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RALEIGH – Nine home games at PNC Arena, including the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and an early-season tournament that includes two contests at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., highlight the NC State men’s basketball nonconference schedule. The Wolfpack could potentially play seven different teams that played in the postseason last year prior to ACC play.

“This will be a very difficult and competitive nonconference schedule for our team, particularly given we have no seniors on our roster,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “We have continued to be aggressive and schedule teams we feel will have good seasons and finish high in their respective conferences.”

After opening the season against a William & Mary squad that won 20 games a year ago, the Wolfpack will then host IUPUI and South Alabama as part of the Legends Classic. Mark Gottfried will then take his team to the Barclays Center to play Arizona State in the continuation of the Legends Classic, with LSU and Marquette waiting on the other side of the bracket.

Michigan comes to PNC Arena for an ACC/Big Ten match-up in early December and the Pack will play on the road at Missouri and South Florida.

A trio of teams that won 20 or more games last season – William and Mary, High Point and Northeastern – also come to Raleigh. Games against Bucknell and Winthrop, each 19-game winners last year, also figure to be quality games that could become a factor later in the season.

“We will also play UNC, Duke, Florida State and Wake Forest twice along with the rest of the difficult ACC teams once. Every night is a challenge. This nonconference schedule will help us prepare for the rigors of the ACC, which is the toughest basketball conference in the nation.”

NC State Non-ACC Men’s Basketball Schedule

Home games in BOLD

Sunday, Nov. 8 – CAL ST. LOS ANGELESE (EXH)

Friday, Nov. 13 – WILLIAM & MARY

Sunday, Nov. 15 – IUPUI

Wednesday, Nov. 18 – SOUTH ALABAMA

Monday, Nov. 23 – vs. Arizona State (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Tuesday, Nov. 24 – vs. LSU or Marquette (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Friday, Nov. 27 – WINTHROP

Tuesday, Dec. 1 – MICHIGAN

Saturday, Dec. 5 – BUCKNELL

Sunday, Dec. 13 – at South Florida

Wednesday, Dec. 16 – HIGH POINT

Saturday, Dec. 19 – at Missouri

Tuesday, Dec. 22 – UNC-GREENSBORO

Tuesday, Dec. 29 – NORTHEASTERN

Below is a breakdown of each nonconference match-up:

William and Mary (Friday, Nov. 13 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 20-13 (12-6 Colonial); RPI: 95

Pack record vs. William and Mary: 23-5

 

The Wolfpack opens the 2015-16 season at home against William & Mary Friday, Nov 13.  The Tribe is tasked with replacing its all-time leading scorer Marcus Thornton, who was drafted by the Boston Celtics.  However, W&M will be dangerous, as it returns four starters from last year’s 20-win team that made the NIT. Three double-digit scorers return in Omar Prewitt (13.5 ppg), Terry Tarpley (11.8 ppg) and Daniel Dixon (11.1 ppg).

 

IUPUI (Legends Classic) (Sunday, Nov. 15 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 10-21 (6-10 Summit); RPI: 260

Pack record vs. IUPUI: First Meeting

The match-up with the Jaguars, who are coached by former Arizona star Jason Gardner, will be State’s first of four games that comprise the Legends Classic. IUPUI returns three starters from last season, including leading scorer Marcellus Barksdale (9.5 ppg).

 

South Alabama (Legends Classic) (Wednesday, Nov. 18 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 12-21 (9-11 Sun Belt); RPI: 276

Pack record vs. South Alabama: First Meeting

The Pack’s third home game to open the season will be Wednesday, Nov. 18 vs. South Alabama, where Mark Gottfried’s father, Joe, served as athletic director for 25 years. USA returns its top two scorers in Ken Williams (15.7 ppg) and Taishun Johnson (12.5 ppg) as well as top rebounder Abdul Lewis (6.9 rpg). The Jaguars also had two transfers and a 7-1 European center sitting out last year who will now be eligible to play.

 

Arizona State (Legends Classic) (Monday, Nov. 23 – Brooklyn, N.Y)

2014-15: 18-16 (9-9 Pac-12); RPI: 102

Pack record vs. Arizona State: 4-0

NC State will travel to the home of the Brooklyn Nets, the Barclays Center, for a pair of games to close out the Legends Classic. The first game will be against Arizona State, which is coached by Bobby Hurley and has former Wolfpack player and Gottfried staffer Levi Watkins on staff. Arizona State, which returns two double-digit scorers in Savon Goodman (11.2 ppg) and Gerry Blakes (11.1 ppg) won 18 games last season and won a game in the NIT.

