RALEIGH – The hope for North Carolina State is that the week layoff in the schedule hasn’t cooled off Allerik Freeman.
The graduate transfer put aside shooting woes for a sizzling performance a week ago.
Now the Wolfpack is back in action this afternoon against visiting Notre Dame hoping to build on sudden success in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Freeman shot 3-for-13 on Jan. 24 at Pittsburgh, yet three days later his 29-point performance that included 7-for-7 accuracy on 3-pointers against North Carolina led to his selection as the ACC Player of the Week.
“Hopefully, this gets him going,” coach Kevin Keatts said.
Freeman, a senior guard, compiled a career-high point total and perhaps much-needed confidence.
“I was just going out there and trying to enjoy it,” Freeman said. “It was a lot of fun to go out there (and play for the first time at the Smith Center).”
Freeman’s 3-point shooting in the latest game tied an ACC record for most attempted 3s without a miss.
Freeman has come off the bench for the past three games after starting the first 19 outings with the Wolfpack. He shot 27-for-98 (27.6 percent) from the field in ACC games before the breakthrough in Chapel Hill.
“It has been tough on Al,” Keatts said. “As a coach, I don’t have to be tough on him because he has been very critical of himself. … As far as him coming off the bench, it was more just so he can see the game. Just relax a little bit. He’s playing and playing starter’s minutes.”
Keatts said another factor might aid Freeman. The return of point guard Markell Johnson takes some ball-handling burden off Freeman.
“He can just play off the ball and be able to score the basketball,” Keatts said.
Keatts said he had no problem with the break in the Wolfpack’s schedule even though it came following consecutive road victories.
“If you’re playing good basketball, you want to continue to play without having a week off,” he said earlier this week. “But we’re tired. … We’ve kind of stretched (the players) thin. Even though we’re playing well and coming off a great game, I think the rest is more better for us at this time.”
Notre Dame lost its sixth game in a row Monday at Duke. Before leaving, coach Mike Brey hinted that the Fighting Irish could have re-enforcements on hand for their second game of the week in the Triangle.
“We’re trying to figure this thing out,” Brey said. “Maybe we’ll have a few bodies back for N.C. State when we come back down this way. We could use a couple more bodies back.”
The Irish drilled N.C. State by 30 points a month ago today. Notre Dame won once more after that, but it has been downhill with point guard Matt Farrell, who could be back today, missing extensive time with an ankle bruise.
“Now you’ve got the back nine of the league,” Brey said. “We were 3-6 on the front nine. We’re going to have to do a little bit on the back nine of the league and we’ll see if we can.”