State 84, Wake Forest 64: Postgame Observations

NC State sends seniors Markell Johnson, C.J. Bryce, Danny Dixon and Pat Andree out with an 84-64 win that keeps its NCAA tournament hopes alive heading into the postseason

Rob Kinnan/USAToday sports

NC State's Markell Johnson and C.J. Bryce remembered all too well the disappointment their older teammates had a year ago when Georgia Tech not only spoiled Senior Night at PNC Arena, but also handed the Wolfpack a loss that likely kept it out of the NCAA tournament.

And they were determined not to let the same thing happen to them.

Johnson and Bryce both scored in double figures while putting together strong all-around games while getting an unexpected boost from graduate transfer Danny Dixon -- another player making his final home appearance -- as State put together one of its most complete efforts of the ACC season in an 84-64 victory against Wake Forest.

It was a win that didn't necessarily help the Wolfpack's NCAA tournament resume. But at this point in the season, it's almost as important that coach Kevin Keatts' team didn't hurt its chances by losing to another conference bottom feeder.

The victory, which also included another strong game from junior big man D.J. Funderburk and a resurgent shooting performance from junior guard Braxton Beverly, closes the book on State's regular season at 19-12 (10-10 in the ACC).

Here are some of the key factors that led to the win and what it all means:

◼ Senior sizzle: Senior Night is always a tricky proposition, because of the danger that the upperclassmen being honored will get too caught up in the emotion of the occasion or the younger players end up trying too hard to send their teammates out with a win.

In the case of the Wolfpack on Friday, neither of those happened.

In fact, not only were the seniors on their game -- including one highly unexpected contribution -- but a couple of the younger guys chipped in with big games as well.

First and foremost was point guard Markell Johnson, the only senior who played all four of his college seasons with the Wolfpack. Johnson hit two big early three-pointers to get his team started on his way to 13 points. But he also handed out 10 assists to pass Lorenzo Brown for third on the school's all-time list, pulled down five rebounds and picked up four steals in a vintage "Good Markell" performance.

C.J. Bryce, who spent his first two college seasons with Keatts at UNC Wilmington, finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists while seldom-used graduate transfer Danny Dixon saved his best for last by stepping in for injured freshman Manny Bates and scoring a season-high 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting in 11 1/2 productive minutes.

◼ Braxton's 'back': Beverly has been bothered by a bad back all season, to the point that he has to stand, rather than sit on the bench when he's not in the game.

If Friday's game is any indication, it appears as though he might be starting to feel better. His jump shot sure looked like it was healthy.

Beverly came off the bench to make his first four three-point attempts and scored all 16 of his points in the first half in his best offensive performance since scoring 23 points against Detroit Mercy in the second game of the season all the way back on Nov. 10.

The junior guard made two of those treys and scored eight points during a 10-0 run that saw State turn a 13-10 deficit into a seven-point lead upon which it continued to build for the remainder of the half.

Although he didn't score in the second half, he didn't need to. And he still managed to contribute on the defensive end with three steals.

 ◼ Stopping Sarr: Wake Forest big man Olivier Sarr was the ACC's Player of the Week last week after scoring 25 points in an overtime win against Duke, then piling up 30 points and 17 rebounds in a victory against Notre Dame.

Without Bates in the lineup to protect the rim -- he was held out a precaution because of a minor knee bruise -- it appeared as though the 7-foot junior was headed for another big game when he scored 10 points (on 5 of 5 shooting) and had six rebounds by halftime. But the duo of D.J. Funderburk and Dixon had other ideas.

The two combined to hold Sarr to just four points over the final 20 minutes, limiting him to only two baskets on six shots while also keeping him away from the glass, limiting him to just two rebounds. 

Funderburk, meanwhile, outplayed his Deacon counterpart on both ends of the floor, going 8 of 10 from the floor and leading the Wolfpack with 19 points and seven rebounds,

◼ No letting up: Finally and perhaps most importantly, State played one of its rare games without any major lapses. 

Okay, so maybe there was one, a 9-0 run by the Deacons midway through the second half. But it only lasted two minutes and the Wolfpack was up by 19 when it started. After a timeout to settle things down, State answered right back with a pair of buckets by Funderburk to regain control.

The Wolfpack has had trouble maintaining its focus from start to finish this season, but Friday's effort showed that it's capable of playing a full 40 minutes -- something it's going to need to do more often if it wants to make some noise at the ACC tournament in Greensboro and take its NCAA tournament fate out of the hands of the selection committee.

◼ What's it all mean? Speaking of those NCAA tournament chances, a lot will depend on what happens -- and to a lesser extent, who State plays -- at next week's ACC tournament. Depending on how Syracuse does on Saturday, the Wolfpack will either be the No. 5 seed (with an Orange loss) or No. 6 (with an Orange win).

Either way, it will take at least one win in Greensboro to keep State in the bubble conversation and two to take the guesswork out of the decision.

The postseason is here and as Bryce said after afterward: "I hate putting it in the hands of the committee, but it seems that we're at that point again. So we have to go to Greensboro and make a statement."