NC State will take the court at 9:30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Legends Classic. The game will be televised on ESPN3 as well as the WatchESPN App.

Here are three things that will determine if State can push its’ win streak to 3 games.

1. ASU will be prepared to face the Pack:

Can NC State mix it up and execute its’ sets even when ASU has an inside advantage on what Gottfried and company wants to do? It is no secrete that that the Sundevils have a couple of NC State connections on Bobby Hurley’s staff and team. Levi Watkins is an assistance (former member of Gottfried staff) and knows the high post system. Mark Gottfried doesn’t care if the other team knows whats coming, his whole thing is if you execute the offense it will not be stopped, this theory will be tested tonight.

2. Will State defend?

My word has been on the line as I stated that this could be one of the better defensive teams Coach Gottfried has had, but they have yet to prove me right. Losing Henderson has not helped by any means; however, mental lapses have been the main root of the problem. ASU returns four of their top five scorers from a season ago and should be a tough test for State on the defensive end. State must use it’s length on both the perimeter and in the paint to contest each attempt. The Sun Devils are not a large team which should give NC State an advantage. Look for State to funnel them inside to Anya and Abu and then force them into tough inside shots.

The biggest thing State must improve on is forcing some turnovers to ignite the fast break. Caleb Martin, and Cat Barber are made for the open court and can be an area where they can get some easy baskets. Defense can be a team’s best friend if they struggle in the half court, this is how State can improve its’ efficiency.

3. Can Abu establish himself on both ends?

Malik Abu is the type of player that has to perform each and every night for State if they are going to be successful. His combination of size and skill give him an advantage on most nights. Tonight it will be an advantage once again as he should be able to out quick and out muscle ASU big men. The main thing for Abu is to play with an aggressive nature and not settle for jump shots. Yes he can make a 12 foot shot but that is not his strength, he is so much more valuable attacking the rim and trying to put his defender in the basket. Malik can cause so much havoc and fouls by attacking off of the high post iso…a la CJ Leslie style circa 2012-2013.

The main difference is that Abu has a much stronger build that can punish teams inside, where as CJ was more of a slight build who had to out quick his man. Coach Gottfried wants him to step up and take more responsibility on the offensive end. He needs him to be a monster underneath and I believe we will see him do just that tonight.

Summary:

Tonight is a big game for this group, ASU is not expected to set anyone on fire this season but it is critical that the Pack play well under the bright lights in Barclays. Coach Gottfried always seems to get his guys to perform best in these types of games, and it will be interesting to see how they play tonight. Cat Barber has an opportunity to control the pace and use his strengths to put his teammates in the best possible situation, last game he was better at controlling the pace which Gottfried highlighted in his post game comments. Look for the Pack to get the win tonight behind a blue collar effort. They should control the glass and use their length to disrupt the Sun Devils.

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

15 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

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

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.