On a day when NC State men’s basketball controlled the turnover battle and limited the highest-scoring offense in the ACC to just 63 points, the Wolfpack played solid defense.
However, their struggles on offense led to a 63-57 loss to SMU at Lenovo Center on Saturday afternoon, making it their fourth consecutive loss.
SMU didn’t score for the first four minutes of the game, allowing NC State to go on an 8-0 run and forcing the Mustangs’ inside-focused offense out of rhythm. Despite this defensive effort, NC State’s inability to score kept them from capitalizing.
“Defense is keeping us in every game that we’ve had,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “When you hold a team to 63 points, you know you have a chance to win. The unfortunate thing is we scored 57.”
After senior forward Dontrez Styles scored a tough and-one in the first half, the game shifted dramatically. SMU went on an 18-1 run, which included a six-minute stretch where NC State failed to score and missed 11 shots in a row.
Ten of these were jumpers, most taken off the dribble, showing a reluctance to attack SMU’s seven-foot-two center, Samet Yigitoglu, and a tendency to force shots.
Senior forwards Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield combined for just six points, while Yigitoglu anchored the Mustangs’ 2-3 zone defense. Keatts defended his big men when asked about the team’s jump-shot-heavy offense.
“Both Brandon and Ben are not traditional back-to-the-basket guys,” Keatts explained.
“They would much rather face up, and we’re not alone in that. The majority of college basketball doesn’t have those guys, most of the post guys are pick-and-pop situations, so that’s not deliberate. Those were just the shots that we got.”
After halftime, SMU made a clear effort to get the ball to Yigitoglu, and his involvement helped extend their lead to 15 points.
The Mustangs finished off the run with a dunk that quieted the NC State crowd. The Wolfpack became frustrated on defense, struggling to spark their offense.
A late push led by senior guard Marcus Hill wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, and the Wolfpack’s losing streak extended to four games. With a quick turnaround to face No. 2 Duke on Monday, the focus turned to getting back to work.
“We can’t dwell on this loss,” said freshman guard Paul McNeil. “We’ve got a big game coming up, but we’re going to practice and stay focused. We’re going to watch film and do what we got to do.”
The loss marked NC State’s fourth straight defeat and their sixth loss in the last seven games, dropping them below .500 and putting their hopes of making the ACC Tournament in doubt. Despite the tough stretch, Coach Keatts found a positive note.
“We have to understand that everybody in the program is frustrated,” Keatts said. “But the great thing about it is not because we’re not playing hard. That’s a different issue.
Our issue is that we’re not scoring the basketball enough to win these games. If we can figure out how to get over the hump and make some shots, then we’re there.”
McNeil, who played a season-high 15 minutes, agreed and backed his teammates.
“It’s bigger than scoring,” McNeil said. “We have to find a way to stay focused. It was hard for us not hitting shots tonight, but we stayed focused and kept the energy high, we just came up a little short.”
With this loss, NC State faces a tough stretch ahead, with six consecutive games against top-ranked opponents, including the Blue Devils on Monday.
“I learned this early in my career here at NC State: don’t prepare for the next six games,” Keatts said.
“You have to prepare them for the next game. We came into this game prepared for SMU and we’ll turn the page tomorrow. We have to prepare for Duke. They don’t know what’s going on at six o’clock tonight as opposed to six games down the road.”
