Last week I was going to write a very different blog post. I was going to make the argument that NC State has squandered a great opportunity to finish in the top 4 of the ACC. NC State had lost to Clemson, Georgia Tech, struggled with Notre Dame and had its issues with Wake Forest. After getting blown out by Virginia Tech I thought they were done. I thought that they were going to finish between 9-12 in the ACC. An ACC where Virginia is not the Virginia of old. Where UNC is not the typical UNC, where their best player is sidelined with injury.
Then, I decided to wait, I decided that this past week was going to tell me a ton of what this team is going to be. Why did I want to wait for this past week to pass judgment? Well, In the first game of the season NC State was without 2 of it’s best players in Markell Johnson (injury) and DJ Funderburk (suspension for violation of team rules). Then in that stretch that I mentioned CJ Bryce, NC State’s best overall player, was out with a concussion. Bryce missed the first Clemson game, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and App State. They lost 3 of those 4 games and looked lost on both ends of the floor. The season looked lost…..
Then CJ Bryce returned against Miami and something happened in that game. Bryce played 21 minutes against the Hurricanes, but there was something different in the style of play. NC State began to press more and began causing turnovers. NC State also seems to have found a rotation that has been working. Against Clemson, NC State started Bryce, Markell Johnson, Devon Daniels, DJ Funderburk, Manny Bates. It allowed Pat Andree, Jerhico Hellems and Braxton Beverly to come off the bench and provide a spark. With this lineup and rotation, NC State has a chance to crack that top 4 and get the double-bye in the ACC tournament.
However, there was a problem. Manny Bates sustained a weird neck injury while guarding Amir Simms. Pat Andree was seen leaving PNC Arena in a walking boot and crutches. With a quick turnaround against UVA, we will see where NC State is.
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