To this point, NC State has not had a spectacular season. They do not have a marquee win yet, and have dropped some games to lesser opponents. After 13 games, Mark Gottfried’s team sits 10-3 with losses to Purdue, Wofford, and West Virginia.
One thing that has stood out positively for the Wolfpack is the play of junior shooting guard Trevor Lacey. Lacey, a transfer from the University of Alabama, has been by far the best player for NC State this season.
I’ve written about Lacey several times in the ACC Player of the Year power rankings, but I finally got the chance to see him in person Saturday night. A well-timed vacation to New York coincided with NC State traveling to the Big Apple to take on West Virginia.
Despite having written about his success so many times in the power rankings, I could not help but write about how impressive he was in person.
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Madison Square Garden was surprisingly lively late Saturday night for an intense game that saw West Virginia outlast NC State 83-69. It was extremely physical game, and quite frankly, the Mountaineers dominated.
Bob Huggins’ famous full-court press harassed the Wolfpack all night. NC State committed 23 turnovers but were somehow only down seven points with four minutes remaining. That “somehow” was Trevor Lacey.
Lacey finished 7-of-15 from the field (4-of-8 from three-point range), for 24 points. He also grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists, and finished 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The West Virginia defense was suffocating the Wolfpack all night long, the high amount of turnovers meant NC State really had to capitalize on scoring opportunities when they were actually able to push the ball across half-court.
Several times the Wolfpack would be nearing a shot clock violation only to have Lacey knock down a contested jump shot.
Even after picking up his third foul early in the second half, Lacey remained in the game. Mark Gottfried knew that he was the only player on the roster that could create his own shot, without him the blowout would have only worsened. That has been a trend this season.
Lacey has played more than 35 minutes per game in seven of the 11 games he has played.
Now, I wrote this article as soon as I returned from Madison Square Garden because I wanted the image of Lacey’s impressive play to be fresh in my mind. As (bad) luck would have it, Lacey came out of the gate struggling Tuesday night, in NC State’s game against Louisiana Tech.
I was concerned the impression he left on me Saturday was starting to fade away, and that I had potentially become swayed by the bright lights inside the Mecca of basketball. Fortunately for NC State, there was a second half. Fortunately for me, I had not misjudged Lacey.
In the second half, Lacey got his groove back. He used three three-pointers and seven free-throws to finish the game with 20 points and five rebounds, leading NC State back from a 15-point halftime deficit to a 73-65 victory.
The game further illustrated how important he is to the overall success of the team. They fell behind in a first half that saw him shoot 2-of-9 from the field and score only seven points, but surged in a second half that saw him knock down 13 points including some key made free throws down the stretch.
Despite his poor shooting against Louisiana Tech, Lacey still is averaging 18 points per game on 51 percent from the field, and 45 percent from outside. His recent efforts have even nudged him ahead of Jerian Grant as the leading scorer in the ACC.
Thanks to those questionable losses in their nonconference schedule, it appears as though NC State will find themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble once again. Can Lacey shoot them into the tourney the way T.J. Warren did last season?
He’s got his work cut out for him, but he’s proven he is capable and ready for the challenge.