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NC State will look to have more energy and focus as they square off aginst Syracuse tonight at 7 o’clock with coverage on ESPN2. The Orange have not won a single road game this season. NC State, on the other hand, has been solid at PNC Arena with an 11-2 record. What are the keys to the game for NC State to beat Syracuse?

NC State cannot be content to pass the ball around the perimeter aginst the 2-3 zone.

Syracuse uses a 2-3 matchup zone defense that leverages their length to force teams to beat them from the outside. NC State must be disciplined to penetrate the interior with the pass as well as the dribble. The Wolfpack will not be successful if they casually pass the ball around the perimeter settling for contested threes. Dennis Smith and company must be willing to attack the gaps to draw attention finding the open man. A lineup that has both Smith and Johnson could be helpful as that would give NC State two players capable of attacking the seams to draw extra defenders. Malik Abu must move constantly looking to find the soft spots underneath, also looking to attack the offensive glass.

Defensively NC State will need to stop Andrew White and Tyler Lydon.

At Lousiville NC State allowed Donovan Mitchell to have clean looks early, the result was devastating. Tonight they cannot allow White to get going early because he is capable of carrying the Orange. White is averaging 25.5 PPG over the last two games as Syracuse beat Wake and FSU. The scouting report on White is that he is a shooter the Pack must run him off the three-point line, leaving him open will be costly. Andrew White leads the ACC in made three-pointers per game at 3.2.

Tyler Lydon presents a different challenge with his ability to stretch the floor with his jump shot. NC State has struggled at defending stretch fours. Lydon is shooting 44% from the three-point line on the season and is playing with confidence. The strategy for the Pack has to be to sell out hard on Lydon, therefore, forcing him to dribble. If Lydon is allowed to catch and shoot NC State will be in for a long night.

Play with energy and emotion.

NC State can hang with any team if they play with fire and energy; however, too often they haven’t. It is frustrating that this is an issue especially at this point in the season. Syracuse will be desperate to notch their first road win of the season. NC State has got to come out with intensity to take the Orange out of their comfort zone. The Wolfpack need to be physical taking the fight to them. Attacking the rim on offense as well as extending pressure defensively. The Wolfpack must create some excitement early in order to get the crowd behind them Game time is at 7 o’clock with coverage on ESPN2.

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Wormncsu
Wormncsu
7 years ago

When he took Smith Jr out around that 8 min mark and put in Johnson momentum changed drastically and we never recovered.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Fire Gott. Can’t get any worse can it?

mc991
mc991
7 years ago

16 point lead with 8 minutes to go… no excuse.

NC State Basketball

Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 tonight. Here’s a look at the Golden Eagles before tipoff.

Marquette is ranked 8th in the AP Poll.

They lost to UCONN 57-73 in the Big East Tournament Finals.

As a team, they shoot 48.2% from the field, which ranks 23rd nationally. Their Effective Field Goal Percentage is 55.5%, which ranks 15th.

Marquette ranks 15th in Assist/Turnover ratio, 26th in Scoring Margin, and 26th in Assists per game.

Junior Guard Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field and 41.4% from three.

Senior Guard Tyler Kolek averages 15.3 points and a team high 7.9 assists. He leads the nation in assists per game. Kolek shoots 49.7% from the field and 39.7% from three.

Senior Forward Oso Ighosaro (6’11”) scores 13.6 points per game, and leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. He shoots 58.1% from the field, which ranks 28th nationally.

Junior Forward David Joplin (6’8”) averages 11.0 points per game.

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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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