NCSU losses to FSU, 90-83

So the Wolfpack last night went to Tallahassee and I will just push back on this. I really think that the at-large NCAA tournament bid train has long left the station. They're not getting that because reality, sure if they could have won that and won Saturday in Chapel Hill and beat Duke and then won at Pitt, come on. I don't know that I would trust Duke or Carolina to go through that gauntlet undefeated. So state, unfortunately where they are, the at-large train left.

Still going to have to win four times, maybe five times if they can avoid it, in DC to get a tournament bid. But what we saw yesterday was, I think, it's not giving up. It was just not good. You cannot not defend on the road.

Alec Lowe or Trinity Road Times joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. I mean, I don't want to be too harsh about this, but that was a bad defensive effort, was it not? Yeah, no, it absolutely was. It's disheartening because I actually think if you go back to the beginning of the conference season, this was a team that was defending relatively well. But you look at the Syracuse game, they gave up 85 points.

You look at what happened last night, you know, it's really faded down the stretch. Yeah, and here's what I've been saying all year, is that I like their pressure defense, but they can't get to it when they don't make shots. Their half court defense has always suffered because, you know, for good or bad, their half court defense usually involves DJ Burns. But last night, all elements of their defense were not good. Florida State got in the lane repeatedly. They shot 66% on two-point baskets.

I don't know that I've seen that number before. What do you make of that? Definitely when you were watching the game, like it definitely felt like it was like almost like a white flag game to me, which is very like disappointing. It's just kind of the fuel of the game, you know, an empty stadium and a really poor defensive effort. You mentioned, you mentioned burns, you know, every team is trying to get him involved in pick and roll. That's a big part of what every team's offensive strategy is against state. But I actually think that is, has the potential to be a solid defensive team when he's not in the game, you know, Taylor guards, the ball well, more solid guards, the ball.

Well, Deara is a guy that you can sometimes switch one through five with like, I think the elements were there, but they just looked aloof last night. I mean, the transition defense was like the thing that really stood out. They were not stopping the ball in transition at all. And that's, that was the first and foremost failure that I think you saw a lot of in the first half was forest. They just got up and down the floor so quickly and they were scoring in transition before they even set their half court defense.

Alec lower Trinity Road times is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. I termed it they got shots up last night stated it looked I've been jokingly critical of schools like Virginia that like are clearly not interested in entertaining people who paid to watch them play. I would put Houston in the same category. Of course, winning is always entertaining.

It doesn't make a difference how it looks. But I thought that last night's game if you were not interested in who won was entertaining like it was up and down. We saw a lot of good offense means they played well offensively. I mean, it wasn't even great DJ horn last night.

They just played well offensively. But when you play on the road, it's not your obligation to entertain the other team. What's your what's your read on where Kevin Keats is with the made the community is different, but the administration is probably more accurate. I mean, I don't I don't get the sense that Keats is really in trouble.

But because I hope he isn't because I like Kevin Keats. But what's your read on that whole dynamic? So my only real in there is just, you know, judging based on, you know, fan apathy and how that starts to look and it's pretty clear at this point that there's a lot of that, you know, this is obviously not scientific in any way. But, you know, just being on Twitter last night and you know, most of the people that were state fans and canes fans are watching the hockey game.

There wasn't a whole lot of chatter about the game. I think a lot of people have kind of checked out on this season for state as far as like fans go. And, you know, I think that that is, you know, no matter if we can, we can debate like the merits of the, of the coach. And I do like Kevin. I think he's actually done a really good job during the season this year, but there's not a whole lot of interest and excitement around the program right now.

And that's just like kind of undeniable. And, you know, unless, you know, you, you can, you know, change things and get some momentum somehow that's going to be something that's going to linger, I think. And, you know, I don't, you know, I don't think anything's going to happen this year. I don't really know, but if it doesn't, I do think next year is, is you got to do it or that's going to be it for this 10 year.

Alec lower Trinity road times. You wrote a, a very good piece, actually. I mean, it kind of opened my eyes to the necessity of DJ burns, which I mean, last year's DJ burns, I thought was a positive. I ultimately think he's a net negative because of how damaging he is to your half court defense.

You're going to play more possessions and half court defense than you are in your full court press. And he's really no help in that either. But you've made some very good points about what he, what his necessity is on the offensive end, because they don't have, they haven't had consistent performances from other players. Last night, obviously they didn't need him.

He only played 12 minutes and they scored 83 points, but they haven't gotten those, that consistency. When people ask me, I say the biggest issue with Kevin is that there has been basically no roster continuity from year to year, which is okay for certain schools, but it's hard. It's just, it's harder to operate that way. Is that accurate in your eyes or what do you see the bigger problem is maybe with Kevin? I think it's accurate. Yeah. It's, it's a roster management failure that I think, um, state's been dealing with really since after his first year ended. Um, it just hasn't been, he hasn't been able to put together, uh, a good roster.

Basically. Um, you look back at all the players that, that, uh, should have played at state and you expected to play at state and didn't, and you find so many holes in each and every one of his teams. And the biggest example to me is really the last two years of Markelle Johnson, you know, where you should have had Omar York seven and Sadiq bay on both of those teams. Uh, you know, your seven is a dynamite pick and roll big and obey as a guy who's averaging 13 and six for the Atlanta Hawks at a four man that can handle the ball that shot over 40% from three.

Uh, you know, instead you fill those spots with, you know, guys that don't come close to that production. And I actually think Kevin has done a good job as an in-season coach. And I think this year is his best coaching job. I think it's the most diverse offense that he's had. I think, um, he's done an excellent job managing DJ horn. I think if you, you know, you remember how bad corn was in the first two or three conference games, uh, and we wrote about how he really, really struggled to score against drop coverage. And he was three of 22, you know, from inside the arc, you've seen that change. It's been managed well, but, uh, you know, there's, it's a very limited roster and I think state's played at the ceiling of a limited roster for a number of years now. Yeah. Look, I, I, I don't even think they're capable of winning for in DC. Um, but I'd like to see him. I got, I just think defense is, is well, that's all defenses.

It's, are you willing? And I thought last night was kind of disappointing cause it didn't seem like they were really into that. Uh, but they, they got shots up and they scored 83 on Florida state and it was fun game for, uh, for, as we say in, uh, those people who are interested in soccer, a fun game for the neutrals, uh, to watch. And it was, it was as entertaining up and down a game. And I admit I was late to the party, uh, since I fall into that category of people who are also concentrating on the hurricanes and the Minnesota wild last night.

But, uh, what I saw was, uh, entertaining, uh, and I wasn't looking for a state to entertain anybody, including me, uh, last night, Alec lower Trinity road times, man. I appreciate your time. Uh, I think you've been neutral.

It was the, I'm just trying to provide some entertainment. That's all I'm trying. That's all I'm trying to do. Uh, Alec, I'll talk to you soon. Awesome. Thank you. You got it.