NC State basketball is in San Diego for the two-day Rady Children’s Invitational, tipping off for the Wolfpack (5-0, 0-0 ACC) versus No. 13-ranked Purdue (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in LionTree Arena at 3 p.m. ET Thursday (FS1).
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Ideally, Kevin Keatts and his eighth NC State basketball squad would have arrived at their hotel at a reasonable hour on Tuesday night, as they were supposed to fly out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 7 p.m. ET. That way, they would have enjoyed a full night’s sleep to help adjust to the time-zone change.
First official business trip 🛫 pic.twitter.com/TOhyRslhYe
— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) November 27, 2024
But as the visibly sluggish 52-year-old Keatts explained to the media during his Zoom call on Wednesday morning, he and his players entered their first practice in San Diego behind on their Zs:
“Our plane was delayed so long last night that we didn’t even leave Raleigh until sometime after midnight.
“And so, I think the adaptation part is tough. You know, we were scheduled to leave around 7 o’clock. And for whatever reason — obviously, plane issues — we didn’t take off until about 12:30 [a.m. ET Wednesday]…
“We’re probably gonna be zombies [at Wednesday’s practice]. Hopefully, we can get adjusted before we play tomorrow. But today, I don’t know what to expect.”
After squaring off against the Boilermakers, the Wolfpack will prepare for a Black Friday bout against the BYU Cougars (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) or No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels (5-0, 0-0 SEC).
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