NC State Basketball: 2019-20 keys to upsetting Louisville at home

Seniors Stepping up

It is no secret that NC State needs their seniors to play good in order to win this game. Markell Johnson, CJ Bryce and Pat Andree have all played well at times this season but there has yet to be a game where all three put it together. If NC State wants any sort of success in this game or the rest of the season they must have 2 of their 3 seniors (that get consistent minutes) play good basketball.

The senior version of Markell Johnson has not been the same Markell that fans have watched take over so many games during his sophomore and junior season for the Wolfpack. If you were to look at his stats alone it looks like he is having a great season, averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. However, Johnson is also averaging 3.2 turnovers per game while shooting an abysmal 25.7% from 3 and 54.2% from the free throw line, these numbers are way down since he shot over 40% from 3 in his sophomore and junior seasons and was a 75% free throw shooter a year ago. His efficiency needs to go way up if the Wolfpack have any chance of knocking off the Cardinals.

CJ Bryce and Pat Andree have both been good during their senior seasons, however, NC State has really missed their production over the last stretch of games. Pat Andree has missed 3 straight games with an ankle sprain and  Bryce is averaging just over four points per contest including two straight games with zero points.

Both Andree and Bryce have the ability to shoot from behind the arc, however, both are considered spot up shooters as 41 of their combined 42 three point makes this season come off of assists. A big key for NC State Saturday will be finding the open shooters such as Bryce and Andree and having faith in their ability to knock down shots.