Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: State vs Pittsburgh
Depending on which NCAA bracket guesser you prefer, the NC State basketball team is either one of the last four teams into the tournament field or one of the first four out.
Saturday's game against Pittsburgh will go a long way toward determinign which way the Wolfpack goes on the bubble.
It's a game that should be a slam dunk for coach Kevin Keatts' team. The Panthers are 15-14 overall (6-12 in the ACC) and have lost five straight coming into this game. State has also won its last eight games in the series, including a season sweep last year.
But the Wolfpack has had a tendency to play its worst against this kind of opponent -- as witnessed by its 0-4 record this season against fellow conference bottomfeeders North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
Even though Pitt has some nice young talent on its roster, including ACC Rookie of the Year contender Justin Champagnie and sophomore point guard Xavier Johnson, this one is all about State.
Play up to its capability, don't have long scoring droughts or allow the Panthers to dominate the offensive glass and things should turn out well for the Wolfpack. Lose this game and it will likely need a miracle at Cameron Indooor Stadium next week or at the ACC tournament to sneak into the NCAA field.
Make sure to check back here frequently for live updates and analysis from the game.
While you wait for tipoff, here's our coverage leading up to the game to help keep you busy:
Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 29, Pittsburgh
Does Wolfpack Bring Out the Best in UNC Or Does UNC Bring Out the Worst in State?
PREGAME
The usual suspects for State to start ... Markell Johnson, Devon Daniels, C.J. Bryce, D.J. Funderburk and Manny Bates ...
Johnson, Champagnie, Trey McGowans, Au'Diese Toney and Terrell Brown get the starting nod for the Panthers of coach Jeff Capel ...
Bert Smith, Jeffery Clark and Raymie Styons on the whistles today ... not an A crew.
This is a difficult game to judge. It's either a small crowd or a late arriving crowd here at PNC and combined with the early afternoon starting time, there's not a lot of energy in the building right now. The Wolfpack is going to have to understand the urgency of this game and generate its own juice. Otherwise, this one could be a real struggle. Given the up-and-down nature of this team this season, it's anybody's guess which one will show up here today ...
FIRST HALF
Devon Daniels attacks the rim and scores on State's first possession. That's a good sign. No. 1 becaues Daniels was in foul trouble against UNC and wasn't very productive and No. 2 because the Wolfpack can't get caught up shooting too many perimeter jumpers ...
So what does C.J. Bryce do on his team's second possession? Fire up two three-pointers, missing both ...
Manny Bates did pull down two offensive rebounds, though.
Wolfpack not playing much defense right now. Pitt has scored on every possession and is up 7-2 ...
Another offensive rebound for Bates. This time a tip-in basket. He's been very active so far in the early going. On the offensive end, at least ...
State is 5 of 6 on two-point attempts. It has missed all three three-pointers, all by Bryce ...
First TV timeout: Pitt 11, State 10
Beverly with a wide-open three from the corner off a Johnson feed and the Wolfpack has pulled even at 13 ...
Some really lazy passing into the post by the Wolfpack so far ... Hellems did it twice, now Beverly. State is lucky the arrow was pointing it direction. Otherwise it would have been another turnover. But Hellems turns it over anyway on the restart ...
Wolfpack is fighting itself here early ...
We've played nearly eight minutes here at PNC. Only three fouls called between the teams. Refreshing ...
Under 12 TV timeout: Tied at 14
State has four offensive rebounds, but only one has resulted in second chance points ...
Pitt star Justin Champagnie has yet to score. Beverly., who's six inches shorter, is guarding him right now. Surprised the Panthers haven't tried to exploit that mismatch ...
State is shooting waaaaaay too many threes (and not making many) right now ... Wolfpack is 6 of 8 on two-point attempts and 1 of 6 on threes. Make that 1 of 7 ...
There's Champagnie's first basket ... someone didn't pick him up on an inbouds pass under the basket. Now a turnover and a runout for the Panthers ... and State trails 23-16. Keatts wants timeout.
If you want to be an NCAA tournament team, you have to play like one. Right now, State isn't doing that. ...
Pitt comes out of the timeout in a zone and Hellems scores from the dead spot at the high post ...
Daniels gets hammered going to the basket on the break with no call ... the inconsistency of ACC refs is astounding ...
Bryce finally makes a three and State is back to within 25-23 ...
Markell Johnson slashes to the rim for two and it's a 7-0 Wolfpack run and a tie game. But Xavier Johnson immediately answers with a 3 to put the Panthers back up ...
Daniels misses again from three. State is now 2 of 10 from beyond the arc (9 of 14 from everywhere else). ...
Under 4 TV timeout: Pitt 28, State 25
The Wolfpack has 10 turnovers already .... half of them from Funderburk and Johnson ...
Crowd urges Bates to shoot when he's left all alone on the baseline and he listens ... missing badly ... Now Daniels is clobbered again with no call ... Keats has his hands out on the bench wanting to know what's up ... I'm not sure anyone in the ACC gets pounded more around the rim without getting calls than Daniels. ...
Devon Daniels tries to drive to the hoop with contact
Rob Kinnan/USAToday sports
And now Daniels gets called for a foul trying to block a shot ...
At the risk of sounding like a fanboi, they're not making the same calls at both ends of the court ...
The basketball gods prevail ... Terrell Brown misses both free throws ...
There's a guy in the stands yelling at the Wolfpack: "You've got to outplay them ... you've got to give more!" He's right. Maybe he needs to go into the locker room at halftime and tell it to the players directly ...
Bates scores and makes the and-one with one second left in the half to pull State within one. The Wolfpack can complain about the officiating all it likes -- and it would have a legit beef -- but the bottom line is that is has to play better and be more focused over the final 20 minutes or it will have no one to blame but itself for the result ...
