Wolfpack will be shorthanded for basketball opener

Several players are dealing with injuries while suspended big man D.J. Funderburk is still not ready to return as State faces Georgia Tech on Tuesday

Brian Fluharty/USAToday sports

The NC State basketball team won't have its full complement of players when it opens the 2019-20 season against Georgia Tech at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

Just how many members of the Wolfpack won't be available, coach Kevin Keatts isn't saying.

But with four players having sat out either the entire game or the second half of last week's exhibition victory against Mount Olive, the hit to the team's depth could be significant.

"We're a little banged up," Keatts said on the eve of his third season at State. "We'll make a gametime decision on a couple of guys. I won't say who, but right now we're not at full strength. 

"We're hoping a couple of guys will be ready to play at 8:30 tomorrow night. But right now, I don't know if we'll have (as many) bodies as I expected going into the season  opener." 

Of the players that sat out the second half against Mount Olive, junior guard Braxton Beverly and graduate transfer big man Danny Dixon are the most likely to see action Tuesday. 

Beverly, who was held out as a precaution because of a bruised knee, declared himself fit and ready to play on Monday. Dixon was suffering from what Keatts described at the time as a minor foot issue.

Less likely to be ready for the opener are freshman wing Dereon Seabron, whose right foot was in a walking boot for the exhibition game and sophomore forward Jericole Hellems, who didn't return after leaving the midway through the first half against Mount Olive with a shoulder problem.

One player that definitely won't see action is big man D.J. Funderburk.

Suspended indefinitely during preseason because of an on-campus parking incident, the 6-foot-10 junior remains sidelined. But according to Keatts, he has returned to practice with the team and is moving closer to being reinstated.

"I couldn't tell you when he's going to return or when he will play in a game," Keatts said of Funderburk. "I will say this: He's started to move towards things that I've asked him to do and that's why we allowed him to come back and practice. But he will not dress out tomorrow night."

Keatts said that while being shorthanded isn't the best way to start a new season, especially given the fast-paced style of play he prefers, he and his team are ready to make due with the talent they have available at the moment. 

That likely means more playing time than usual for newcomers A.J. Taylor, Chase Graham and Max Farthing.

"We're coming out of the gate saying that we expect to win every game we play," Keatts said. "We just have an ACC opponent. 

"We will be a better team two weeks from now, but everybody can make that statement. I want to see our guys play together, I want to see how far we've come a long from the time we played Mount Olive or ECU in the closed scrimmage That being said, I think some guys have got some great opportunities to be able to play and show people who they are."