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NC State had a tall task in shutting down the sure-bet NBA lottery pick Ben Simmons and beating #22 LSU.

It looked like a nightmare matchup for the Pack, but Gottfried was ready and hatched a plan that helped his NC State Wolfpack upset the #22 LSU Tigers 83-72 in OT.

State decided to pack the lane and really make LSU beat them from outside. They literally allowed nearly wide open looks from the beyond the arc instead of letting Simmons go one-on-one to the rim.

While this did give the LSU guards a lot of open 3s, it also negated Simmons ability to get inside and create havoc with his ability to score and his NBA level passing. When Simmons did drive, he had 2 or 3 black jersey’s swarming him at all times. He’d kick to the corner to Tim Quarterman or Antonio Blakeney, only the two starting guards shot a pedestrian 6-18 from beyond the arc. When they missed, it was the Wolfpack who was there to clean up on the glass (winning that battle 54-41).

With LSU struggling to find a rhythm on offense, the Pack had to figure out how they were going to put points on the board. As they have all season, Caleb Martin and Cat Barber took the lead. Martin, finished with 16 points and Barber with 20.
Caleb hit 4-10 3’s and Barber was 12 of 12 from the FT line, but overall the duo only hit 10-30 from the field. The slack was picked up by Malik Abu and Cody Martin, both of whom filled the box score and had the best games of their young seasons.

Abu finished with 15 points and 12 boards while Cody Martin came up huge in the second half, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals.

After a crazy finish that saw an ‘And 1’ layup by Abu taken away due to a show clock violation and a big missed FT by Simmons, the game went to OT.
Abut started things off with a layup and then Cody Martin made a smart move by attacking Simmons off the dribble. Simmons reached in and with that, was charged with his 5th foul.
Once Simmons hit the bench, NC State was able to extend their defense, challenge more shots and really get out on the break.. After the dust cleared it was NC State with the upset win, 83-72 over the #22 ranked LSU Tigers.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Ask Gott why he forced Kyle to transfer?

TravelWolf
TravelWolf
8 years ago

It was an interesting game. We could have easily lost it as won it. Rowan was indispensable – amazing as a freshman. This guy is good… It’s hard to explain, but sometimes I thought we played like an NBA team – good spacing, crisp passes without much dribbling often, good screens, and we did an excellent job running through the high-post options. If Abu can consistently nail down the 15-17 foot shot at the line, that we be a big boost to the offense. I just hope everyone stays healthy b/c it’s obvious that we barely have enough bodies. Oh,… Read more »

NC State Basketball

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

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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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NC State Basketball

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

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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.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s DJ Horne Named to Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team

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NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.

Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.

The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Has Shown Interest in Utah Guard Transfer Deivon Smith

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NC State has reached out to Utah Transfer Guard Deivon Smith (6’0″/173).

Smith filled up the stat sheet every game this year, averaging 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.8% from three for Utah. He earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention this season. Smith had 8 double-doubles and 1 triple-double this year.

Wherever Smith lands, this will be his 4th college. He started at Mississippi St., starting in 8 of the 33 games he played in, averaging 22.5 minutes per game. Smith went on to spend his next two seasons at Georgia Tech. Year 1 in Atlanta, Smith started in 5 of the 24 games he played in, averaging 19.7 minutes per game. In Year 2, he carved out more of a role, starting in 13 of the 24 games he played in for the Yellow Jackets, averaging a career high 24.8 minutes per game.

At Utah this year, Smith broke out and had a career year in every possible way.

NC State is familiar with Smith, offering him back when he was a 4-Star prospect out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Rivals ranked Smith as the #53 overall player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the #5 player in the state of Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #11 Point Guard in his class.

 

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