Three takeaways from NC State’s 79-70 loss to No. 12 Tennessee

N.C. State flew 1,400 miles to play a ranked basketball team, then was stuck in traffic Saturday in San Antonio and late arriving at the arena.

The game and the trip did not end well for the Wolfpack. No. 12 Tennessee, getting 23 points from Josiah-Jordan James and 20 from Zakai Zeigler, spurted in the final minutes for a 79-70 victory at the Frost Bank Center.

Zeigler and James both knocked down critical 3-pointers late in the game – Zeigler with 2:16 left and James his 3 with 1:41 remaining for a 75-67 lead.

That 1-2 punch finally put away the Wolfpack (7-3), which came to Texas for the Hall of Fame Series matchup intent on a picking up a victory that could help in March when NCAA tournament hopefuls are analyzed. Tennessee was the first ranked team the Pack has faced this season.

Tennessee (8-3), hardened by playing five ranked teams this season and beaten at North Carolina, was shooting 32% on 3’s but was 12-of-27 Saturday while the Pack was 8-of-18.

The Pack’s D.J. Horne scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the first half -- 11 in the first six minutes. D.J. Burns had 15 points but the Wolfpack had some players who struggled offensively – Jayden Taylor and Casey Morsell were a combined 4-for-16 from the field.

“It was a hard-fought game, a physical game,” Keatts said in his postgame comments to the Wolfpack Sports Network. “We made a few more mistakes than Tennessee. But we’ve got a lot to build on.”

The Vols were the tougher team on the boards, closing with a 40-31 edge as Tobe Awaka, a 6-8 sophomore, had a game-high 12 rebounds. Tennessee had 15 offensive boards although the Pack did have more second-chance points.

Tennessee’s leading scorer, 6-6 transfer Dalton Knecht, was not a factor. Averaging 18 points a game, he missed six of his seven shots and had two points.

“Tennessee is so much more than Knecht,” Keatts said. “They’re a good team, but we’re going to grow.”

Three takeaways from the game:

Zeigler too tough

The Pack had no answer for Zeigler, a speedy 5-9 junior from Long Island who was averaging 5.7 points a game. Different matchups were tried but the little guy was one of the game’s big stars, if not the biggest.

Zeigler got his hands on balls, made some tough shots. Shooting 24% on 3’s this season, he he hit four of eight from the arc.

Zeigler had eight assists and four steals. Add in his season-high 20 points -- his previous high was 11 -- and it was a big night.

“We did a great job on Knecht but I thought Zeigler and James really hurt us,” Keatts said. “Between the two of them they had nine 3’s.”

Now playing: Kam Woods

NCSU coach Kevin Keatts had another player available and on the roster Saturday: guard Kam Woods.

Woods, a two-time transfer, had been waiting on a waiver from the NCAA that would grant him immediate eligibility. Then came after a court injunction this week, the NCAA making the decision to allow all two-time transfers the opportunity to play this season.

Woods, who came to the Pack from North Carolina A&T, entered the game in the first half. At times he was on the court with MJ Rice, the Kansas transfer who played his third game for the Wolfpack, and knocked down a long 3-pointer late in the first half for his first points with the Pack.

Woods got more playing time in the second half and 18 minutes in the game. He missed on a shot with a little less than four minutes left and Pack trailing 67-63 and Ziegler soon followed with his key 3 with 2:16 left.

“I was happy for Kam,” Keatts said in his radio interview. “I’m happy he was able to get out on the floor. I thought he did some good things.”

Decisions to make

Keatts has some interesting decisions to make in deciding on his substitution rotation and in allotting playing time.

Woods had 18 minutes in his first game and Rice, who is continuing to play his way into shape, had 13 minutes but forced some things and was not a factor in the game.

Taylor and Horne are earning their starts and minutes, although Taylor had a tough time Saturday and used up a lot of energy chasing Ziegler. Burns and Morsell will start. And then …

It could be that Keatts uses his guys much as he did Saturday – that is, as many as 10 (LJ Thomas and Breon Pass did not play). Or he could start shortening up the bench.

“We’ve added two new pieces, so our guys are trying to figure out how to play with those guys,” Keatts said.