Over the last few seasons, NC State’s offense became extremely half-court oriented. Mark Gottfried likes to say that he prefers an up-tempo style, but he’s proven to be flexible on that point. His first two Pack teams played fast, ranking 60th and 33rd, respectively in average possession length. During the Cat Barber era that followed, however, State slammed on the brakes.
Average possession length for the NC State offense under Mark Gottfried:
2012: 16.9 seconds (60th nationally)
2013: 16.5 (33)
2014: 19.3 (301)
2015: 19.5 (278)
2016: 18.5 (298)
2017: 16.1 (83)
(Note: these numbers span the rule change from a 35-second shot clock to the 30-second clock, which was instituted prior to last season.