NCAA Basketball: Dominant LSU, Anthony’s return and more weekly takeaways

2) NC State is incapable of playing the way they want to

I went to Louisville’s 77-57 win over NC State on Saturday and, while I was treated to The Ryan McMahon Show…

…it also becomes abundantly clear why NC State has been one of the ACC’s bigger disappointments this year – they simply can’t play with the pace head coach Kevin Keatts wants them to play with.

The Wolfpack ranked in the top 40 nationally in pace in Keatts’ first two seasons in Raleigh. They pushed the tempo whenever they could and played a pressure defense that made opposing teams uncomfortable. It resulted in one NCAA Tournament berth and, though they fell on the wrong side of the bubble last year, they won 24 games and were .500 in ACC play.

This year, though, NC State ranks just 173rd in pace.

Why the sudden drop? They don’t have the depth necessary to maintain the pace they want to play at for more than a few minutes at a time. Keatts only uses eight players in his rotation, and it’s clear he doesn’t even totally trust all of those players. They’ve gotten into this situation due to some transfers and missed recruiting opportunities (Jalen Lecque’s decision to go pro is really hurting them), and they simply haven’t been able to adjust.

When the Wolfpack did push the pace and played more aggressively in the second half, they were able to cut a 17-point deficit down to four thanks to a 26-13 run. But, due to the lack of depth, they were unable to sustain it.

Now, it has been this way all year. The Wolfpack should’ve been able to adjust and start executing at a higher level in the half-court, but that hasn’t been the case. The players they do have in their rotation are well-equipped to play at the style Keatts prefers, but the skill sets aren’t as effective when playing at a slower pace.

That, coupled with their inability to improve in the half-court, has them at 5-6 in a down ACC and well off the NCAA Tournament bubble.