The roller coaster also known as Wolfpack Basketball takes to the court against LSU tonight in what head coach Mark Gottfried has called “the greatest show on Earth.” Games tip-off in the early afternoon, with the Pack playing at 9:20 EDT. The game will be broadcast on TBS (Time Warner 1302 in Raleigh, DirecTV 247, Dish 139.) In what’s essentially a pick-em game, State enters as a -1.5 or -2.5 favorite against the Tigers.
In his press conference leading up to the game, Mark Gottfried was asked about LSU, and he said “they’re going to be a handful for our guys. They’ve been pretty impressive as we’ve gotten to watch them a lot more.”
Gottfried was also asked about teams making long NCAA tournament runs under his leadership, and if this year’s edition of the Wolfpack has the same qualities that those previous squads had. “there’s no magic dust we can sprinkle over our guys as they take the floor,” Gottfried replied. “But I think once you’re in the tournament, it’s the greatest show on earth, and everybody has a chance.”
State indeed “has a chance” tonight, but it will take the sort of effort that led to wins at Louisville and UNC on the road, as well as victories over Duke and Syracuse at home. One of the keys to the game is emergent Wolfpack Cat Barber. As Barber goes, so go the Wolfpack of late. “Cat Barber took his game to a whole ‘nother level,” Gottfried said. “That was big for our team. We needed that. There was a point early in our season when we relied so much on Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner and our inside guys weren’t scoring as much. Cat wasn’t scoring as much. We just had a hard time. So our guys have developed and gotten better.”
Trevor Lacey had this to say about Barber: “It means a lot to us. When he’s playing that way, it makes everybody’s job easier. When he’s attacking and making shots, teams have to guard him.”
Raulston Turner was also positive about the Wolfpack’s starting point guard, saying “Cat Barber’s confidence has grown. Down the stretch, we all know he’s been capable of that. Here lately, he’s really taken his game to another level. When he plays like that, it makes it easy on the rest of us.”
Gottfried also pointed out the defensive effort that sophomore Lennard Freeman has given. “We went to Louisville a couple, three weeks ago and we changed our lineup, put Lennard Freeman in the lineup. I thought that was a big difference for us, made us a little better defensively, seemed to execute our offense better and score a little better.”
If State plays to its ability, and maximizes its opportunities with the basketball tonight while playing the ferocious defense that’s led recent success, everyone should be happy and looking forward to a spring weekend with more NC State basketball.
Be sure to check back here often during the day, and during the game for a lively discussion not only about tonight’s game but also all the other goings-on in the Tournament’s first day. Also, if you’re reading this, be sure to enter the Statefans Nation Bracket Challenge.
Lastly, we’d love your honest view of the Pack’s chances in the 2015 NCAA Tournament with a vote in our poll below!
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