Taking care of business: 3 takeaways from NC State basketball’s win over Coppin State

Coppin State ranked No. 363 out of 364 basketball teams, averaging just 54.6 points in the first six weeks of the season. Statistically, the Eagles are one of the worst teams in Division I.

CSU, which plays out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, didn’t look like a bottom-of-the-barrel team Wednesday night. Instead, the winless Eagles looked feisty, aggressive and fearless, and the Wolfpack was lucky to escape the game with a win.

N.C. State defeated Coppin State, 66-56, in its annual heritage game — and the Pack’s final tuneup before heading to Phog Allen Fieldhouse to face No. 10 Kansas this weekend.

CSU (0-11) jumped out to an early nine-point lead after beating the Wolfpack (7-3, 1-0 ACC) on both ends of the floor.

“I just didn’t think we played like we needed to,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said, crediting the visitors’ scrappiness. “We can say, ‘Hey, did you play down to the level of competition?’ I would say, No. I just think they controlled the tempo and we kind of kind of fell into that mode and got behind a little bit. “

N.C. State’s offense had no rhythm in the five and a half minutes of play when the team opened the game 0-for-10 from the field. The Pack did not score its first points until the 15:42 mark of the first half, when Michael O’Connell made a free throw. Freshman Trey Parker made the first field goal nearly a minute after O’Connell’s shot.

At halftime, the Wolfpack was 11 of 33 from the field, with O’Connell and Jayden Taylor scoring one point apiece. The duo ended the contest with a combined four points and took a combined three shots. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was held scoreless.

On the defensive side, N.C. State looked out of sync. The Eagles started 6 of 8 from the field and led by as many as nine. They also scored 18 points in the paint by the under-8 media timeout. Coppin State was on pace to surpass the Wolfpack’s season high for first-half opponent points scored.

N.C. State seemed to figure things out as it kept CSU at arm’s length for the remainder of the night, but it wasn’t the blowout performance many were expecting.

“I feel like we just came out sluggish,” Dennis Parker Jr. said. “I wouldn’t say (we) underestimated them, because we know every person at this level is good, regardless of the record. I will say, we looked at their size and we kind of played a little bit softer than usual.”

Marcus Hill lead N.C. State with 16 points. Dontrez Styles followed with 15 and a team-high seven rebounds. Twelve of his points came in the second half.

“It’s good that some other guys played well and contributed, but at the end of the day, you need your players to play,” Keatts said. “We gotta get those guys playing better consistently.”

Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s midweek win:

Bench players come up big

Keatts pulled the majority of his starters less than three minutes into the game after their abysmal start. Hill, Styles and Ben Middlebooks finally found some success, but the bench deserves the most credit.

Parker Jr. became an unsung hero for N.C. State, contributing on both ends of the floor. His defensive efforts disrupted the Coppin State offense, at times trapping players and

The hybrid forward finished with 10 points, on 4 of 6 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. Parker Jr. has been in and out of the rotation as the staff seeks to keep him healthy after multiple ankle injuries.

“It’s been a process. I had to stay patient,” Parker Jr. said. “It’s a tough process to recover off of, but I feel like I’m finally getting back comfortable with the feeling of the game,” Parker Jr. said.

Freshmen Paul McNeil, Trey Parker and Bryce Heard all entered the game in the first half, as well. Though they weren’t significant scoring threats, the trio added depth in the rebounding effort, something N.C. State lacked early in the game.

Forward Ismael Diouf earned late-game minutes, which he used to score two points and force a turnover.

“I‘m trying to get those guys as much minutes as I can so those guys can grow,” Keatts said. “When you’ve got freshmen, you try to steal minutes.”

There are going to be plenty of games where these guys won’t play, but having options will pay dividends as the season continues.

Huntley-Hatfield remains in slump

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was a consistent presence in the Wolfpack frontcourt in the first six games of the season. In those games, the senior transfer shot 26 of 44 from the field (59%), all but two were inside the arc and scored double figures in all six. He added 35 rebounds and seven assists.

In the last three games, Huntley-Hatfield shot 7 of 17 (41.1%) for 16 points and 17 rebounds. His shooting struggles continued against the Eagles.

Huntley-Hatfield shot 0 of 4 in the weekday clash. The forward was not only unable to make his routine shots, but he looked uncomfortable and out of sorts.

“That guy’s a proven guy in the ACC. He’ll be better,” Keatts said. “Unfortunately, players don’t have bad games all the time, and they don’t have great games all the time. With this group, one of the things I’m trying to do is get everybody to be consistent.”

Keatts claimed the big man is healthy but is just trying to find a flow. The head coach also said some games are going to be better than others based on the matchup.

“Think about the Florida State game. They did a tremendous job on all of our post guys,” Keatts said. “We were able to drive their bigs, but their guards, because they’re so big, they’re fronting the post. We had a hard time getting the ball inside, but our guys followed the game plan. We wanted to drive and kick, and we got some great shots off.”

The Louisville transfer has shown his abilities at the center position, but recent games are concerning. The Wolfpack needs to figure out what is limiting Huntley-Hatfield — whether it’s a mental block or an undisclosed physical injury — because it needs his presence in the interior.

3-point shooting struggles again

In the first four weeks of the season, N.C. State hit roughly 27% of its shots from 3-point range. Then, it had a three-game stretch where it shot 34% or better. That momentum did not carry over into the Pack’s game Tuesday.

N.C. State started 0 of 4 from the perimeter, including 0-for-2 from Hill. Guard Breon Pass made the long-range bucket nearly six minutes into the game. Parker Jr. buoyed the efforts from the outside, shooting the go-ahead 3 with 4:14 in the first. He added a second triple at the end of the first to put N.C State up seven points. At halftime, the team was 4 of 12 on 3-point shots.

Styles added another triple after the break, as a team, the Wolfpack finished 6 of 18.

On any typical night, this would not be concerning, because N.C. State prides itself on getting into the paint. Except it finished with one of its weaker performances, scoring 30 points inside. The Pack still needs consistency in other areas of the floor, like its defense and post penetration, if it’s going to have questionable shooting from 3.