Sports
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 11 • MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 2018
Men’s basketball takeaways from winter break Jason Bacherman Staff Writer
While NC State students were away for winter break, the men’s basketball team continued its play over the past month. The Wolfpack, under the direction of f irst-year head coach Kevin Keatts, turned in some impressive performances along with some not-so-impressive showings. The team played its way to an even 3-3 record since the end of the fall semester, bringing its overall record to 11-5 and 1-2 in the ACC. Here are some takeaways from the break: This team is capable of competing with anyone The first two conference games proved to be too much to handle, as the Pack dropped consecutive road games to Clemson and Notre Dame by double digits to open up ACC play. The team followed those lackluster performances up by upsetting No. 2 Duke in Raleigh for Keatts’ first conference win, handing the Blue Devils their second loss of the season and outplaying a team of superior talent. The Wolfpack also defeated another No. 2 team in Arizona back in November. Despite a lack of depth down low and sophomore Markell Johnson suspended indefinitely, NC State has shown that it’s capable of hanging with tough opponents but also susceptible of letdowns against lesser opponents. The Pack fell to UNCGreensboro on Dec. 16 and took a while to pull away from Robert Morris. This season will be a mixed bag, but the ability to play at Duke’s level is encouraging for the Wolfpack faithful. Braxton Beverly is the real deal Since being declared eligible by the NCAA, freshman Braxton Beverly has played in 13 contests, starting nine of them, cementing himself as the starting point guard and filling in for Johnson admirably. The 6-foot guard is averaging 10.4 points per game and is second on the team with 30.6 minutes per game played, proving to be an integral part of the Wolfpack’s rotation. What’s most impressive about Beverly is his ability to distribute. He’s averaging 4.4 assists per game and picked up five assists against Duke. He also posted 14
NICHOLAS FAULKNER/TECHNICIAN
Graduate guard Allerik Freeman drives into the paint during the 96-85 win over No. 2 Duke in PNC Arena on Saturday.
points in the upset over the Blue Devils on an efficient 3-of-5 shooting, including a 3-point dagger late in the game. Yurtseven, bigs are improving It’s no secret the Wolfpack’s frontcourt has little depth. With sophomore Darius Hicks out for the year with a torn ACL, Keatts has relied primarily on sophomore Omer Yurtseven, senior Abdul-Malik Abu and redshirt senior Lennard Freeman thus far. When Yurtseven stays out of foul trouble, he’s a more-than-capable offensive weapon. The Turkish native is averaging 11.7 points per game this season, a substantial improvement over last year’s 5.9 points per game. Despite fouling out against Duke, the center managed to stay in the game until late in the second half, picking up 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Abu, coming off an early-season injury, has struggled to get into a rhythm, averaging just 7.3 points per game and shooting 50 percent from the field. Freeman is averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting an excellent 71 percent
NICHOLAS FAULKNER/TECHNICIAN
Senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu exclaims to the air as the fans jump around celebrating a 96-85 win over No. 2 Duke in PNC Arena on Saturday.
from the field, something that will have to continue if the Wolfpack wants to do some more damage in ACC play. The key for this year’s team will be keeping the big men out of foul trouble. The Pack may struggle to keep up with
teams that have ample frontcourt depth, but if the Pack manages to keep the fouls to a minimum down low, the rotation of Abu, Freeman and Yurtseven is formidable as NC State heads further into conference play.
