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Fast and furious are two words that are perfect descriptors for yesterdays game against Duke. The first half featured excellent shooting by both teams and when the dust settled NC State lead 53-50 at the intermission. Duke’s Brandon Ingram came out on fire as he made 4 threes in the first half, and finished with 22 points. NC State played great offensively as they poured in 89 points, but once again it is tough to win when you allow the other team to score 92! A big reason State lost is due to the gutsy play of Marshal Plumlee, the big man played a great game filled with toughness, playing through a broken and bloodied nose. Plumlee finished with 17 points (5-5 from the field) and had 10 rebounds, none bigger than the last offensive rebound that sealed the fate for the Pack.

Plumlee powered up a put back layup and was fouled, he then made the free throw. With 30 seconds remaining and the Pack down three one would think that State would of went for a quick two, but Cat dribbled too long on the perimeter and then decided to drive the ball to the rim, only to have Plumlee help off which forced him into trying to make a hard drop off pass to Anya, who could not coral the ball. Turnover…Duke then threw the ball up and ran off most of the time before State could foul. It was a frustrating end to a frustrating season. Uncertainty in the final 30 seconds caused the Pack to miss an opportunity to prolong the game.

NC State had four players in double figures and shot 55% from the field, and 45% from three. These numbers topped Duke in each category, the difference was at the foul line, Duke attempted 11 more foul shots than the Wolfpack. Coach K said they score the ball by threes and free throws, and they proved it again yesterday. Questions will be aplenty in the coming weeks for NC State, will Cat Barber make the leap to the NBA? Who will be hired to fill Rob Moxley’s assistant coach position? Will anyone transfer? Will this team play in any post season tournaments?

For now check out the highlights from yesterdays game presented by the ACC Digital Network:

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is on a visit to NC State currently, according to a source.

Indiana State Transfer Ryan Conwell was on campus last week, but he just committed to Xavier.

From what I hear, the staff preferred James over Connell anyway. A plus with James is he has 2 years of eligibility, whereas Conwell has 1.

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.

Rivals ranked James as the #71 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the #7 prospect in the state of Florida.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years. This year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds.

For a more extensive look at James’ game, click here.

Rivals ranks James as the #77 overall player in the Transfer Portal.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.

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.

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.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.

Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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