© Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
NC State Looks To Build Off Win Over Duke
NC State did not get much time to bask in the glow of its upset win over Duke.
The Wolfpack (12-4 overall, 2-3 ACC) has to keep it moving, and a chance to reach .500 in conference play is in front of them with Saturday's road matchup at Virginia Tech.
The victory over Duke counts only as one game in the win column for NC State, the same as any other ACC school, but it has given the Wolfpack some confidence going forward.
“It’s really coming together," NC State forward D.J. Burns Jr. said after the win over the Blue Devils. "The guys are all starting to understand that all the pieces that we have together can really be effective if we put them in the right places."
After not finishing with a losing record in ACC play during each of Kevin Keatts' first four seasons as head coach, NCSU entered the 2022-23 campaign having lost 10 of its last 11 conference games. The Pack now has an opportunity to get back to where it was from 2017-18 to 2020-21.
It will not be easy. The inclination is to wonder if NC State will have a letdown following its big rivalry win on Wednesday? The truth is winning the games ahead in January was never going to be easy.
After Saturday's contest, NC State has road games at Georgia Tech and North Carolina that are sandwiched by home matchups with Miami and Notre Dame. The Wolfpack closes the month with a trip to Wake Forest on January 28th.
"We're growing," Keatts said after the Pack's thumping of Duke. "We’ve got an elite guard that came back, and I've added some new pieces, and because they're transfers, everybody thinks that we should gel right away.
"We're still growing, and this was a great teaching moment. We learned a lot through losing to Clemson, but I would rather learn a lot through winning a game against Duke by 24 [points]. We're growing, and we're going to continue to get better."
Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith celebrates NC State's win over No. 16 Duke on Wednesday, January 4th. The Wolfpack returns to action Saturday, January 7th at Virginia Tech.
© Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
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