Who is NC State’s MVP in turnaround basketball season?

Raleigh

Kansas coach Bill Self was one of the first coaches to notice and speak up this season.

After playing NC State in Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, winning a close game, Ras was impressed and praised Wolfpack guards Jarkell Joyner and Terquavion Smith.

“It’s good to join,” said Self. “He’s a legitimate lead guard anywhere in the country. And Smith is clearly a legitimate scorekeeper anywhere in the country. They are like the fastest backcourt in the country. They are good.”

That was in late November after the Jayhawks’ 80-74 win over the Packers. And Self had one other thought to gauge the Wolfpack that day: “NC State’s 5-men don’t shoot the ball.”

It means the big guys of the pack, the centers. That was before center Dusan Mahorcic injured his knee and DJ Burns had eight points in 16 minutes for Kansas. of Big man for the package.

Burns shot the ball 26 times and scored a career-high 31 points in the Wolfpack’s 79-77 win at Wake Forest on Saturday. Florida State will be high on the scouting report as the Seminoles prepare for their game at NC State on Wednesday.

With the Wolfpack’s 17-5 overall record and 7-4 in the ACC, it’s hard to say who the team’s most valuable player is during the transition. A case could be made for the ACC’s leading scorer, Burns and Smith.

And he himself simply said, “No. The 14″ senior guard seems to do all the seasonal little things that add up to a winning effort — his 3-pointer against Wake Forest as an example.

let’s see

Jarkel is integrated.

This player may get a vote from NCSU coach Kevin Cates, who joined Joyner’s Wolfpack program after graduating from Mississippi last season.

“We hit a home run with this kid,” Keats said Monday.

Joiner leads the team at point guard. He’s cool in the clutch, makes big shots, hits free throws. He is quick to guard and is the other team’s best ball handler and willing defender.

Joyner averaged 16.5 points in 11 ACC games — going an inexplicable 0-for-12 from the field and scoring one point in the Pack’s ACC opener, a 68-60 loss at Pitt.

Joiner has scored 20 or more points in four ACC games since then, including 28 last week in the Pack’s 85-82 win over Notre Dame at PNC Arena. In conference play, he had 36 assists and made 88% of his free throws.

“He’s a great guy,” Kates said. “He’s very focused. It’s great on and off the court. It is perfect for your locker room. “

DJ Burns

The man they call “Big 30” has the size of an NFL defensive lineman and the smooth hands of a nimble upright bass player. He knows how to throw his weight close to the basket.

The graduate transfer from Winthrop is averaging 15 points after a big day in ACC games. The Demon Deacons haven’t double-teamed No. 30 many times because of his passing ability, and FSU coach Leonard Hamilton probably won’t either.

“DJ is a running back,” Hamilton said Monday. “He’s got a very high IQ. He’s a very good passer. He’s got good vision. When you have a low center of gravity, it’s a challenge to keep the ball out of his hands. Every time you trap, he’s going to find an open guy, so sometimes it’s not desirable to catch him.” .

“He has a special talent. “He is a difference maker,” he said.

Terquavion Smith

A sophomore, quick-twitch guard, he can score points in teams and is averaging 18.5 a game. Shoot anywhere, anytime. He’s X factor for any opposing coach’s game plan.

Will Smith go tonight? That’s the question Hamilton will have on Wednesday night. Smith gets the points, but how many?

Smith has played well with Joiner — the two look like they’ve been a backcourt pair for two years, not just 22 games. Together they are few.

“You win with great guards, and they have as good guards as anybody in this league,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said. “It’s a game of keepers and they’re good.”