Cat-Quick Barber, NC State Host Bucknell Saturday At Noon
12/4/2015 11:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State (4-3) vs. Bucknell (3-4) | ||
Date | Saturday, Dec. 5 | |
Time | 12 p.m. ET | |
Location | PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C. | |
Tickets | GoPack.com | |
Television | FS South (Wes Durham, Mike Gminski) | |
Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
Game Notes | NC State | Bucknell | |
Season Statistics | NC State | Bucknell | |
Live Stats | GoPack.com | |
Social Media | @PackMensBball | Facebook |
There's no denying how important guard play is in college basketball, and NC State has discovered its curator for an effective offense this season.
A starter and double-digit scorer last season as a sophomore, Cat Barber has taken on the responsibility of team leader and "quarterback" of the Wolfpack. Utilizing his speedy frame, Barber has led the Pack's aggressive, up-tempo offense to critical points in the paint and foul shot opportunities.
Through the first seven games of the season, Barber is second in the nation with 79 free throw attempts. Not only has he shown the speed and ability to get to the basket, he's converted 88.6 percent of his foul shots, which is fourth in the ACC.
This effort to get the ball in the hoop has inspired praise from NC State head coach Mark Gottfried. "He's so quick, I'd love to get him on the line as many times as possible in an effort to take advantage of the way the game is being called this year," the fifth-year head coach said.
Last week, Barber won the ACC's Player of the Week award, proving his effectiveness for the Pack.
During NC State's trip to Brooklyn for the Legends' Classic, Barber averaged 21 points and 7.5 assists against Arizona State and LSU. The leadership of the junior guard led his squad to a key win against LSU, which at the time was nationally-ranked.
When asked about maintaining his persistent offensive pedigree, Barber said, "I came a long way. Learning to play smart and run the offense has helped me understand when to pick my spots to attack the basket."
As the week continued, Barber led the Wolfpack with 37 points on 19-for-22 foul shooting in an 87-79 win against Winthrop. The effort sustained in Cat's 39 minutes on the floor during the Winthrop game showcased the stamina and the willpower necessary to spark the Pack's offense.Â
 "Cat Barber is really good, 22 free throws is a ton. You don't look at a stat sheet very often and see that from a single player," said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey. "Before the game, we said he lives there. They send his mail to the paint because that's where he lives. He is just constantly on the attack, putting foul pressure on you. That's a heck of a performance by him."
With the Pack figuring out the flow of the offense with many new pieces, Barber's persistence in getting to the line will be a key element to the team's offense as NC State pursues another March Madness run.
-- by Cherif Gueye
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THE STARTING 5 Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
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1. CAT, THE BIG CAT OR CAT DADDY Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Known famously as 'Cat', the NC State starting point guard is known by his family as Big Cat and Mark Gottfried has referred to him as Cat Daddy. Regardless of the moniker, the junior point guard has been one of the nation's premier players in the first month of the season. Barber is second in the ACC in both points per game (20.3) and assists per game (6.3) and is also averaging 5.9 rebounds. He was voted ACC Player of the Week this week after scoring a career-high 37 points in Friday's win over Winthrop, and that came averaging he scored 21.0 points per game in the Pack's two games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Barber is currently second nationally in both free throws made (70) and attempted (79).
2. MAYBE SOMEONE WILL SCORE 57 POINTS ON SATURDAYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Cat Barber exploded for 37 points in last week's win over Winthrop, but he has quite a way to go until he matches David Thompson. Saturday marks 41 years to the day when Thompson scored a school-record 57 points in the Pack's 144-88 win over Buffalo State. Thompson dropped his 57 points on 27-for-37 shooting from the floor. Thompson also grabbed 17 rebounds and became the seventh player in ACC history to record 50 points in a game. Additionally, Monte Towe recorded 14 assists, which at the time was a school record.
3. HOME SWEET PNCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Saturday's game will be a chance for NC State to regain its winning ways at home. The Wolfpack, in its 16th season at PNC Arena, is closing in on 200 wins at the multi-purpose building in west Raleigh. State owns a 194-75 all-time record in the building. Mark Gottfried owns a 55-19 mark at PNC Arena, which is the eighth-largest home court in all of college basketball.
4. PACK NOT HUNTING FOR THE '3'Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
One question coming into the season for NC State would be how to replace the long-range shooting of Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey. The duo combined for 172 made 3-pointers last season. That really hasn't been NC State's style in recent games, as the Pack ranks 318th in the nation by shooting 27.8 percent of its shots from3-point range. Caleb Martin and Maverick Rowan have combined to make all of the team's 37 shots from beyond the arc. Martin is second in the ACC with 3.14 made treys per game and Rowan is tied for ninth with 2.14. Aside from Martin and Rowan, the rest of the team is 0-for-15 from 3-point range.Â
5. A ROTATION BUILT FOR POSTSEASON - ALREADYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
It's not uncommon for a team to tighten its rotation at the end of the season, as conference and national tournaments approach. NC State, however, has been forced to go with a condensed lineup, playing essentially a seven-player rotation. In the two games in Brooklyn, seven players played all 425 possible minutes (Shaun Kirk appeared for 0:06 of game time vs. Arizona State). NC State's primary seven-player rotation has played 1,406 of the season's possible 1,425 minutes (98.7 percent). NC State has three of the top eight players in the ACC in minutes played: Cat Barber (2nd, 38.7), Caleb Martin (3rd, 36.9), Maverick Rowan (8th, 33.7).