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The Wolfpack are coming off of a 16-17 season, which is the worst win total in head coach Mark Gottfried’s tenure at NC State. It was actually the worst win total at NC State since Sidney Lowe’s last year in 2010-11, when the Wolfpack won 15. The Wolfpack’s 13th finish in Conference play was the worst in school history. I fully understand that there haven’t always been 15 teams in the ACC, and it might not have been the worst, but after staring at the Media Guide for 15 minutes trying to figure it out…I quit. Let’s face it, last year wasn’t a booming success.

NC State released their 2016-17 Men’s Basketball schedule last week, and below I have broken down each of the Wolfpack’s opponents by their finish in the RPI at the end of last season. NC State finished last season ranked 119th in the RPI, but the expectations are much higher for the upcoming season. With Terry Henderson coming back from an injury, Torin Dorn now eligible after sitting out a year after transferring from UNC Charlotte, and the recruiting class of Dennis Smith Jr., Omer Yurtseven, Darius Hicks, and Ted Kapita, expectations of what this squad can do are high.

2016-17 Opponents with last years RPI Ranking
Georgia Southern – 244
Saint Francis – 263
Montana – 147
Creighton 94/Washington St. 217
Loyola-Chicago 237/Saint Joseph’s 21/Oral Roberts 155/Ole Miss 98
Illinois – 151
Boston University – 185
Tennessee St. – 160
Appalachian St. – 262
Fairfield – 150
Mcneese St. – 341
Rider – 246
Miami (FL) – 7 (2X)
Virginia Tech – 80
UNC – 5 (2X)
Boston College – 248
Georgia Tech – 51 (2X)
Pittsburgh – 54
Wake Forest – 154 (2X)
Duke – 15
Louisville – 16
Syracuse – 40
Florida St. – 75
Notre Dame – 24
Virginia – 3
Clemson – 127

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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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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