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OUR TAKE: NC State Squeaks By Detroit 82-79

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10 years ago

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NC State 82 – Detroit 79
BoxScore

Mark Gottfried Press Conference:

 

NC State narrowly escaped a late game loss when their 18 point lead disappeared down the stretch. Luckily they got some unexpected production from a few key guys and came away with a 82-79 win.

– TJ Warren dropped 29 points to lead State. Another game, another huge scoring output for this kid. He was pretty unstoppable against Detroit and was able to make a ton of tough shots that took the air out of the Titans sails a few times. It’s looking more and more like when the dust settles, TJ is going to find himself atop the ACC in scoring and believe me, NBA scouts are taking note.

– State needs to improve on defense. Detroit shot 46% on the night and a lot of that was them just taking the ball to the rack and no one stopping them. I’m not sure if the the guys felt like they had the game in hand or if they were just not all that ready to play after the week layoff, but the D wasn’t pretty and against ACC opponents it’s going to cost them. The help-side defense was pretty nonexistent and when it was there, it was late. This led to some foul trouble, which led to some key guys sitting some key minutes. State must get better here if they want to compete.

– Too many turnovers for this team. With the talent level and overall athleticism of this team, there is some room for mistakes, but not a great deal. For instance, overcoming 15 turnovers is not something this team is going to be able to do constantly. They did it against Detroit, but it was thanks to huge offensive production from Warren and Turner.

– Cat Barber needs to stay on the court. Don’t get me wrong, Lewis played well. he finished with 6 points and 7 assists, but State needs Barber defensively. He only got 16 minutes in this one thanks to foul trouble and I think that is why Detroit’s dribble penetration was so effective. This team needs Tyler Lewis AND Cat Barber, but 26 minutes of Lewis and 16 of Barber probably isn’t your perfect balance. Barber finished with 4 points, 4 assists and 4 fouls.

– Ralston Turner was on FIRE. There was a stretch there when the guy couldn’t miss. He came off the bench to drop 21 points on 6-8 from 3pt range. Detroit wanted to rely on their zone but Turner’s shooting was putting a damper on that plan. Now, he’s not going to shoot like this every time out, but if he can come anywhere close to this then he’d be doing a pretty nice job of trying to replace Scott Wood. Teams in the ACC are watching right now and if you are making a blueprint to beat the Wolfpack then you are coming out in zone. Ralston is trying to make teams rethink that strategy.

– State couldn’t get much going inside, but it was nice to see Kyle Washington start to gain some confidence (8 points, 6 boards) and  Lennard Freeman continues his onslaught of the boards. This guy is a rebounding machine. Sure, he didn’t score, but he scooped up 9 more boards.

– Dez Lee will come around. He’s kind of struggling with his shot right now, but he’s doing a great job on defense. I think when he gets in the groove and starts settling into the level of basketball, he’s going to produce a lot more on offense. Against the Titans he had 9 points and showed flashes of what he’s capable of.

– This is a disciplined team that is doing things the right way. Hey, it’s hard to ask for much more from such a young team. They’re playing together, they’re playing smart, and they’re fun to watch. This is one of the more enjoyable teams the Pack has trotted out there in a long time. There is no attitudes or egos, and they’re playing the game right.

– Against Detroit it wasn’t the offense that was hurting. State scored 82 points. They shot 50%, but only knocked down 66% from the foul line. Detroit is not a bad team, so hanging 82 on them is nothing to scoff at. When TJ can get another scorer backing him up, State is very dangerous offensively.

– Next game is a real test as the Wolfpack travel to Tennessee on Dec 18 at 7pm on ESPNU. The Vols have beaten Xavier and Wake already and narrowly lost to #12 Wichita State.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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11 hours 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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A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

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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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. 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 #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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