Nine players? Shorthanded NC State basketball is back Thursday against St. Louis.
In three games this season N.C. State basketball coach Kevin Keatts has been able to dig deep into his bench.
His three wins have all been blowouts, so Keatts has been able to play everyone available, but when the Wolfpack (3-0) heads to St. Louis (5-0) on Thursday he won’t have that luxury.
COVID-19 has hit the N.C. State program hard and it could show against the Billikens. Keatts told the media on Wednesday he will be taking just nine players on the road trip. The Wolfpack hasn’t played a game since Dec. 3, when they beat UMass Lowell in the Bubbleville event in Uncasville, Connecticut.
N.C. State ended up leaving the 11-day, 40-team event after the UMass Lowell game when a member of the Wolfpack’s traveling party tested positive for COVID-19. N.C. State then called off its next game, against UConn scheduled for Dec. 5.
Four of N.C. State’s games have been canceled or postponed since its UMass Lowell game and the Wolfpack paused all basketball activities last week due to COVID-19 protocols. When Keatts finally got back in the gym this past Saturday he had six players. On Sunday he had eight, which is how many he’s practiced with the last couple of days. Of the nine players traveling to St. Louis, Keatts declined to say how many are scholarship players.
“We’re taking nine guys,” Keatts reiterated when asked how many in the traveling party were on scholarship versus walk-ons.
Keatts said a list of available players will be released about an hour before tip-off, but for the first time in two weeks, the team will finally play. N.C. State was scheduled to open ACC play at Louisville Wednesday night, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 testing and protocol within the Cardinals’ program. The Wolfpack was prepared to play that game with the nine available players, Keatts said.
Kevin Keatts finds another game
Late Monday night, the Wolfpack was on the phone scrambling to find a quality opponent, which could be the norm this season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Keatts had a short conversation with Billikens coach Travis Ford.
“I told him we’re coming to you,” Keatts said.
The last time the two teams played was in 2014, in the NCAA tournament, a game St. Louis won 83-80.
A game with Villanova was also in the works, but the contract with St. Louis was signed first. Keatts, giddy on the Zoom call with the media, was excited to finally get the Wolfpack’s season going again.
“I’m just glad to have the opportunity to play a game,” Keatts said. “Don’t let my enthusiasm scare you this morning.”
With a full roster, Keatts has every reason to be enthused. The Pack has averaged 90 points per game and forced 70 turnovers, an average of 23.3 per game. But that’s with all hands on deck. With a limited roster, N.C. State will face a St. Louis team that returned all starters from last season and have won each game this season by an average of 27.2 points.
The Billikens have played a game within the last two weeks, defeating Indiana State, 78-59, Tuesday night.
Through three lopsided games, Keatts admitted he doesn’t know what to make of his team yet, but a game versus an opponent like St. Louis is a test he wanted.
“We needed a very good game because we lost the UConn game and the Michigan game,” Keatts said. “I wanted our team to be challenged.”
N.C. State returns home on Saturday when they host Campbell (4 p.m.) before starting ACC play against UNC on Dec. 22.
Is it safe to play amid coronavirus?
Since the Pack’s last game was so long ago, Keatts knows his group will be rusty. But it was important to him to get action in with the available players instead of waiting for his full roster. Besides, he doesn’t know how long it will be before his roster is full again.
Keatts said COVID-19 issues, as well as everyday injuries, are left up to the medical staff.
“We’ll listen to those guys,” Keatts said. “And when they tell me folks are clear, that’s when we will play them. Our main deal is the safety of our players, the health of our players, if they are not 110 percent based on what the medical people tell me, it has nothing to do with me as a coach, it has nothing to do with the player, if the medical people don’t clear them, we won’t play them.”
Injuries, nor the coronavirus, caused any major issues for the team through the Wolfpack’s first three games. True freshman Nick Farrar missed the first two games because of a concussion, but Keatts has still been able to go at least 13 players on the floor in each game this season.
Thursday night’s game at St. Louis will be the first big test for the Wolfpack and will force Keatts to get creative with his rotation. COVID-19 has already cost N.C. State five games. As missed games are to be expected across college basketball this season, is it worth continuing to try to play? Keatts thinks so.
“I think we should be playing,” Keatts said. “With our guys, and most of Division I, we have a pretty good setup. We’re getting tested frequently. There should be some concerns, but at the end of the day I think we have a safe situation for our guys to continue to play and we want to play if we can.”
NC STATE at ST. LOUIS
When: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Where: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Watch: ESPN+ and FOX Sports Go
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Nine players? Shorthanded NC State basketball is back Thursday against St. Louis.."
