Georgia Tech won that game in November, but NC State fans may be quick to offer a few clarifications.
The Wolfpack played that game without two of its key rotation players, preseason All-ACC point guard Markell Johnson (ankle) and 6-10 forward D.J. Funderburk (suspension). Johnson (2nd ACC, 6.6 assists per game) is a cunning operator in the pick-and-roll who can make teams pay from deep if defenders lay underneath screens. Funderburk (13.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg), with arms as long as a CVS receipt, is a spring-loaded offensive rebounder and finisher around the rim. And NC State still has 6-5 C.J. Bryce, the team’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, who had 24 points and 11 rebounds against Tech in November. The redshirt senior made several “tough twos” against the Jackets and is a crafty pull-up jump shooter.
The Wolfpack may get back Johnson and Funderburk, but they could still be without two other players in center Manny Bates and forward Pat Andree. Neither played in State’s 53-51 win over Virginia Monday, leaving the Wolfpack with just seven scholarship players. NC State still runs an offense that’s heavy on pick-and-roll isolations, but perhaps owing to that shortened bench, they’ve had a far more middling tempo in ACC play compared to their first two years under head coach Kevin Keatts. Nonetheless, the Wolfpack rank a healthy 15th nationally in offensive efficiency.
Can Tech’s guards get grimy going after rebounds and loose balls? Can their bigs run the floor well? Can they prevent Johnson from finding that groove unique to point guards? Can they prevent Funderburk from putting Banks and Raleigh native Moses Wright, who have shot a combined 69 percent in their last two games against NC State, in foul distress? Pay attention to those areas Saturday.
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Josh Pastner swapped sports to offer an interesting comparison to point guard Jose Alvarado.
Alvarado, Pastner told us on the “Georgia Tech Basketball Report,” reminds him of Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.
“Brett Favre never threw the ball out of bounds. He always threw for the end zone,” the Yellow Jackets’ head coach remarked.
Like Favre, Pastner loves Alvarado’s moxie, loves his competitiveness. But he also knows he can be prone to trying high-leverage, home run passes when a simple single will do (there’s that mixing of sports again).
The comparison may have come to mind after Pastner watched Alvarado make several tough shots but also commit a season-high six turnovers against Louisville Wednesday. Pastner annually cautions against “pick-six” turnovers against N.C. State. Can Alvarado tame those Favre-ish tendencies as he runs the offense against the Wolfpack? He also could be key in the open floor: the Yellow Jackets won in November in part because almost 30 percent of their points came off fast breaks (27 of 82).
