Braxton Beverly and NC State serve notice with upset of No. 2 Arizona

It sure looks as though Braxton Beverly was worth the wait.

Truth be told, it's still hard to know quite what to make of this NC State team. Even head coach Kevin Keatts is still on the fence. It's a work in progress. But that work began in earnest Wednesday with a 90-84 victory over No. 2 Arizona in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, and Beverly -- the Ohio State transfer who was twice denied permission by the NCAA to play for the Wolfpack -- finally got his first real taste of the big time.

It was an awfully sweet debut.

Beverly actually got a few minutes of action in each of the two preceding games, but it all amounted to much ado about nothing. But Wednesday in the Bahamas, Beverly -- the 6-foot freshman who left Columbus after coach Thad Matta was fired this summer -- played 27 minutes, connected on 5 of 7 shots from the field and finished with 20 points.

It was, to be sure, a resounding note that this Wolfpack team wouldn't go quietly in the ACC, despite preseason predictions to the contrary.

Set aside Beverly's performance for a moment. Look at how NC State (5-0) managed to control the tempo against an Arizona team that should've dominated in the paint. The Wildcats' pair of 7-footers combined for 38 points, but Dusan Ristic's issues on the boards were again obvious, and Deandre Ayton had just two of his 27 points in the game's final seven minutes.

"They were getting at least 40 percent of the shots they missed back," Keatts said. "We had to match their intensity."

This isn't to suggest Arizona (3-1) can't match preseason expectations as a Final Four team. Ayton still finished with those 27 points, Allonzo Trier was exceptional, and the diversity of the frontcourt showcased the matchup problems the Wildcats can create.

What was perhaps more noticeable, however, was how dynamically this new-look NC State team performed.

Keatts said he's still figuring out how the pieces fit, and that's reasonable in his first season after arriving from UNC Wilmington. Beverly showed up less than a week ago. Al Freeman, the Baylor transfer who dominated this tournament a year ago, led the way in scoring with 24 and utterly flummoxed Trier around the basket. NC State's bench outscored the Wildcats' bench 39-6.

A work in progress? Sure. But there are clearly some big aspirations in Raleigh, and Wednesday's performance was a true measuring stick, Keatts said.

"We're getting better each game we play," Keatts said. "We've grown. Guys are starting to trust each other. And on offense, we're understanding where we're going and who we want to get the ball to."

Beverly's production was particularly interesting. In a conference where Duke looks like the obvious favorite, North Carolina returns with the pedigree, and a handful of up-and-comers such as Miami and Notre Dame have anointed themselves as the clear challengers, the Wolfpack struck a big blow toward respectability.

Don't confuse that with a finish line, Keatts said. But add Beverly's physicality in the backcourt with Freeman's veteran skill set, and suddenly Keatts' four-guard lineup looks like a real challenge for conference opposition.

And if there are concerns about the size disadvantage, Wednesday's performance should eliminate much of that. Few teams will be a more problematic matchup than Arizona, with Ristic and Ayton capable of working the paint and shooting from distance. But when all was said and done, NC State matched Arizona on the defensive boards (24 each) and rarely allowed transition baskets. That Arizona played relatively well and still found itself playing catch-up for the vast majority of the game only underscored that this was a clear NC State victory rather than an early lapse by the No. 2 team in the country.

What does all this mean in November? Perhaps nothing. But more likely, it's a signal that this isn't the NC State team the rest of the ACC was expecting -- whether it's Beverly's late arrival or the small lineup playing big. The statement the Wolfpack made Wednesday was clear: Don't hand the conference title off before this team has had a chance to show what it's really made of.

Purdue goes down

Arizona wasn't the only ranked team to fall in the Bahamas. Tennessee upset No. 18 Purdue in overtime on the strength of a huge second half by Grant Williams, who put up all 22 of his points after the break.

What does this mean for Purdue? The Boilermakers' size was a clear concern, as Tennessee controlled the board and went to the line 25 times to Purdue's 12 free throws. More significantly, Tennessee (3-0) controlled the tempo, getting off 21 more shots than Purdue (4-1) in the game.