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NC State squares off aginst Wake Forest at 2 PM this Saturday. Wake Forest rides into Raleigh off of a big win over Miami. The Pack looks to win back to back ACC games before a brutal two-game stretch traveling to Duke and Louisville. What are the keys to the game for NC State to beat Wake Forest?

The Wolfpack will need to be prepared for ball screens, lots of ball screens.

The Demon Deacons use the ball screen as much as any team in the country. They like to initiate their offense with a flat high ball screen a couple of feet above the key. Bryant Crawford is lethal at utilizing the screen to get downhill quickly with his athleticism. The Pack will need to hedge efficiently to reroute Crawford horizontally instead of allowing him a direct line to the paint. John Collins has thrived as a pick and roll partner with Crawford as he has caught lots of alleys from him.

In addition to flat ball screens at the top of the key, Wake runs a two man game with a guard and big man from the wings. This action gives Wake an opportunity to exploit a potential mismatch as a result of teams switching. The other three players space the floor which strains help-side defense.

NC State can take away Wake’s pick and rolls by mixing in zone looks. Running a zone can also help take away the interior scoring of John Collins. Throwing different looks at Wake should slow down their lethal offensive attack.

Fouls will play a big part in Saturday’s game as Wake Forest ranks 24th in the NCAA in free throw percentage.

Omer Yurtseven and Malik Abu must play it safe the first half of the game by not picking up dumb fouls. NC State cannot afford to have either one of these players picking up quick fouls due to reach-ins and senseless off-ball calls. The Pack guards will need to be aggressive pressuring the ball without fouling because Wake shoots 75.9% from the foul line. Allowing them to get into the bonus early could be catastrophic.

Offensively NC State needs to have a balanced attack.

The Pack beat Pittsburgh with a balanced attack offensively. Maverick Rowan and Terry Henderson both scored 21 points apiece with Smith and Yurtseven getting into double figures as well. 20 assists on 29 made field goals helped NC State win the game. They will need to work together penetrating and kicking to get good looks. Markell Johnson and Dennis Smith give the Wolfpack versatility by having two players capable of getting into the paint to distribute the basketball. NC State will need to have everyone involved to score with the Demon Deacons.

Saturday’s contest should be entertaining theater as it features two teams capable of lighting up the scoreboard. The offenses will take center stage Saturday at 2 o’clock as both NC State and Wake average 81 PPG. Can the Wolfpack get enough stops to beat the Demon Deacons? They will need to bring energy and build upon their win over Pittsburgh as Wake Forest is a talented team.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Stop writing, you know nothing. 2-5 it what it is.

“Big picture NC State stands 1-2 in the ACC with 15 games remaining. If they can rip off four straight wins against BC, GT, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest they will be 5-2 going into back to back road games against Duke and Louisville. 5-2 doesn’t sound bad. Mark Gottfried and company have plenty of film to show his guys to light a fire under each”

Tyler White
Tyler White
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

I can’t stop writing I look forward to your comments too much. Thank you for visiting our site and sharing your views on NC State.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  Tyler White

Your welcome. Just don’t drink the Kool-Aid too much. You and I both knew that the way this team played against nobodies early on and had trouble with them, that this was going to be a long season. The one thing we didn’t know was that Yurts would not be very good and highly overrated. Just be more realistic in the articles. This goes for all PackInsider’s writers.

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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NC State Basketball

A Historical Breakdown of the Series Between NC State & Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, which will mark the 6th time the two teams have played one another.

The first time the Wolfpack and the Golden Eagles played one another was also in the NCAA Tournament, and it just so happened to be the 1974 Championship game, with NC State winning the game 76-64, giving the Pack their first National Championship.

Wolfpack led the way with 21 points, and Tommy Burleson had a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, with 7 blocks, which is tied for the 8th most in school history in a single game.

NC State also had 12 steals in the game, which is the most by a Pack team in an NCAA Tournament game.

The next time the two teams would meet was on January 21st, in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack won 89-76, and it was a night for the history books for Point Guard Chris Corchiani. In that game, set ACC career records for assists with 861 and steals with 276.

The following year, the Golden Eagles picked up their first win against the Wolfpack, winning 66-42 in Milwaukee.

It would be over 15 years before NC State and Marquette would play one another again, and this time it would once again be a home-and-home series in back-to-back years.

On December 22nd, 2008, the Wolfpack lost a close one at home, falling 65-68. Wolfpack Forward Brandon Costner hit all five 3-Point attempts in that game, which still stands as the best 3-Point Percentage in a single game in school history.

The following year, on December 5th, 2009, the Wolfpack would claim the lead in the series again, defeating the Golden Eagles 77-73 on the road. NC State big man Tracy Smith had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Point Guard Javier Gonzalez had 15 points and 7 assists, and Wing Scott Wood knocked down 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

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