No. 10 Kansas is set to host North Carolina State on Saturday afternoon. With tip between the Jayhawks and Wolfpack approaching, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Jacey Zembal from TheWolfPackCentral.com to get his thoughts on today's game.
1) NC State opened up the season 5-0 before losing three straight games. Since that losing streak, the Wolfpack has responded by winning its last two games. Any idea what the mood or vibe of the team is heading into the Kansas game?
NC State has defeated the mediocre teams but lost the three main non-conference games so far — vs. Purdue and BYU in San Diego, Calif., and home vs. Texas. NC State did top Florida State at home in the ACC opener last Saturday.
NC State has been playing up or down to the level of competition it seems, with this past Tuesday’s game against Coppin State a perfect example. Coppin State was ranked No. 363 per the NET and had its top player out with an injury. Yet, Coppin State proved scrappy and NC State could never truly pull away and build a 20-plus-point lead.
I’d expect the complete opposite against Kansas. Kansas might have more talent and the home-court advantage, but I’d expect good energy from the Wolfpack, similar to how they played against Texas in a 63-59 loss.
2) Who are a couple of NC State players that Kansas fans should keep an eye on when the Jayhawks and Wolfpack take the court on Saturday?
The two players that are running hot for NC State are forward Dontrez Styles and shooting guard Marcus Hill.
Styles, a former North Carolina and Georgetown transfer, has the ability to create his own shot and get clean looks at the basket. He won’t match the strength/power of Kansas power forward K.J. Adams. Styles has gotten between 15-and-21 points the last three games, and he’s a combined 9 of 17 on three-pointers during that stretch.
Hill is a bull in a China shop when it comes to getting to the rim. He often will either get a layup, get fouled, or both, but that is typically against smaller teams. He’s scored 55 points the last three games and has only made two three-pointers in those three games.
3) In your opinion, what are the biggest keys for an NC State team that is coming to Lawrence to face a Kansas team that has lost two straight games?
NC State will need to have a lot of things go right combined with Kansas being off. The first key is NC State needs both 6-10 senior centers Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield to play well. Middlebrooks has been better of late, but he’s also foul-prone.
NC State also needs to figure out how to have both Hill and senior shooting guard Jayden Taylor be good at the same time. It seems when one is good, the other takes a backseat.
Senior point guard Michael O’Connell has to be an offensive threat. BYU dared him to shoot, and he had 16 points on 11 shots. The pass-first-floor general has struggled the last three games, going a combined 4 of 14 from the field, 1 of 7 on three-pointers, and 12 points scored.
4) How do you see the matchup between No. 10 Kansas and NC State playing out?
An energized NC State team should do well for the first 34,35 minutes of the game, but where Kansas has an advantage is knowing which players should get the ball in the last four to five minutes of a close game. NC State is trying to figure out who to go to in close games, which is what happened in the Texas loss and the win over Florida State in overtime.
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