ACC: NC State Poised For Success Next Season

2014-15 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the NC State basketball program. They lost leading scorer T.J. Warren to the NBA and boasted a roster of veteran role players, unproven sophomores, and freshmen.

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During the preseason the media picked the Wolfpack to finish ninth in the loaded ACC, presumably a spot that would see them end up in the NIT rather than the NCAA tournament. NC State decided to shatter those expectations, finishing tied for fifth in the regular season and making a run to the Sweet Sixteen that included an upset victory over No. 1 seed Villanova.

Next season the expectations will be a little higher thanks to the way that they overachieved in 2015. It is way too early to have a clear idea of how high this team can climb next season, but a little speculation never hurts.

The Pack returns, arguably, its two best players from last season in Trevor Lacey and Cat Barber. Lacey took over the leading scorer role from the departed T.J. Warren, averaging 15.7 points per game on 39.2 percent from outside.

You may remember that Lacey was an exceptional scorer in isolation sets. It seems like his favorite thing to do was to stare his defender square in the eyes before splashing a contested three-pointer right in their face. Lacey should fill that alpha dog role again next season, but he should have more consistent help.

One of those helpers will be starting point guard Cat Barber. Barber got off to a slow start last year but continued to get better as the season progressed. His late season surge included 15 points in an upset of North Carolina, 23 points and seven assists in a tight win over Georgia Tech, and a 34-point night of dominance over Pittsburgh in which Barber knocked down four three-pointers.

Barber finished the season scoring 12.1 points per game and handing out 3.7 assists per game, ending up as perhaps their most important player.

If Barber continues that progression and cuts down on his turnovers (2.1 per game) there is no telling how good he can be.

The only players leaving Raleigh this offseason are sharpshooter Ralston Turner (12.8 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from three-point range) and defensive specialist Desmond Lee. NC State will miss Turner’s shooting, but they already have a replacement waiting in the wings.

Guard Terry Henderson sat out last season after transferring to NC State from West Virginia. At West Virginia Henderson averaged 11.7 points per game on 37.6 percent from outside. Like Turner he profiles as a shooter, and should fit nicely next to Barber and Lacey in the backcourt.

The twins, Caleb Martin and Cody Martin, also return on the wing and every big man from last season’s rotation will also be back. That includes Abdul-Malik Abu (6.4 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game), BeeJay Anya (2.5 blocks per game), Kyle Washington (6.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game), and Lennard Freeman (17.9 rebounds per 100 possessions).

Each brings something different to the table and finding the right number of minutes for everyone will be difficult, but important.

The overall success of the team might hinge on how these six players develop. Caleb Martin could play a large role on next season’s team if he develops a reliable outside shot; he shot just 30.5 percent shooting from deep last season.

Abu needs to polish up his offensive game, Anya needs to slim down a bit more to increase his mobility, Washington has to become a better defender, and Freeman needs to learn to stay out of foul trouble (3.7 fouls per 40 minutes last season).

It is unlikely that all these things will happen, but if a few players can make these changes, the Wolfpack could contend for the ACC regular season title. Returning nearly every important player from a Sweet Sixteen team is something most programs don’t have (except North Carolina); this type of continuity should help the Pack click from day one next season.

The last time the Wolfpack had high expectations entering a season was 2012-13. The media picked them to win the ACC in the preseason, but they underachieved, finishing fifth and losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

This year, the expectations won’t be quite as lofty. North Carolina, Virginia, and Duke will battle it out for the title of league favorite while the Pack will just be expected to finish in the top four. Still, they won’t sneak up on anyone this time around.

This is a talented team, they just need to put it all together.

Next: 30 Greatest Duke Players in School History

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