Will NC State’s injured Manny Bates play against Clemson? You’ll have to wait and see.
N.C. State fans will have to wait and see if sophomore center Manny Bates will play against Clemson on Tuesday.
Bates only played six minutes in the Wolfpack’s 79-76 win over Boston College last week. In the first half, Bates left with an undisclosed lower-body injury after banging into an Eagles’ player.
Bates went to the locker room briefly, then returned to the bench area, walking back and forth, to test out the leg. He came out after halftime and attempted to give it a go, but did not play at all in the second half. After the game, head coach Kevin Keatts said that was more of a precaution and Bates would be evaluated the next day. On Monday, Keatts told members of the media that Bates’ MRI and scans were clear, but still didn’t know at the time if Bates would play against the Tigers (8-1).
“He’ll be a game-time decision,” Keatts said. “We’ve been very careful with him the last few days.”
N.C. State (6-1) was back in the gym over the weekend doing some individual workouts before resuming practice. According to Keatts, Bates has done some individual work that didn’t require much contact.
Manny Bates’ sophomore season so far
Bates (6-11, 230) has been having a stellar sophomore year so far. He came into the season known for his prowess on the defensive end of the floor, but is averaging almost 10 points per game for N.C. State. Bates has scored in double figures four times this year, including three straight heading into the game versus Boston College. His first two made baskets in that game were easy dunks, but those were the only two field goals Bates attempted before leaving.
Keatts finally had his other big man, the 6-10, 225-pound redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk in the rotation against Boston College after missing two games due to contact tracing. He picked up the slack, scoring a season-high 21 points to lead the team. Bates’ will be most notably missed on defense if he’s out against Clemson.
“We’re a very different team when he’s on the floor because he’s starting to score offensively,” Keatts said about Bates. “But a lot of baskets around the rim he’s either blocking those shots or altering those shots. It changes who we are with him not on the floor. Hopefully, we will see where he’s at.”
DJ Funderburk back for the Pack
Even with the negative test results, Keatts said Bates was extremely sore, adding the injury was “more of a hyper extension of his knee.”
Keatts will evaluate Bates after N.C. State’s shoot around Tuesday morning in South Carolina. Having Funderburk back will hopefully ease the burden in the post against the Tigers. Funderburk came off the bench against the Eagles and shot 8-10 from the floor in 30 minutes, his first action since Dec. 3.
“It seems like right now we can be trading those guys (Funderburk and Bates) off at times,” Keatts said. “Certainly when you get a guy who’s a senior who has played in this league for a couple of years, for him to come back and to play the way he did, which we needed, it says a lot about D.J.”
NC State at Clemson
WHEN: 7 p.m., Tuesday
WHERE: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, South Carolina
WATCH: ACC Network
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Will NC State’s injured Manny Bates play against Clemson? You’ll have to wait and see.."
