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GAME NOTES: NC State Takes on EKU at 8pm

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10 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels
8pm | ESPN 3 | PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC

NC State is coming off what was likely their best performance of the season. TJ Warren led the way with huge help from Cat Barber and Jordan Vandenberg as they took down a very talented (but shorthanded) Florida Gulf Coast team. Tonight they face another talented mid-major team that has a good chance at winning their conference this season.

Opponent: Eastern Kentucky (6-1)

Get to know Eastern Kentucky: Mark Gottfried isn’t messing around with his scheduling. While Eastern Kentucky might not be a household name, they are a very quality opponent. Coming off a 25 in season and their first postseason win in 68 years (CIT), the Colonels are starting to get some recognition. This season they are the favorite to win the Ohio Valley Conference thanks to a lot of returning talent.

Who have they beat this year?: Here is another team that is about to really get their first challenge. They biggest names they’ve beat are FIU and Kennesaw. Their only loss this season has come at the hands of Youngstown State, a team that has actually been pretty impressive this season.

Who are their top players? They did lose their go-to guy from last season. Mike DiNunno(15 ppg, and 4 assists) was really the guy that made their offense go. The senior point guard did it all for the Colonels last year, but all is not lost with him graduating. Glenn Cosey, a 6 ft guard who came in from Columbus State Community College is a true scorer and a real playmaker. Cosey is currently leading the team in scoring at 19ppg. This is coming on the heels of a sophomore year where he scored 18ppg at his community college.

Can NC State beat them? This is a talented team, but if State plays anywhere near as well as they played vs. FGCU, then they shouldn’t have a problem. State has the definite advantage in the paint where EKU is small and has had trouble on the boards, but it will be a test for Cat Barber and Dez Lee who will need to step up and show their shutdown defensive skills against Cosey. EKU will certainly have trouble keeping up with State’s pace of play and they really don’t have anyone to match up with Warren, but again, this team is talented and has years under their belt, so the Pack can’t take them lightly.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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7 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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