WATCH: Terquavion Smith called for questionable technical foul against Duke

On3 imageby:Griffin McVeigh02/28/23

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In-state rivalry games late in the year can bring out emotions, especially in North Carolina. NC State is at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke on Tuesday, looking to sweep the season series. However, a technical foul called on Terquavion Smith in a moment with Tyrese Proctor was not one of those.

At best, the call from the officials is questionable at best. Especially coming from the monitor. There is some light pushing from Smith on multiple occasions. Proctor even slightly bumps into DJ Burns. However, the only reason Proctor went down is because he wanted to get and call.

Lucky for Proctor, he was able to do enough to have the officials slap Smith with a dead ball technical foul. It’s the NC State star’s second before the under-eight timeout, forcing head coach Kevin Keatts to place him on the bench.

You can watch the full moment here.

Duke went on a quick 9-0 run after the call was made, capitalizing on the momentum. Smith’s absence clearly has a major impact on the way NC State is going to play, both on the offensive and defensive side of the court.

More on Terquavion Smith, struggles against Duke

As ESPN play-by-play announcer Rece Davis pointed out as Smith took a seat on the bench, his point total matched the number on his jersey. He has not played well in the limited first-half minutes missing all four shot attempts he has taken from the floor.

Keatts will have a decision to make moving forward, deciding if he wants Smith to potentially pick up a third foul. If not, he will not get back on the court until the second half. The Wolfpack are going to need his quality as well if they want to get another win against an in-state rival.