NC State Basketball: 3 players that helped lead to a 7-1 record in January

Jarkel Joiner

The senior guard is getting hot at the right time for NC State. In the month of January, Joiner averaged 19.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 92% from the free-throw line. Another important stat is that Joiner has only averaged 1 turnover per game as the primary ball handler for NC State while playing 37 minutes per game in the seven games played.

Joiner carried the Wolfpack in their 85-82 win over Notre Dame last Tuesday. In a game where his Wooden Award Top 20 watch list backcourt teammate Terquavion Smith struggled shooting a very inefficient 2-14 from the field, Jarkel Joiner provided the spark. He finished with 28 points on 9-18 shooting from the field and was perfect from the free throw line going 8-8.

Joiner has been the veteran point guard that NC State has missed in recent years. He and Smith play very well together, and both are able to be the initiators in the offense or can be the off-ball guard and the offense doesn’t seem to skip a beat. Joiner plays every game like a player that is in his final season in college and will do whatever it takes to get a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament. His defensive intensity and attention to detail in key moments have rubbed off on the younger guys on this team, which has helped them close out tight games. That turned out to be big in January as 4 of their 7 wins were by four points or fewer.