It took only five games for first-year NC State coach Kevin Keatts to get a signature win with his new team, a 90-84 upset of No. 2 Arizona on Wednesday night in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. 

“A lot of people will be more surprised than we are,” fifth-year senior Lennard Freeman said (via The News & Observer). “We’ve said for a while that people don’t know how how good we are. We’re just scratching the surface.”

The Wolfpack has had big wins against highly ranked neighbors Duke and North Carolina over the years, but, according to the school, this was only the second regular-season win in NC State history against a non-conference opponent ranked No. 1 or 2.

Here are three takeaways from NC State's upset of No. 2 Arizona:

1. This is not the same underachieving Wolfpack.

Sure, NC State showed flashes in recent seasons, especially with Dennis Smith Jr. leading the way, but Wednesday's performance — with the Wolfpack pressing, hustling and playing defense, in addition to hitting big shots — shows Keatts is making headway, and the win over the Wildcats represented a quantum leap forward.

“We’re trying to build a culture here,” Keatts said. “Obviously, when I took over the program I wanted to change a couple things and put in our system. The debate that always happens, when you’re a first-year coach at a different program, do you try to put in your system or do you play to the guys you already have in the program? I felt like at UNC Wilmington it worked right away, and I could put the system in, and these guys are making me look good five games into the season.”

Last year, Keatts' predecessor, Mark Gottfried, practically had to beg his team to play with intensity on the defensive end. Not so this season, and remember: defense, unlike offense, never goes cold.

2. Arizona, despite its ranking, is a work in progress.

Speaking of defensive intensity …

When was the last time Arizona scored 84 points and lost? Answer: Jan. 7, 2016 (UCLA 87, Arizona 84.) Coach Sean Miller is right: His team doesn't lose many when it scores in the 80s.

This one this early will give him something to use as motivation going forward.

"The last couple of years, maybe our offense wasn't quite as far along as this year's, but our collective will defensively, our togetherness defensively more than made up for it," Miller said (via The Associated Press). "Right now it looks kind of like I'm the new coach trying to teach these guys a system because we were really out of sync."

Arizona is loaded with talent (see: DeAndre Ayrton, Allonzo Trier, et al.). Give the Wildcats time — like until March — and they'll be fine.

3. Braxton Beverly? Ohio State's loss is NC State's gain

Declared eligible only three games ago, Beverly missed the Wolfpack's first two games because of an NCAA issue tied to his attending summer classes after enrolling early at Ohio State and then transferring to NC State.

But the freshman led the way in the critical moments after Arizona took a late lead, 75-73, and the Wolfpack responded with a 13-1 run to take control of the game.

Beverly entered Wednesday's game with just two points on 1-for-9 shooting in two games, but he made 5 of 7 shots, including with three 3-pointers. He also served as a "de facto point guard," according to The News & Observer, when Markell Johnson left the game with leg cramps.

"I've watched this tournament the last two or three years straight, and I've always thought, 'Man, I'd love to be down there,'" Beverly told CBSSports.com after escaping the postgame celebratory scrum. "It's something I'm definitely going to remember for the rest of my life. It's amazing."