The NC State players are still learning about Creighton, but the perimeters guys were excited about hearing that Bluejays will likely want a track meet.
No. 11-seeded NC State (23-10 overall) will play No. 6-seeded Creighton (21-12) at 4 p.m. Friday on TNT in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack will likely get an early travel jump this week to adjust to the altitude in Denver, Colo.
Creighton scored a season-high 104 points against St. John’s in a win Jan. 25. The Bluejays also reached 90 points in four games and scored in the 80s in nine contests.
The Wolfpack players understand the urgency of this week.
“They like to shoot a lot of three’s and we have to defend very well,” NCSU sophomore shooting guard Terquavion Smith said. “They are constant movement and trying to keep you occupied, even on the backside as well.
“When you are playing for a national championship, I think preparation should change. I think the intensity should go up. Everybody should be locked in.”
NC State coaches have two aces in the hole in game-planning quickly this week — Synergy video service has every Creighton game broken down, and then the old fashioned reliance on coaching buddies who already have done a scout against the Bluejays.
“I’m starting to watch tape on them and started to watch late last night and then some today,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said. “I know [Creighton coach] Greg [McDermott] has done a great job with his program over the years. They are really good.
“The little bit I have watched, they are really good. They are really good offensively and get out in transition. They can shoot the basketball. Going into the game, they are two teams that like to play fast. It could be a high scoring game.”
NC State redshirt junior wing Casey Morsell has one close friend he can turn to about the Bluejays — Villanova wing Justin Moore. Moore and the Wildcats played Creighton three times this season, going 1-2, including a recent game in the Big East Tournament last Thursday. Moore missed most of the season due to injury, but played in all three contests against Creighton. Any advantage helps at this time of the year.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, but honestly, I would,” Morsell said. “All of my relationships of the guys I have played with, I value those. He [Moore] has a lot of experience playing Creighton. That is something I might do.”
NC State admittedly wasn’t 100 percent sure about making the NCAA Tournament, but when the graphic
showed up on CBS, the players and coaches could breathe a sigh of relief. NCSU is no stranger to being on the wrong side of the bubble over the years.
Morsell said he had mixed emotions during the day Sunday, but he didn’t actively search for brackets information.
“This is something I’ll value forever,” Morsell said. “It took a lot of sacrifice and a lot of grind. One of the things we did was to figure out who we are as a team.”
COVID prevented Morsell from playing in the 2020 NCAA Tournament while with Virginia. He had seven points in 15 minutes during a 62-58 loss against Ohio on March 20, 2021, in his last UVA game.
Redshirt junior center D.J. Burns played against Villanova while with Winthrop in the 2021 Big Dance. He had 12 points and four rebounds before fouling out in 19 minutes in a 73-63 loss against the Wildcats on March 19, 2021.
Burns and Morsell are the only two NC State players to have played in the NCAA Tournament. Injured redshirt junior power forward Greg Gantt also missed the playing in 2020 Tournament with Providence due to COVID, if the Friars had been selected.
NC State sixth-year senior point guard Jarkel Joiner has waited a long time for his first chance at playing in the Big Dance. He had 22 points and five assists with Ole Miss in the NIT Tournament, falling 70-61 to Louisiana Tech on March 19, 2021.
“I put a lot of work in even before the last month too,” Joiner said. “I wanted to play. I want to play in tournament. I knew we had a chance so like you said I was in hyper drive.
“Now, there is even more motivation. We put a lot of work in. We are ready to play.”
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