Two days from the UNCW exhibition, and one of the other things that stood out against High Point was how NC State handled the zone and the decisions once they got into the gaps.

Moore mentioned it after the game. High Point went zone, probably in the second quarter, and NC State struggled with it a bit. He said they haven’t spent a ton of time on zone yet this early in the year, so some of that was expected. The bigger issue was what happened when they did attack. They want to put pressure on the defense, get downhill, and force the zone to move. But too often once they got in there, the decision wasn’t good. They either took a tough shot or got too deep and let High Point double them or tie them up instead of kicking it out earlier.

You could see the difference in stretches. When the ball moved and they found the open player, the offense looked smoother. When they forced it or held it too long against the collapse, the possession stalled. The overall shooting numbers reflected some of that. NC State finished at 35.5 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from three. A few players hit timely threes later, including Samuels and Leye, but the consistent kick-out and extra pass weren’t there often enough against the zone.

The work since High Point is probably centered on those choices. Attack the gaps, but recognize when help is coming and get the ball out sooner. Don’t force the drive all the way to the rim just because you got a step. Make the simpler pass and keep the defense moving. Moore has said they still want to pressure the defense and get downhill. They just need better decisions once they’re there.

Those stalled possessions against the zone kept High Point from falling further behind. If the extra pass becomes more automatic, the offense should create cleaner looks. UNCW will be a good check on whether that part has improved.

Next is “1 Day to UNCW,” which will look at the overall energy and the little things Moore said still need to be cleaned up before the Seahawks come to Reynolds.