Following a 51-point steamrolling by UNC, a young Wolfpack squad is now looking for answers once again.
Dennis Smith Jr., who received the ACC Freshmen of the Week award for the second time this year following his dominate triple double outing against Virginia Tech, needs help. A true sidekick. While all starters and sixth-man Maverick Rowan are averaging double figures, a true leader must step up to the plate in the best conference in college basketball. Whether it be senior Terry Henderson (15.4 ppg) or junior Abdul-Malik Abu (11.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg) the Pack’s elder statesmen must step up to the plate.
“For us to become a better team, we must run our offense better,” may be the understatement of the year from Wolfpack Coach Gottfried. At times, the offense appears to be running in a nonchalant/AAU-style fashion, which ultimately can be expected from a team that trots out five teenagers logging significant minutes (Smith Jr., Yurtseven, Rowan, Kapita and Markell Johnson).
On the opposing side, Boston College, albeit a weak record, boasts one of the better scoring backcourts in the ACC. Ky Bowman, a 6-1 shooting guard from Havelock, NC, has averaged 19.8 points per game over the past seven games. He has gone for at least 30 twice this season. In Bowman and sophomore guard Jerome Robinson, who is third in the ACC in scoring (20.6 ppg), the Eagles have a more than capable backcourt.
Can fellow freshmen Dennis Smith Jr. stay out of foul trouble and Omer Yurtseven learn how to navigate ACC officiating? Though a veteran leader needs to step up, these two talented frosh ultimately hold the cards as to whether or not NC State can live up to their pre-season hype and earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament before both most likely move on to the NBA.
Don’t push the panic button quite yet Wolfpack faithful, with a slate of Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest up next after Boston College, we will soon see if the Pack is made of the right stuff.
