The Wolfpack is relying on a few players to carry a big load, and it's worth monitoring.
Coach Mark Gottfried said he would have liked to have developed more depth, but the Wolfpack is limited in that category. Only seven players have been used in each of the last three games, including in the rematch with Wake Forest when N.C. State's largest lead was 14 points in an eventual 87-76 victory.
So this might be a good part of the schedule for the Wolfpack, which plays only two games during a 12-day stretch.
It's unclear how the extended minutes for the starters might eventually take a toll. Forward Richard Howell has had some of his minutes reduced by foul troubles, but that wasn't a problem against Wake Forest and he checked in with a season-high 36 minutes. He had gone nine consecutive games without reaching the 30-minute mark, then played 35 minutes at Boston College in the game before Wake Forest.
N.C. State might be steering clear of trouble considering it has won five of its last seven games, with one of the losses by one point to nationally ranked Virginia.
Guard Lorenzo Brown is the most-used player as he's logging slightly more than 33 minutes per game. Apparently, his workload isn't about to be reduced; in the team's 24th game, a victory against Wake Forest on Saturday, he posted a season-high 38 minutes.
The players don't seem to mind. They've pointed out that they've become accustom to the heavy-duty minutes.
NOTES, QUOTES
--The Wolfpack's distribution of the ball probably accounts for why it has been the top assist team in ACC play with about 15.5 per game. Much of this comes from G Lorenzo Brown, who directs the offense as the point guard but has been discouraged at some recent slow-paced games. He seemed back in the groove by providing eight of the Wolfpack's 19 assists Saturday against Wake Forest. "It was a real positive to get him some confidence," coach Mark Gottfried said.
--New ACC scheduling formats, to go into existence once Pittsburgh and Syracuse come on board, delivered a jolt to N.C. State fans. That's because the Wolfpack will no longer play annual home-and-home games with rival North Carolina. Instead, N.C. State and North Carolina will play home-and-home only once during a three-year cycle, with one meeting per season in the two other years. N.C. State's primary partner for two annual games every year has been designated as Wake Forest.
--The 87-76 victory against Wake Forest on Saturday was actually below par for the Wolfpack in terms of recent games against the Demon Deacons. That's because in the previous three meetings, N.C. State won by an average of 27.3 points. Even though the Wolfpack won by 25 fewer points than in January's meeting, they swept Wake Forest. N.C. State has swept the Demon Deacons in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1985-86 and 1986-87.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Defensively, we didn't play very well. I thought we had some stretches where we were really sharp, but it wasn't quite as consistent as we would have liked." -- coach Mark Gottfried after an 87-76 victory against Wake Forest in which the Wolfpack yielded its most points in seven games and its most in any ACC triumph this season.
THIS WEEK'S GAME
--at Georgia Tech, Feb. 9
The Wolfpack will aim to avenge what has been the only major stain on its record -- Georgia Tech's 82-71 victory on Jan. 11. N.C. State players know they have to bring energy to this matchup. Keeping a normally low-scoring Georgia Tech team in check by guarding perimeter shooters better will be one of the priorities in their only game during the week.
FUTURES MARKET
The Wolfpack is trying to use G Scott Wood as much as possible as a primary offensive weapon. Wood has pointed out the need to work harder to find openings, but the commitment to go to him is there if he does his part. With a season-high six 3-point baskets (on 10 attempts) Saturday against Wake Forest, Wood isn't shy about launching those shots. This could be a sign that he's coming out of a big shooting funk -- he entered the game a combined 8 for 24 in the three previous games.
PLAYER NOTES
--F C.J. Leslie went without an offensive rebound for only the fourth game this season when all five of his rebounds against Wake Forest on Saturday came at the defensive end. He had nine games in a row with at least one offensive rebound.
--G C.J. Williams had his jersey retired at his high school in North Carolina, becoming the first basketball player at Britt High School in Fayetteville to have that honor. Williams didn't flinch, because in the game after that ceremony, he poured in 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting against Wake Forest.
--G Scott Wood pushed his streak of consecutive made free throws to 64 by making his lone attempt Saturday (as part of a four-point play) against Wake Forest. That's the ACC record, and it's 21 away from the NCAA record of 85 by Butler's Darnell Archey (2001-03).
