Keatts: Slow ACC Start Not a 'Lost Opportunity'
It may only be the third week of January, but with five ACC games in the books, NC State is already one-fourth of the way through its conference basketball schedule.
Only once during that stretch has the Wolfpack had its entire lineup intact.
The absence of point guard Markell Johnson and big man D.J. Funderburk for a season-opening loss to Georgia Tech and leading scorer C.J. Bryce for the three most recent ACC games have been a contributing factor to the Wolfpack's up-and-down start.
At 2-3 (11-5 overall) with the most difficult part of its league schedule still to come, it could be argued that this first five-game segment represents a lost opportunity for coach Kevin Keatts and his shorthanded team.
But Keatts isn't ready to buy into that assertion.
"I wouldn't look at it as a lost opportunity," he said Monday on the ACC's weekly coaches teleconference. "It's our league.
"Obviously we know, as everybody around the league will experience if they already haven't, (that) injuries are a part of the game. Would I love to have all of our guys on the floor? We haven't. ... So it's tough."
Funderburk was suspended and Johnson injured for the Georgia Tech game while Bryce continues to work his way back from a concussion suffered during a pregame shootaround on Dec. 29.
Although he has returned to practice and took part in pregame warmups before Saturday's 72-58 loss at Virginia Tech, his status is still officially listed as day-to-day.
Keatts said Monday that while he hopes the redshirt senior will be ready to return for Wednesday's home game against Miami, Bryce's participation won't be determined until just before tipoff.
"I'll have a chance to see him in practice today and try to kind of feel out where he's at from the trainers and the doctors," Keatts said. "I couldn't tell you whether he's playing on Wednesday or not."
Without Bryce in the lineup, the Wolfpack has only eight available scholarship players. One of them, graduate transfer big man Danny Dixon, never got off the bench in Blacksburg.
That severe lack of manpower has forced Keatts into making some unwanted, but necessary adjustments to his favored uptempo style of play.
"Where it hurts us, it's not so much that we're missing (Bryce's) numbers, because he's been playing great for us. But it crushes our depth when you look at our guard spot." the coach said of the 6-foot-5 wing, who is averages 16.1 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 53 percent from the floor. "It also makes it tough on us because of the way we like to play.
"Obviously we love to pick up full court and try to get out in transition and it's changed the way we have to play. We've had to back off and play more halfcourt defense than I've ever played since I've been here and that's where we struggled.
"Missed opportunity? Every opportunity you play we'd love to win the game, But that being said we would just love to get healthy if we can."
With or without Bryce, State can at least look forward to playing at home for the next two games -- Miami on Wednesday and Saturday against Clemson.
After playing at PNC Arena only three times in the last eight games dating back to early December, Keatts is hoping that the return to familiar surroundings will be the catalyst that will kickstart the Wolfpack's rise up the ACC standings.
He warns, however, that it's going to take more than just home cooking to prevent any more missed opportunities.
"It's important to try to take care of your homecourt and try to get on track," he said. "Most of these games in the ACC are (one or two) possession games and we've got to do a better job of finishing.
"If you look at the Notre Dame game, we finished the game. I thought at Virginia Tech we came out strong, had a good middle part of the game, but didn't finish the game well. In order for us to be successful this week starting with Miami, I think we've got to take care of the ball, we've got to finish the game and we've got to play better."
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