NC State’s basketball season felt like several starts and stops due to injuries, but it ended with three wins over the last four games.

The Wolfpack finished 20-12 overall and 10-10 in the ACC, with resume-enhancing victories over the likes of Big Ten champion Wisconsin on Dec. 4, at Virginia on Jan. 20 and home vs. Duke on Feb. 19.

Those three wins combined with playing an improved non-conference schedule had the Wolfpack potentially reaching the NCAA Tournament. NC State topped Pittsburgh in impressive fashion in the ACC Tournament on March 11 in Greensboro, N.C., only to eventually learn that was the last time taking the court due to the coronavirus.

The debate among fans was strong at the time about first canceling the ACC Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament, but time has proven that the difficult decision was the correct one. The mystery ending of the year fell in line with the Wolfpack's season-long theme of taking a step forward, but then a step back.

The problems with attrition began before the season. Redshirt junior post player D.J. Funderburk was suspended for the first two games, freshman wing Dereon Seabron was forced to redshirt after being ruled an academic non-qualifier and junior backup point guard Blake Harris departed the team, eventually transferring to North Carolina A&T.

Senior point guard Markell Johnson suffered an ankle injury prior to the season opener against Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets topped the short-handed Wolfpack 82-81 in overtime Nov. 5. NCSU also lost redshirt sophomore reserve forward A.J. Taylor after he played three minutes against GT with a season-ending knee injury.

Having a “partial team” proved difficult and even more injuries struck. Sophomore forward Jericole Hellems, fifth-year senior wing C.J. Bryce and redshirt freshman center Manny Bates all entered the concussion protocol at some point in the season. Fifth-year senior center Danny Dixon suffered a nagging foot injury, and senior power forward Pat Andree had a sprained ankle down the stretch. The walking wounded led to junior combo guard Braxton Beverly to tough out games during the second half of the season with a back injury.

The short-handed squad forced head coach Kevin Keatts to abandon pressing for most of the season, and the Wolfpack couldn’t go with the “Noah’s Arc” philosophy of having two of everything, though the versatility of the remaining healthy players helped make up the absences.

Johnson was named second-team All-ACC after averaging 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and an ACC-best 6.8 assists per game.

Simply put the Wolfpack went as Johnson went, and for some games, that proved to be the highest of the highs. He had 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the huge 88-66 win over then No. 6-ranked Duke. Johnson’s ability to create off the high ball screen disrupted the Blue Devils’ defense to the point where head coach Mike Krzyzewski switched exclusively to a zone in the second meeting in Durham on March 2.

Johnson electrified the crowds with three halfcourt buzzer beaters — to end the halves against Wisconsin and Duke and win the game at UNCG 80-77 on Dec. 15. Johnson also joined his friend and former teammate Dennis Smith Jr. in delivering a triple-double, doing so against The Citadel on Dec. 22 with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Cleveland native persevered during his four-year college career, with a shooting slump interrupting his senior year. He fell from shooting 42.2 percent on three-pointers and 74.7 percent on free throws last year to 26.7 percent from beyond the arc and 60.6 from the line. However, he proved capable with his shooting over his last 10 games. He went 13 of 42 from beyond the arc during that stretch, which wasn’t ideal, but a big improvement compared to his slump (Dec. 29-Feb. 1).

Johnson dished out 10 assists or more in seven games and finished third in school history for assists behind Chris Corchiani and Sidney Lowe.

Related link — A career perspective: NC State's Markell Johnson

This tag was probably shared by a few players, and maybe that was one area where the Wolfpack lacked, but that’s not unusual with players under the age of 23.

Fifth-year senior wing C.J. Bryce was in the Keatts’ system for five years and understood what was needed more than anyone. The Charlotte native led the team in both scoring (13.3 points per game) and rebounding (6.3) this season.

Bryce was off to a strong start of his senior year until he suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head by Bates in a pre-game shoot-around Dec. 29. He missed the next four games, and then needed some time to get his groove back.

Redshirt junior wing Devon Daniels started to mature during the ACC portion of the schedule, and he made a big leap as an all-around player.

Daniels proved to be the lone NC State player to start all 20 games in the ACC. Daniels averaged 12.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and his improved shot selection helped him shoot 47 percent from the field. He still sometimes forced shots, but he also took on the dirty work by guarding opposing team’s top scorers.

Daniels erupted for 25 points and nine rebounds in the win over Duke, and ended the season in style with 23 points and six boards in the ACC Tourney win over Pittsburgh. Daniels reached double figures in all but four ACC games.

NC State redshirt freshman center Manny Bates anchored the Wolfpack defense in his first healthy year in the program.

The Fayetteville, N.C., native injured his shoulder before his senior year at Northwood Temple High, costing him two full years of basketball. He arrived at NC State and underwent surgery before the 2018-19 season and redshirted.

Bates set a new NC State freshman record with 83 blocked shots, which came of just shy of the school record set by Thurl Bailey in 1983. Bates added 5.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game, to go along with 2.9 blocks.

Bates is still raw on offense — he reached double figures in four games — but he made 65.7 percent of his field-goal attempts. He came through with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the 77-73 regular season win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 29. He blocked five or more shots in five games, including a career-high seven against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 10.

Funderburk played his role pretty impressively, especially when it became clear he could play power forward alongside Bates.

Funderburk could also have contended for “most improved” player, but his effectiveness at his role of scoring on the block, hitting the offensive boards and providing energy was a natural. He went from 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game to 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 26.0 minutes a contest this season. He also shot an impressive 60.9 percent from the field and a more than solid 76.0 percent at the free-throw line.

Funderburk had 21 points and nine rebounds in the win over Duke, and he played some consistent ball down the stretch. He averaged 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game over his final five games. Funderburk led the Wolfpack in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (6.8) in ACC action.

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