NC State junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu carved out a reputation last year as being a double-double machine, finishing with an impressive tally of 14.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder has four this season through 19 games, and has run into some bad luck with men in stripes. Abu was called for four quick fouls and limited to 13 minutes against Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He has finished with four fouls in 10 different games this season.
Abu’s numbers are down this season, partly due to struggling to stay on the floor. He averaged 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game last year, but is down to 10.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 26.9 minutes a contest.
“That’s very key,” said Abu about staying out of foul trouble. “I just have to keep doing the things that benefit us and just keep playing hard. Sometimes you get fouls and don’t play a lot, but those things happen.”
NCSU head coach Mark Gottfried was admittedly perplexed on some of the fouls called against Abu against the Panthers. The Wolfpack host Wake Forest at 2 p.m. Saturday, and will need a strong bounce-back game from Abu.
“We have to keep Malik in the game because he’s had some foul issues all year, really,” Gottfried said. “The other night to be quite honest, I watched the film closely and I debated how much those fouls really were. At the end of the day, they called it. He has to do a better job of staying out of foul trouble.”
NC State freshman center Omer Yurtseven was able to pick up some of the slack against the Panthers. He recorded a career-high 16 rebounds and chipped in 12 points in the 79-74 win.
“Rebounding Omer is amazing,” Abu said. “He had 10 [rebounds] in the first half and I needed him to get 20. When he does that, it opens his whole game up. I wasn’t surprised because he has the ability.”
Abu has gone against some talented power forwards this season, including Creighton’s Cole Huff, North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks and most recently had a tough one against Georgia Tech’s Quinton Stephens.
Wake Forest sophomore power forward John Collins leads the Demon Deacons with 16.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and is shooting 59.1 percent from the field. Collins exploded for a career-high 27 points in a win over Miami on Wednesday. Abu hopes to take away “everything” that Collins likes to do.
“He’s a very good player and we see him as their best player and somebody that you have to stop,” Abu said.
Collins was an unranked three-star prospect out of West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman, but flashed his potential in a reserve role last year.
“Collins has really become a good player in our league,” Gottfried said. “He has really developed well.”
The Wolfpack players were made aware that Gottfried is just one win away from reaching 400 in his career. Gottfried downplayed the upcoming milestone achievement, which started with a 108-62 win over Berry College on Nov. 25, 1995, in his first game with Murray State.
“I’m not concerned with all that right now, but I’m concerned about our team playing really well,” Gottfried said. “All that stuff will take care of itself.”
Abu hopes he can reward his coach with a victory Saturday.
“That is a good milestone for him as a coach and there are a lot of coaches out here that don’t have that,” Abu said. “It’s important and we are going to get it for him.”
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