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Cat Barber scored 21 points and Caleb Martin added 14, but it wasn’t enough as Virginia Tech took a 73-68 OT win away from the Pack .

State started off strong, playing patient inside-out basketball and getting out to a commanding 16 point first half lead. But as the game wore on and the Seth Allen and Jalen Hudson got hot, the Wolfpack reverted to this teams #1 weakness…poor shot selection. As the Pack settled for contested 3s and long 2s, the Hokies were attacking the basket and putting pressure on the Pack.

Caleb Martin and Mav Rowen combined to go 3-17 from beyond the arc in a game where NC State led for most of the game. State also outrebounded the Hokies 50-41, but could not overcome the onslaught of Allen and Hudson down the stretch.

As far as positives go, Cat played well. He really has come on as a go-to scorer and play maker for this team. He once again got over the 20 point mark even added 7 boards. The bigs rebounded the ball well and Anya was a block machine (5 total). Although Gottfried pointed out rebounding as a area that needed improvement after this game, I am not fully in agreement. Abu and Anya did great work on the boards and State actually won the rebounding battle 50-41. Yes, at the end of the game there were a few key missed rebounds that led to the loss, but overall I thought the bigs worked  hard on the glass. Lastly, Cody Martin filled his niche with 7 points (3-4 FG) and 4 boards in limited time. I think it’s time to see more Cody. He’s not ever going to be a big time scorer, but he really is the type of do-it all player who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He shares the basketball, has a great nose for it and constantly finds himself in the right place at the right time. I know this team is dying for scorers, but they are also in need of a guy who practices patience and runs the offense with ease and efficiency.

Gottfried harped post game on a few calls he wished could have gone their way and the fact that his shooters couldn’t hit shots tonight, but when he goes back to watch the tape I think what might stand out is the decision making by his players when they got rattled. This is a young team, no one questions that, but they need to keep improving in this area. Tonight was an early step in the right direction, but then two steps in the wrong direction when the Hokies surged back in the 2nd half.

We’ve taking a bit of heat recently for being too critical of a team that came in 10-3. We’ve been doing this for a while now and we think that the fans of this site don’t just want to know if we won or if we lost (they watched the game), but they want to know why. How can this team let a 16 point lead slip away? Why did we look so good early on and what happened in the 2nd half?

Tonight you saw the points we have been trying to make all season long. This team is very talented and they have been out-athleting teams early this season, but now we’ve reached prime-time. Now every team is on the same level athletically, so intricacies of the game come into play. The small things start paying off, and being able to run faster and jump higher no longer gain you the advantage they did against teams like High Point or UNCG.

Tonight NC State came out and played Mark Gottfried basketball early on. They were patient, they were sharing the ball, dumping it down and causing VT to make decisions. Do they double down or allow Anya and Abu to go one on one on the block? Buzz Williams chose to have his guys double down. This opened up some great interior passing and a few high lows. It also opened up some great kick outs for uncontested 3s. They had the high pick and roll working and they were, allowing the ball to get into the high post. These are areas that the ball needs to go to make the defense react, and it was working to the Pack’s advantage in the first half.

In the second half it was a different story. As VT started making their run, the Pack started to panic. No longer where they working the ball inside-out. They retreated into the thing that has plagued them since day one. They started settling for forced shots. They stopped running through the offense and really let the Hokies off the hook. Too much dribbling, too much one and one at the top of the key. All of the sudden there were shot clock violations, guys taking 3s with 2 hands in their face, not even squared up. You’d have thought it was NC State team that was fighting back from a 16 point early deficit. At the end of the day, this is what really cost them.

Now, don’t lose hope. Does this mean that this team won’t figure out this issue and play like the team you saw in the first half? No way. This team is slowly improving. They are young, they are still finding their roles and learning what they can and can’t do at this level. The point we are trying to make is that we are now 14 games in. We are almost halfway through the season. This team has the talent to be a contender, they just need to focus on patience, execution and togetherness and they need to work on that until it becomes their default. When the going get’s tough this team needs to rely on each other. Cat is a great scorer, but they need more than just him if they want to make a run this season. They need to figure this out quick.#18 Louisville rolls into town in 5 days.

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JohnAllen3
JohnAllen3
8 years ago

I generally agree with you, but am pretty discouraged about the VT loss. Outside of Cat, our next best offensive options are two sophomores (Caleb & Abu) and a freshman (Mav). So, besides Cat, our offense is pretty young and will get better. Reviewing the VT game: Cat – Good game – too few assists, too many turnovers – but 21 pts and 7 boards is a good game Caleb – Pretty good game, but if he is going to play the 2, he should get some assists – 14 pts, 4 boards – good stuff BeeJay – Good game,… Read more »

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Where is all this talent that you write about?  I don’t see it on the court as a team.  I see people confused, in the wrong position, shooting shots at the wrong time, and loosing games against inferior teams.  To me that spells below average talent.  Just because you can jump out of the gym, and are faster than lightning, stronger than the average bull, doesn’t mean you can play basketball.  This team has too many role players and not enough complete players playing as a team.

wormncsu
wormncsu
8 years ago

I hate to say this because I think he has done a lot for this program. But really with this product that we have on the floor I believe Gottfried should be worried. Let’s look he missed a whole draft class this year he was lucky to get Kirk and Rowan. Next year he only has one guy who is coming off a blown out knee. He missed the guy that everyone said was a lock to be at state. If cat leaves which I am sure he will you will be in same boat next year a team with… Read more »

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

PackJunky No $hit.  I told you guys last year that this team would suck.  Well you guys must see what I see now.  Anya, Freeman, and Abu should do nothing but practice free throw shooting.  The offense scheme also suck and does not fit these guys.  Please change something before we meet some good teams.

PackJunky
PackJunky
8 years ago

It’s offiicial… we suck.

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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