 

LSU or Marquette (Legends Classic) (Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Brooklyn, N.Y.)
LSU in 2014-15: (22-11, RPI 54); Marquette in 2014-15: (13-19, RPI 142)

Pack record vs. LSU: 1-0     Pack record vs. Marquette: 3-2

Depending on the results in Brooklyn, the Pack will take on either LSU or Marquette. A game against LSU would be a rematch of last season’s epic NCAA Tournament match-up, when the Pack won on a last-second jump hook by BeeJay Anya. LSU returns guards Keith Hornsby and Tim Quarterman and added the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class. Marquette signed a highly-regarded class after a transition season last year. Double-digit scorers Duane Wilson (11.9 ppg) and Luke Fischer (11.0 ppg) return.

 

Winthrop (Friday, Nov. 27 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 19-13 (12-6 Big South); RPI: 211

Pack record vs. Winthrop: 8-0

Winthrop returns three starters from last year’s team that led the Big South in defensive efficiency and nearly made the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles’ top returner is 5-7 point guard Keon Johnson (11.5 ppg). Winthrop, which also set school records last season offensively, has won 39 games over the past two seasons.

 

Michigan (Tuesday, Dec. 1 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 16-16 (8-10 Big Ten); RPI: 81

Pack record vs. Michigan: 3-3

Michigan aims to rebound after a 16-16 season that saw its two starting guards, Caris Levert and Derrick Walton, Jr., go down with injuries. Those two players return along with leading scorer Zak Irvin (14.3 ppg). In all, Michigan returns nine players who started 10 games or more last season.

 

Bucknell (Saturday, Dec. 5 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 19-15 (13-5 Patriot); RPI: 139

Pack record vs. Bucknell: First Meeting

All five starters return from Bucknell’s 19-win team that played in the NIT and won the Patriot League regular season title. The Bison is a team capable of making 3-pointers in bunches, having made 38.5 percent as a team last season. Chris Hass (16.0 ppg) is a prolific senior scorer who had monster games against Villanova (32 points) and Wake Forest (26 points).

 

South Florida (Sunday, Dec. 13 – Tampa, Fla.)

2014-15: 9-23 (3-15 American); RPI: 273

Pack record vs. USF: 3-0

NC State returns a game at USF after defeating the Bulls 68-65 at PNC Arena last November. South Florida, which will play a foreign tour in Spain in August, is projected to be much improved under second-year head coach Orlando Antigua. Double-digit scorers Chris Perry (10.8 ppg) and Nehemias Morillo (10.1ppg) are USF’s leading returners.

 

High Point (Wednesday, Dec. 16 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 23-10 (13-5 Big South); RPI: 87

Pack record vs. High Point: 6-0

High Point won 23 games last season and returns three starters from a team that placed second in the Big South. HPU is led by 6-8 forward John Brown (19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

 

Missouri (Saturday, Dec. 19 – Columbia, Mo.)

2014-15: 9-23 (3-15 SEC); RPI: 218

Pack record vs. Missouri: 2-2

 The Wolfpack will travel to Missouri to complete a home-and-home that began two years ago. The Tigers added six new players to its roster and are building under second-year coach Kim Anderson.

 

UNC Greensboro (Tuesday, Dec. 22 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 11-22 (6-12 Southern); RPI: 310

Pack record vs. UNCG: 9-0

NC State’s final game before a weeklong holiday break is at home vs. UNCG. The Spartans return four players who scored in double figures a year ago. The Wolfpack traveled to Greensboro two years ago and won and is 9-0 all-time against UNCG.

 

Northeastern (Tuesday, Dec. 29 – PNC Arena)

2014-15: 23-12 (12-6 Colonial); RPI: 85

Pack record vs. Northeastern: 2-0

The Pack’s final nonconference tilt will be at home against the defending Colonial Athletic Association champ Northeastern. NU returns three starting guards combining to average 33.4 points per game. Northeastern was one of the most offensively efficient teams last season, shooting nearly 49 percent and 39 percent from 3-point range.

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NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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