Reviewing Matt Able's Under-the-Radar Performance at Clemson
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CLEMSON, S.C. — After NC State's victory over Florida State on Jan. 10, freshman guard Matt Able had an interesting observation. The Wolfpack wrapped up its first road trip of the ACC season with a dominant victory over the Seminoles, sweeping both of its foes as the away team that week.
"I like road games just because our fans are so good and amazing, but there's something about someone else talking trash, being in another team's atmosphere," the guard said. "Being able to walk in and win in those games on the road is just an amazing feeling."
While Able didn't stuff the stat sheet in the team's third road win in a row when the Wolfpack took down Clemson, broken up by an off week and a home loss to Georgia Tech, he did impact the game positively, embodying his road spirit.
Finding rhythm on the road
A lineup change helped Able in the 80-76 overtime win over the Tigers. Wade swapped his senior guards in the starting five, benching Alyn Breed in favor of Tre Holloman, now back from his ankle injury. Breed did not see the floor as Wade turned the younger, more potent player in Able as his top guard option off the bench.
The young guard didn't flinch, battling hard on both ends in what turned into a grind-it-out conference duel between two hungry teams. A half-court-centric battle that required clever and sharp decision-making didn't seem like the kind of game Able would thrive in, but the freshman acquitted himself well enough to play 22 minutes, the most of any reserve for the Wolfpack.
Able scored six points, taking just three shots and burying a pair of free throws. His impact came in other areas, such as rebounding. The Wolfpack was at a distinct and, at times, obvious disadvantage on the glass against the oversized Clemson roster, but Able was there to vacuum rebounds when the bigs cleared space. The young guard tallied six boards in the victory. No one was prouder of the effort than Wade.
"I thought Matt Able really grew up tonight," Wade said. "I thought he was very steady in a tough environment... I thought we had a lot of guys step up and make plays for us."
Defensively, Able was more stout than any other player for the Wolfpack on Tuesday. He tallied a pair of steals and had a stop rate of 93%, the highest of any member of the roster. He finished with a team-best 101 defensive rating, over 25 points better than Quadir Copeland, who was the next closest.
While he didn't show up in the traditional box score the way NC State's big three of Copeland, Darrion Williams and Ven-Allen Lubin did, Able made a significant impact on the game. Clearly, his comfort on the road has become an unexpected yet welcome asset to the team.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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