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1. Make North Carolina a jump shooting team…

Carolina is shooting just 31% from distance as a team this season, and NC State must force UNC to die from the arc. I am not saying the Pack should hold up a sign that reads shoot, but if they can contest UNC attempts from 3 then they will have success defensively. Historically Marcus Paige has been lethal from beyond the arc; however, this season the senior is shooting just 33% behind the 3 point line. In Carolina’s 5 losses they have combined to shoot just 28.1% from 3. Let me be clear Carolina has some players that can get hot from distance, but it is one of the weakest parts of their offensive attacks. If State can force UNC to settle for jump shots by sealing off penetration and not allowing easy entry passes into the post, then they have an excellent shot at beating North Carolina tonight.

2. Keep Carolina off the glass…

Offensive rebounds were a killer for the Pack the last time these two teams met in Chapel Hill, UNC totaled 21. That is way too many second chance points for a team that averages 83.9 points per game, good enough for 8th in the NCAA. The Pack has proven to be a good rebounding team this season, especially as Abu has become more aggressive on the glass. State pulls in right around 40 rebounds per game, which is 23rd in the NCAA. In my opinion UNC’s big men are not super skilled scoring with their backs to the basket, yes Brice Johnson is good but he gets a lot of points on the break and on put backs. Kennedy Meeks is the same way, he scored 23 in the team’s previous meeting, but lots of his points came off of hectic second chance plays under the basket. Sure he scored some traditionally out of the post, but those were actually defended pretty well, he just made tough shots. I do not foresee him making those shots at such a high rate tonight.

3. Attack the paint…

Cat Barber needs to snap out of his two game funk, he needs to be aggressive.  Attacking at every chance possible. This means pushing the ball up the court on makes and misses as State has got to put pressure on Carolina’s defense. Carolina is not deep at the power forward and center position. State must exploit that with Cat driving at them and dumping the ball off to Abu. If Cat and Abu can work together then State can draw some fouls on Johnson and Meeks. Fouls will be a big determinant in tonight’s game. The X-Factor inside is BeeJay Anya, he always seems to play with a little more zip when State plays UNC and Duke. Mark Gottfried will need Anya to be at his best tonight and hopefully the big junior can make his presence felt not only on defense but on offense as well. If Anya can get some tip in dunks, and draw some fouls underneath that will help State knock off the Tarheels tonight.

Conclusion…

State has a great opportunity tonight to get a win against UNC, Carolina is talented but they are not unbeatable. I respect that they have players capable of lighting up the box score, but I feel like State matches up well with the Tarheels. State has the size and athletic ability to keep pace in an uptempo game that North Carolina likes, the Pack also has guys who put pressure on UNC’s smaller back-court. Last time these two teams met it was a low scoring game, I expect a higher scoring game tonight. It will take a clean game from the Pack to win tonight, but if they can get similar performances out of Abu, Martin, and Rowan as they did last game and couple that with a typical Barber outing then they could walk away with the win.

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NC State Basketball

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

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16 hours 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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NC State Basketball

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

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1 day ago

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April 22, 2024

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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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2 days ago

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April 21, 2024

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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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3 days ago

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April 20, 2024

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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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