Final Thoughts: NC State 75, UNCW 40

It is early, and both exhibitions were against mid-majors. High Point looked solid, and UNCW should be better than last year, especially on the defensive end. They just are not clicking on offense from what I could see. Some of that is on them, and some of it is NC State putting them in that spot. From what I see, the Pack is better defensively than what they showed last year.

I like that Moore recognized the strengths and built the team around quickness. A couple of reasons why are Qadence Samuels and Ky’She Lunan. Samuels looks really comfortable in her role, and you can see the confidence in her effort. She was good last year, but this year she has accepted what she is asked to do and is playing all in. She finished with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against UNCW, and after the game she said she barely rebounded last year, so one of her goals is to get every rebound, every game. Ky’She is an upgrade too, and this is not a knock on Zam Jones, but the length she brings creates a problem on the perimeter that Zam just did not have. Add Khady Leye in the front court, who is not shy about getting after it away from the post, and the three of them together are pretty impressive. Pile on the fact that Khamil Pierre has taken her game up a few notches on both ends—she scored 27 on 12-of-17 with six boards in 25 minutes—and this team looks like a handful defensively heading into the regular season.

In the postgame media session, Moore pointed out a lot of things that still need work, and he is probably right. He said they have spurts and flashes, and that they have to put 40 minutes together when the ranked teams and ACC play show up. He also said they have to shoot the ball better, take care of the ball better, and limit second chances. But comparing what I saw in the preseason last year to this year, he has to be pleased inside even if he is not showing it. I know I am.

Offensively, the inside game is better than last year. You can see the chemistry between Leye and Pierre, and they complement each other. Even Trivette, when she got in, looked more comfortable than most freshmen bigs I have watched in the past. She had four points and six assists in 15 minutes. All of that says this team is a bunch of players who know their roles. They look deeper than last year, more athletic, and more determined, which is what Pierre and Zoe talked about at the ACC tipoff. The offense starts with those two bigs. Both are efficient, and I like how they play next to each other. If a team sags off one, the other will make them pay.

The open question is the three-point shot, and whether it has improved. As of now, not really when it comes to Brooks and Wooten. You have to give Zoe a little pass for now. She was nursing a hip injury against UNCW, and against High Point they got out of sync when the Panthers threw a zone at them that the Pack had not practiced much. Zoe spent a lot of that night trying to penetrate and find the open man. Desiree gets a pass for now too. New team, new system, and she is still figuring out how to play next to Zoe. She brings a history from Colorado that says she can get it done. Jernigan looks more comfortable as well. She came in with the reputation as a three-point shooter, so the hope is that translates in her sophomore season.

Samuels and Ky’She have clearly been working on it too, and the two exhibitions show some signs of that. It is not a finished product, but the willingness to shoot and the confidence in a couple of makes is different from last year. Fans will also like Kamora Pruitt. She is a big wing who flashed against UNCW when she drained a three, and on another play she grabbed a rebound and led the break that ended in two. Think of her as a bigger, stronger version of Kayla Jones.

If the Pack can get the offense going beyond the arc, they are going to be fun to watch and a team the ACC will not want to see. It is early, and both nights were against mid-majors, but the defensive pieces and the inside chemistry are farther along than they were at this point last year. The three is still the open question. The rest of the outline is already there.