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NC State vs Pitt
7pm | PNC Arena | ESPNU

NC State hosts Pittsburgh tonight at 7 o’clock as they look to end a three-game losing streak, ESPNU will have coverage. The Panthers have been struggling of late due to injuries, including second-leading scorer Michael Young, who fractured his orbital bone. Senior Michael Young will be in the lineup wearing a custom fit mask to protect his eye. What must the Pack do to end their three-game skid?

NC State will need to give maximum defensive effort to win.

Pittsburgh has the two leading scorers in the ACC in Jamel Artis and Michael Young. The two seniors are quite the one-two punch as they average 22.3 and 20.8 points per game. Their size presents a unique challenge for defenders as Artis stands 6-7 and Young is 6-9. Mark Gottfried will most likely put Henderson on Artis and Malik Abu on Young. Terry will have to be ready to run Artis off the three-point line as he can fill it up from the outside. Another thing Terry can do to keep Artis from getting into a rhythm is to work hard at denying him the ball. Jamel plays heavy minutes (35 per game) it will be critical that NC State doesn’t give him anything easy in that time.

Abu, on the other hand, will need to be disciplined in extending his defense to the three-point line. Michael Young is a good shooter from three as he is connecting on 40% of his attempts from the arc. This is a scary mismatch for NC State. Abu has hasn’t been good when asked to guard a more versatile big. Tonight, he must contest under control because he cannot afford to foul Young on three-point attempts. It will be NC State as a whole’s responsibility to take away these two scorers. All five players on the court need to be locked in, with a mindset that they are not going to give up easy baskets.

Offensively NC State needs to move the ball and limit empty possessions.

Dennis Smith controls the ball a lot, which means he has a responsibility to get the offense moving in the right direction. He has to do a better job getting everyone involved early. Smith leads the ACC in APG; however, he can help his team by eliminating his “no one else touches the ball” jump shots. NC State has plenty of weapons, they just need to get the ball in their spots. The Pack will be more fluid if they allow Abu to catch the ball deep in the paint and give him 1-on-1 matchups out of the high post. Guards will then have more space on the outside to attack the paint. Malik Abu and company will also demand attention with double teams which will yield open looks from three. An inside-out attack from the start will help NC State beat Pitt.

NC State needs to make Jamel Artis and Michael Young play defense.

Jamel Artis and Micahel Young are the heart and soul of the Panthers. NC State needs to make them work on both ends by making them play defense. If either one of these guys gets into foul trouble, forcing Coach Stallings to sit them for an extended period, they will struggle. Michael Young was less than himself aginst Miami as he struggled to adjust to playing with a mask, and because of this Pitt only scored 46 points. Both Artis and Young rely on each other to take pressure off of one another. Pittsburgh is not as difficult to matchup against if they are not on the court together.

Tonight’s game will be a glimpse into the type of team we will see for the rest of the season. Mark Gottfried did not hold back in his postgame by calling out his team’s defensive effort, or lack thereof. The players have to hold themselves and each other accountable defensively and not let one another shirk on the job. Can NC State get a win over Pittsburgh tonight? They have the talent; however, it will be all about working hard and leaving it all on the court. Game time is at 7 o’clock with coverage on ESPNU.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Finally off the bottom.

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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