Buzzketball Central: #12 Virginia Tech Hokies (17-3, 6-2) at #23 NC State Wolfpack (16-5, 4-4) Noon Feb 2 RSN/ACC Network

Justin Robinson wearing a boot on his left foot here in Raleigh— Mark Berman (@BermanRoanoke) February 2, 2019

Game day!We face our fourth ranked opponent of the season🏀 vs. No. 23/22 NC State📍 Raleigh, N.C.🕚 Noon ET📈 https://t.co/x0LoDRWVzj📻 https://t.co/Y5WNShWqwM📺 https://t.co/JqB0xPyQv7💻 https://t.co/CPPZDPX7JP#getBETTER | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/MKVBDPk4VY— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 2, 2019

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 2, 2018 / 2 p.m.
Opponent: North Carolina State University
Site: PNC Arena, Raleigh NC
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV: Regional Sports Networks
Talent: Evan Lepler & Brian Oliver
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
Sirius: 81 XM: 81 Internet: 81

#GamedayGuide:🏀 vs. @PackMensBball 📍 Raleigh, NC🕚 12PM ET📺 @RaycomSports #getBETTER pic.twitter.com/coHBfW85yQ— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) February 2, 2019

Road Focus

Buzzketball continues its road trip after a road win over Miami, where at times, most of the roster looked as if they were wearing concrete shoes. Short arming shots, failing to play a semblance of defense, and other miscues but ultimately enough talent difference to get the Hokies out of Coral Gables with a win against the Hurricanes. Now it faces a more talented challenge, heading into the Raleight to face the #23 Wolfpack. A major factor is likely the health of Justin Robinson and whether he can play. There have been varied reports from out six weeks to Superman rises again and wont miss a beat. We will see at noon. NC State comes in smarting, having lost to #3 UVA in overtime on a last minute three by Kyle Guy to bail the Wahoos out.

The game is sold out so PNC should be packed. The Hokies have to come out ready for the Wolfpack to try to punch them in the mouth early and sustain through that to build a solid lead by halftime. This will be a tough test, especially with the talent surge the Wolfpack brought in the last few seasons. NC State brings much the same height disparity to this contest that most ACC schools present Tech, as they have five players 6'7 or taller. That said, this version of the Wolfpack relies much more on guard play with the bigs only taking up one position on the floor throughout the game.

NC State is currently 16-5. Their losses this season are to #22 Wisconsin, #12 North Carolina, #23 Louisville, #3 Virginia and a shocking loss to Wake Forest. Only two of the five losses for the Wolfpack have come at home.
This will be the fifty seventh meeting between the Hokies and the Wolfpack. NC State leads the all-time series 40-16, starting all the way back in 1915. The Hokies last victory against the Wolfpack came last season 85-75 in Blacksburg.

The Wolfpack are coached by second year head coach Kevin Keatts. Keatts is 109-45 as a head coach, with three seasons at the helm of UNC Wilmington and this his second season at NC State. Keatts led UNC Wilmington to three straight CAA regular season titles and the NCAA tournament in two of his three seasons there and the Wolfpack reached the NCAA tournament last season.

Keatts team might as well be deemed Transfer U, with six of his top eight players coming to NC State via transfer rather than originally committing to the Wolfpack.

Defensively, Keatts approaches the game with this statement "Don't let your opponent breathe". The Wolfpack utilize an aggressive 2-3 Zone defense that attempts to protect the perimeter and force turnovers on the outside. Keatts has the Wolfpack using the entire floor to play defense, regularly employing a full court defensive scheme. They will switch to man to man in certain circumstances. Regardless of which style they are employing, NC State so far this season has done a very good job defensively. This was supposed to be a facet of the game where they might struggle, but it just hasn't been the case. Keatts has the team buying in to executing the basics.

NC State offensively under Keatts has upped the tempo and has his team constantly looking to get out and run. Keatts wants to go fast on both ends of the floor to keep opponents off balance. NC State shoot 54% from inside the arc and are struggling a bit, shooting 38% from outside. Expect to see a ton of passes to a big at the top of the lane, who then reads and reacts to what the defense is doing in terms of finding a pass or developing a shot. All five starters have averaged in double figures at points this season, currently four are and another at 9.5. PPG. NC State is 14th in the country in scoring per game, averaging 84.4 PPG. A big part of this improvement is a 6% increase in their perimeter shooting over last season.

Wolfpack Backcourt

Senior Torin Dorn, (#2) 6'5, 210 Lbs is averaging 14.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.1 SPG. Dorn is shooting 53% from the inside, 32% from behind the line and 64% from the line in about 28 MPG. Dorn will likely be called upon to cover NAW so it should be an interesting matchup. Dorn was a transfer from Charlotte a couple seasons ago.

Junior Markell Johnson, (#11), 6'1, 164 Lbs is averaging 11.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 3.9 APG and 1 SPG on just over 22 MPG so far this season. He is shooting 69% inside, 44% outside and 73% from the line.

Junior C.J. Bryce, (#13) 6'5, 195 Lbs, a UNC-W transfer is putting up 12.2 PPG, 5 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.4 SPG.. He is shooting 43% from outside, 55% from inside and 74% from the charity stripe.

Sophomore Devon Daniels, (#24) 6'5, 200 Lbs, a Utah transfer is putting up 10.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 SPG. He is shooting 32% from outside, 50% from inside and 71% from the charity stripe.