Halftime: Pitt 31, State 30
SECOND HALF
Daniels misses at the rim and Bryce commits his third foul ... and Pitt starts the second half with four straight points. Not the way Keatts drew it up at halftime ...
Johnson drives to the hoop and scores, then lets the ref know he thought he was fouled ...
Under 16 TV timeout: Pitt 40, State 38
Funderburk with the very definition of a bad shot misses a 3 ... but a Bates offensive rebound gives him another chance and he scores at the rim to tie it at 40 (after getting away with a walk) ...
All of a sudden, they've realized that Pitt has been grabbing Daniels everytime he makes a cut ... That's two fouls called for exactly that on this possession ...
Beverly fires up an airball from three ... State is now 2 of 14 from long range, 14 of 25 on twos ...
And now Daniels picks up his third foul ... Wolfpack back down by four ...
Funderburk scores and is fouled .. and Champagnie gets T-ed up ... State is playing poorly, but Pitt is in the process of giving the Wolfpack an opening here. State needs to take advantage ...
D.J. Funderburk scores from close range
Rob Kinnan/USAToday sports
Champagnie shoved Hellems after the whistle. This could be an ejection ...
Funderburk completes the and-one ... But Beverly misses both on the technical, so State still trails by one ... but it gets the ball back ... And Beverly misses a baseline jumper. Wolfpack could have scored as many as eight points on that sequence. It only got three ... wasted opportunities like that are going to land State back in the NIT ...
Two Pitt baskets a Bryce miss increases the Pitt lead back up to five with 12:49 left ...
Beverly makes two free throws and is replaced by Daniels ... about two possessions too late ...
At least one State player is playing with the kind of urgency needed at this point of the season ... a second straight three-point play by Funderburk and State ties it again ... this time at 48 ...
Funderburk picks up his third as Hamilton scores for Pitt ...
Under 12 TV timeout: Pitt 53, State 51
The Panthers extend their lead to seven, but a Hellems jumper from the middle of the zone and a fast break rebound by Hellems off a Bryce steal and it's back to 58-55. Pitt wants timeout with 9:26 to go ...
The Wolfpack has not led in this game … and it's starting to run out of time. As disjointed as it has been on offense today, the big problem is not being able to get enough stops ...
Four fouls on Funderburk. This one came after Champagnie stripped the ball from Bryce following a rebound ...
Not enough stops ... the deficit is seven ....
Bryce fouled going to the basket ... one-and-one from here on out. State needs to make free throws to have any chance at this ...
Under 8 TV timeout: Pitt 61, State 55
Bryce makes both ... Wolfpack needs stops
There's one ... Daniels with a steal and Hellems with a fastbreak finish. Now Daniels draws a charge on the ensuing inbounds pass. Wolfpack with another chance to ties or lead .. H
Hellems with a 3 from the corner and State has its first lead of the game, 62-61 with 6:53 left ...
But it doesn't last long. Hamilton with two free throws and Pitt is back on top. Hellems also has four fouls. Second Wolfpack in foul trouble ...
Bryce takes an ill-advised three, but makes this one and State has its largest lead of the night at 65-63 ...
Hellems fouls out with 5:32. That hurts, because he's the guy that has led this comeback for State . He finishes with 16 points and was 6 of 6 from the floor (2 of 2 from three) ...
State has held Pitt without a field goal for the past 2:13 ... Bates scores off a Johnson feed and it's a 13-2 Wolfpack run. State has now scored on six of its last seven possessions and leads 68-63. Panthers call their next-to-last timeout with 4:29 left ...
Another stop ... Wolfpack has turned up the defense at just the right time ...
Bryce dribbles into trouble, but does the smart thing by calling time ... still plenty of time left in this one. State needs to keep its foot on the accelerator ...
Shot clock violation ...
But Pitt scoring drought is now over 3 1/2 minutes ... And Bates makes it a seven-point game with a layup late in the shot clock ...
State run is up to 15-2 (8-0 in the last three minutes) ... 70-63 Wolfpack
Pitt scoring drought ends three seconds under four minutes with a pair of Horton free throws ...
Funderburk fouls out with 2:27 left. He finishes with 13 points and seven rebounds ...
No matter what, fans at PNC are getting free chicken tonight courtesy of Champagnie, who misses two free throws ...
It's not over yet. Toney hits a three and Pitt is within 72-68 with just over a minute left ...
Beverly knocks the ball away on a Pitt fastbreak and Keatts wants a review. It's a quick one and the Panthers keep the ball. But Keatts got a free timeout to talk to his team out of the deal ...
Bryce is fouled, but State called timeout before the contact. So the Wolfpack will have the ball with 23 to shoot, up by four with 59.1 seconds left ...
Xavier Johnson tries to draw a charge on Markell Johnson and is called for the foul. Refs now reviewing, presumably to see if it might be a flagrant 1 ...
No flagrant ... just two shots for Markell ... Makes one ... State up by five with 55.2 left ...
Markell called for the foul this time, but McGowens obliges by missing both. Bates fouled ... Makes one. Six point lead ...
Now Beverly called for a foul. Wolfpack would do itself a favor by stop sending Pitt to the line in the final minute. Pitt helping out by missing free throws ...
Bryce makes two ... huge makes ... it's now a three-possession game with 29.3 seconds left ...
Manny Bates has 15 points and 10 rebounds ... both career highs. They just announced that to the crowd here and the redshirt freshman lets loose with a huge smile ...
State up 77-71 with 7.9 seconds left ...
A late turnover and Pitt basket, but State survives and keeps its NCAA tournament hopes alive ...
Final: State 77, Pitt 73
