what will carry NC State going forward in the season. Omer Yurtseven was probably the player for the Wolfpack in Paradise and he did not start.
* Another reason NC State struggled shooting the ball was Tennessee’s athleticism. The Volunteers blocked nine shots in the game while the Wolfpack could muster only one.
PACK +/-
+/- is the points scored by a team minus the points allowed by a team while a certain player is on the floor.
Lavar Batts Jr.: 0
Sam Hunt: -1
Omer Yurtseven: -2
Braxton Beverly:-5
Lennard Freeman: -7
Markell Johnson: -7
Abdul-Malik Abu: -9
Torin Dorn Jr.:-9
Allerik Freeman: -9
STAT OF THE GAME
Turnovers: NC State 21, Tennessee 16
Points off of Turnovers: NC State 7, Tennessee 22
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“This is a tournament that, I said coming in, that you will get a chance to learn a lot about your team but it is a measuring stick. I told everybody this is the second week of college basketball and we are kind of playing in a tournament like this. All eight coaches, even Villanova as they went 3-0, they will get a chance to go back and see the things they need to improve on.
“This is a great early-season tournament for everybody because I think it will prepare you for conference play.” -- NC State head coach Kevin Keatts
