For a team that played a game of ‘Knockout’ for nearly the entirety of its ACC Tournament practice day, N.C. State sure didn’t look like it had a knockout punch for Boston College.
The freshman-dominated Eagles hung around and hung around with the Wolfpack in the second half, but time wore on and the scoreboard eventually read 78-57. In the final eight minutes, N.C. closed on a 26-12 run to finally put the game out of reach. It was an impressive finish for a team that too often went through the motions Thursday afternoon.
N.C. State now faces the test of taking down Virginia, although the toughness of that test is unclear due to the Cavaliers’ collection of injuries and suspensions. Either way, it could serve as a play-in game for the Wolfpack.
Scott Wood can still shoot: The junior forward didn’t take long to find his shooting stroke in Phillips Arena, finishing with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting including five 3-pointers. Wood was coming off a shooting slump as the conference schedule wound down, with the team suffering through a four-game losing streak as well.
But the 6-foot-4 forward finished the season with back-to-back games of 15 and 17 points, respectively, and has continued that rhythm in Atlanta. If he can keep it up, we might just see how much rhythm this N.C. State team has in the Big Dance.
Though the ACC Tournament was quick to nix the Karl Hess shoe phenomenon, N.C. State is still looking for its own kicks—its dancing shoes. A win over Virginia tomorrow might be just the ticket. One note to mention: N.C. State is 12-2 all-time against the Cavaliers in the ACC Tournament.
Mark Gottfried’s squad is now 21-11 overall this season with a winning conference record, so one more quality win should be the necessary booster seat to reach the table for 68. Could the Wolfpack sneak in regardless? Possibly. It’s tough to tell.
But Selection Sunday would be a lot more comfortable if N.C. State could send Mike Scott and the Cavaliers packing early.
That sure was painful: The Boston College Eagles will be just as likely to work on growing facial hair as practicing basketball this offseason. Coach Steve Donahue struggled all year with one of the youngest teams in the country and his frustration showed during Thursday’s game.
The jacket came off. The screams came out. Nothing seemed to work as the Eagles hung around but could not seem to enough quality possessions to ever make it a game.
Donahue should return much more experience next season, but the promise is hard to find when looking at the current roster. All-ACC freshman Ryan Anderson is probably the future’s best hope, but some more recruiting would do the entire program a service.
A short stay, as expected, for the Chesnut Hill crew.
