NC State outdid expectations against Duke, and Kevin Keatts should be proud! The Wolfpack battled ferociously against the Blue Devils and made them fight for every inch. No easy buckets, no easy stops, seemed to be the motto for NC State, and it worked. Even though the Wolfpack lost against Duke and Cooper Flagg, there were too many positive takeaways to mention.

On Pack Therapy, show hosts Tim Donnelly and Casey Morsell cover the Wolfpack’s loss against Duke. Morsell provided a much more nuanced point of view, being an NC State basketball alum himself. He talked about the ups and downs of his alma mater. “It’s just those lapses and those stretches that, y’know, I think last night they gave up a 19-0 run… That can’t happen, especially on the road.”

Donnelly, on the other hand, recognized the opportunity that NC State had in their matchup against Duke. “We’re obviously doing a big autopsy of this game because I think it’s a missed opportunity to get a season-changing win.” With that, he asked the Wolfpack alum to give his thoughts on how NC State can keep the game from bleeding away.

“Okay, with this group, in particular, you gotta call a timeout, in my opinion. You gotta stop the bleeding quick.” The former six-three guard said, offering a solution to Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack. “Because this team doesn’t handle being in deficits as well as previous teams.”

The Kevin Keatts coached team is currently standing 15th in the SEC. What they do have, however, are a lot of positives. They played without any fear and kept their foot on the gas against Duke, the second-ranked team in the country. With every game being a must-win situation for them moving forward, it will be interesting to see what approach they go for in Clemson.

Trouble against Clemson? What is in store for the Wolfpack and Kevin Keatts?

Keatts and his Wolfpack are in a bind. Their chances of obtaining any post-season chances are dependent on the schedule, a few going forward. Each win will further their chances of achieving success after the regular season. They are next going against the Clemson Tigers, and Morsell had a few words of warning about them.

“At a place like Cameron, you’re on the road. It’s not necessarily the atmosphere.” Morsell said when asked about what made Cameron’s atmosphere different. “It’s just more so that they get bailed out, it’s a lot of calls that go their way.”

Battling against bogus calls is a very difficult task for any team. But to go into someone’s home and deal with the crowd, the noise, and the officiating? It is a tough ask of Kevin Keatts and his team.

But fans are really happy with the way that NC State performed against Duke. Even though they couldn’t find an answer for Cooper Flagg, Wolfpack fans loved Trey Parker and his performance off the bench. The young guard could be on his way to earning even more minutes because of his explosive performance against Duke. NC State needs to lock in on their goals, however, as the season isn’t far from completion. If they want to keep their post-season hopes alive, the Wolfpack must win at any cost. Kevin Keatts will need to step up. What do you think? Can NC State make the playoffs? Will they make an even deeper run this year? Only time will tell.