Opportunity awaits NC State basketball in Brooklyn
There are a few ways you could compare N.C. State’s nonconference game with No. 16 Memphis on Thursday to the one coach Kevin Keatts had lined up with Vanderbilt last year.
Both schools are in the state of Tennessee and both are now coached by former NBA stars.
You could compare one-and-done freshman Darius Garland, who was Vanderbilt’s future NBA lottery pick, to Memphis’ freshman forward James Wiseman, who will also almost certainly be a one-and-done NBA lottery pick.
Garland did not play against the Wolfpack last season and Wiseman will miss Thursday’s matchup in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn.
And that’s where the comparison ends for Keatts.
The Commodores fell a part after Garland injured his left knee in late November. They went 5-22 after Garland, the fifth pick in the 2019 NBA draft, went down for the season.
Wiseman, the No. 1 player in the 2019 recruiting class, is not injured. The 7-1 forward has been suspended 12 games by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits from coach Penny Hardaway before the two got to Memphis.
Hardaway provided moving expenses for Wiseman’s family while Wiseman was in high school. Hardaway was also Wiseman’s high school coach in Memphis for the 2017-18 season.
“I know a lot of people say, ‘Without James Wiseman ... ,” Keatts said. “It doesn’t matter. They’ve got really good players. They remind you a lot of Duke (in 2017-18) with Wendell (Carter) and (Marvin) Bagley. They are a talented group.”
Like that Duke team in 2017-18, Hardaway put together the top recruiting class in the country and has relied on the freshmen. The Tigers even flipped a recruit, guard Boogie Ellis, from Duke.
The Tigers (5-1) are 3-0 without Wiseman, including an 87-86 win over Ole Miss, a veteran NCAA tournament team, this past Saturday.
Freshman forward Precious Achiuwa, the No. 15 overall recruit in the class, has picked up the slack for Wiseman. He had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Ole Miss.
“He’s a hard matchup problem because he plays so hard,” Keatts said of Achiuwa.
For N.C. State, the matchup is the first of the season against a ranked team and first against a high-caliber opponent since the opener. The Wolfpack dropped the opener to Georgia Tech at home and is unbeaten in five games since.
Guard Markell Johnson and forward D.J. Funderburk both missed the Georgia Tech loss. They’ve been back in the lineup together for the past four games. Johnson, coming off of an ankle injury, has found his shooting touch after a slow start. He has made 12 of his past 23 shots and averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 assists in the past two games.
Funderburk missed the first two games of the season with a suspension for a violation of team rules. He has come off the bench and averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in four games.
“Everybody is getting back in a groove,” senior guard C.J. Bryce, who leads the Wolfpack in scoring (17.7 points per game). “We’re getting players back on the court and in comfortable positions.”
Keatts has had a marquee top 25 nonconference win in each of his first two seasons. The Wolfpack knocked off No. 2 Arizona early in the 2017-18 season and No. 7 Auburn last season.
Along with the games with Wisconsin and Auburn, this is one of the few chances N.C. State has to pick up a resume-builder for the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack was one of the last teams on the bubble last year, in part because it didn’t have enough quality wins.
“It’s a great opportunity to get a chance see how much we’ve grown,” Keatts said. “And how much we’ve got to get better.”
NC State vs. No. 16 Memphis
When: Thursday, 4 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center, New York
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: WRAL-101.5
NC State (5-1)
G Markell Johnson 10.0 ppg, 6.8 apg
G Braxton Beverly 9.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
G C.J. Bryce 17.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg
F Jericole Hellems 9.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg
F Manny Bates 7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Memphis (5-1)
G Alex Lomax 8.0 ppg, 4.8 apg
G Boogie Ellis 8.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg
G Damion Baugh 4.8 ppg, 4.5 apg
F Lance Thomas 3.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F Precious Achiuwa 15.0 ppg, 8.rpg
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Opportunity awaits NC State basketball in Brooklyn."