Sophomore Braxton Beverly, (#10) 6', 180 Lbs, has put up 9.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 3 APG and 0.8 SPG. He is the secondary ball handler behind Markell Johnson. He shoots 39% inside, 35% outside and 88% from the line.

Wolfpack Frontcourt

Sophomore DJ Funderburk, (#0), 6'10, 210 lbs has put up 8.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1 BPG while shooting 63% from the inside, 29% from outside and 76% from the line. His one weakness is the charity stripe, where he is only managing to hit 58% so far this season.

Freshman Forward Jericole Hellems, (#4), 6'8, 240 lbs is putting up 6.1 PPG and 3 RPG. He is shooting 43% inside, 32% outside while also hitting 76% from the free throw line.

Senior Wyatt Walker, (#33), 6'9, 240 Lbs, a graduate transfer from Samford, is averaging 5.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG in about 20 MPG. Walker is typically the starter between these three bigs. He is shooting 63% from inside, 33% from outside and 69% from the line.

What to expect from NC State?

The Wolfpack play predominantly a half court defense in either man to man or zone geared towards making opponents turn the ball over but with Keatts have stretched their defense to the entire floor in many more situations.

Its tough to tell what they are trying to accomplish other than getting back on offense except around the perimeter, where they are very tenacious in keeping opponents off balance. Opponents are only shooting 29% from outside against the Wolfpack this season. They actually have greatly improved on turning their opponents over, but they don't rebound well to prevent second chance opportunities and they are not very good at closing out the passing lanes.

The Wolfpack are averaging 84.4 PPG and allowing opponents 69.3 PPG. That's a nine point average margin of victory so far this season but is full of holes. Since entering ACC play they are averaging 76.3 PPG and allowing 76.6 PPG. This team essentially relies on its offense to outscore their opponent much more than putting on a defensive effort to limit their opponent.

Rebounding wise, the Wolfpack are a team with size and depth. Their rebounding is fairly average at about 39 per game but considering the shooting percentages of their team, which plays a major factor in offensive rebounds being low.

NC State fouls its opponents more than average, giving up about 21 personal fouls per game with Walker averaging more than 3 fouls per game and Funderburk at 2.9 per contest. It would be extremely beneficial if the Hokies could get the two bigs in early foul trouble to level the opponents to a much more manageable size, although that speeds up the game meaning whomever gets hottest longest likely wins the game.

The Hokies

💢 Under 48 hours 💢We're back at it on the road Saturday#getBETTER | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/UoToyTuKNx— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) February 1, 2019

The Hokies need to come out ready for a sprint. They need to expect a big home crowd for the Wolfpack providing the energy which may actually be a plus for the Hokies compared to the dregs that was the Miami crowd. They have to be ready to take NC State's best shot. The Wolfpack's style of play gives the tempo of the game the speed the Hokies thrive in but they have to be prepared for an aggressive defensive stance from NC State.

This should be a high paced game since both programs look to get out and run in transition. NC State struggles with personal fouls, with six members of the Wolfpack averaging more than 2 per game. The Hokies need to identify the weaknesses in coverage to get open looks at the basket while also taking advantage of the Wolfpack's weakness in stopping dribble penetration to the rim. Expect NAW and Hill to have big nights in the lane for the Hokies to be successful.

The Hokies have to show they can handle being without Robinson if that is indeed the case. They have not fared as well with him off the floor for stretches but this is entirely different so we will have to see how the roles change with 5 off the floor.

NC State relies on the perimeter shot so closing out opponents is a must that we talk about every game but doesn't seem to be part of Buzz philosophy. It would be great to see hands in face, forcing NC State to pass around the perimeter to keep them from their primary offense. Blackshear will also have to be ready for bigs that like to muscle down the lane.

Beyond the six man primary rotation, NC States production falls off precipitously, so being able to get their starters in early foul trouble could be a great benefit to whom the Hokies face.

Tech needs to be ready to keep a high paced tempo the entire game without letting up. They need to pressure NC State on offense to create turnovers and lead to transition baskets. Limiting NC State on the offensive end could turn this contest into a blowout. Defense, Defense, Defense.

Even with the height of the opponent here, Tech should be able to succeed inside. NC State has not been able to stop their opponents from penetrating the lane or fouling opponents in the process of shooting inside. Most of this comes from teams abilities to pass easily on the interior of this NC State defense. It creates one on one and other mismatches for Tech to take advantage of. NAW, Hill and Blackshear all need to plan to take the ball to the rim.

In Closing

Less Hype, equal talent, better coached is what this Hokies victory comes down to. Buzz' ability to get this team to play both ends of the floor with equal passion is what will set these two teams apart.

This game should see the Hokies throw many different defensive fronts at the Wolfpack to keep them guessing on what to expect each trip down the court. They will likely call upon NAW and Bede to run some full court press later in the first half as well as the second half if they need to establish some separation.

Tech wins 84-77.

Our 6️⃣th 'Road Game' 📸 of the 🏀 season!Grateful that David Cubillian who was with us 📅📅📅📅 ago was able to be with us, & spend 🕰 w/ our team.We will turn all blessings back to praise 🙏🏿🗣🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/MqmkehfzuL— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) January 31, 2019