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OUR TAKE: NC State freshmen take over in 11 point win over Notre Dame

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3 years ago

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We said that NC State needed to win out to even start to be considered for the NCAA tournament.

Well, with the Virginia Tech game being canceled, NC State has done just that.  Potentially finishing off their regular season with one of their most impressive wins to date, taking out Notre Dame, on their homecourt, 80-69.

Here is our take on the win.

The freshmen have officially arrived
Remember when we wondered a few weeks back if Keatts should just throw the freshmen into the fire and see what happens? 45 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and 4 steals later, I think we. have our final answer.

The freshmen were the reason NC State beat Notre Dame on Wednesday night, and there is no debating that.

Cam Hayes led NC State with 20 points, but it was Dereon Seabron who stole the show. The 6’7 guard was everywhere for NC State. Seabron finished with 17 points, 13 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. He was dominant in transition, he was physical on the boards and his length bothered the ND guards all night. This was s glimpse into what Keatts saw in Seabron when he brought him in two years ago (he’s a redshirt freshman). It’s rare you find a 6’7 guard who is long and athletic and who has this type of body control. Seabron showcased all of that in this one and was the reason NC State dominated nearly the entire game vs. Notre Dame.

That’s not to take anything away from Cam Hayes, who also had a career night. The freshman PG dropped 20 points on an impressive 7-11 shooting and was 3-6 from long range. After two straight games of zero turnovers, Hayes turned the ball over 2 times, but the tradeoff was worth it. Hayes was much more active in attacking the defense and making them react. He also added 3 assists and 2 steals.

Shakeel Moore was also a big factor in the win. The freshman sparkplug came off the bench to score 8 points, dish out 3 assists, and didn’t turn the ball over a single time.

The season outlook was bleak after losing Devon Daniels and they took another blow when Thomas Allen went down, but those injuries opened the door for the freshmen to be thrown in the fire and man have they answered the bell.

The Wolfpack defense was outstanding
Notre Dame is one of the more efficient offensive teams in the ACC, but against the Wolfpack there was rarely an easy bucket to be had.

The NC State defense was outstanding. They switched every screen, smothering the Irish shooters and forcing them into situations they didn’t want to be in. A team that shoots 47% from the floor was held to just 37.5% shooting.

Prentiss Hubb, who scored 28 points in his last outing was held to just 5-15 shooting for 14 points. But even bigger was their defense on Nate Lazewski who came in averaging 14 points and was held to just 8 points in this one.

Intensity and focus was there from buzzer to buzzer
We were a little rough on the Pack after their win over Pitt. The focus and intensity seemed to be lacking and there were some questions on whether the freshmen had hit their wall. This win over ND, however, proved otherwise.

From the opening tip, it was obvious that NC State was locked in. Guys in the passing lanes, communication on defense, and a patient yet hungry offensive attack. Keatts had his guys ready.

The charge was led by the freshmen, but the tone was set by the NC State bigs who, while not filling up the stat sheet, made their presence felt. The Pack did a great job of keeping close to shooters, which made Notre Dame start looking inside. When they did, they were met by Manny Bates and DJ Funderburk, both of whom played physical and altered shots all night long.

This is a Wolfpack team that is clicking at the right moment and who has become a team you really don’t want to face in the ACC Tournament.

Survive and Advance
With that win and the cancellation of the Virginia Tech game, NC State is no officially in survive and advance mode. However, they’ve been in this mode for about 5 games now.

For the Pack to have a chance at the tournament they had to win out. They did that, and now it’s (likely) on to the ACC Tournament. Depending on how the NCAA Tournament committee decides to select the field of 64, NC State likely has to win a couple more to be considered, but right now, this team looks like a true contender. We’ll have to wait and see how the standings shake out, but the Pack will be anywhere between an 8 and a 10 seed. As we stated earlier, this is not a team you want to be matched up against right now, no matter who you are.

Give Keatts credit
When things are going bad, there’s always blame being thrown on the coach. However, when things go well, most fans focus on the players that are making thing happen on the floor.

I think it’s time to step back and really give credit to the job Kevin Keatts has done with this club. You go through two COVID pauses, you lose your senior leader (Daniels) and you lose a junior guard who has started most of your games. It would have been easy to pack it up and start focusing on next year. But that’s not what Kevin Keatts did.

Keatts has thrown his freshmen into the fire, he’s gone against his usual strategy of playing small and has relied on a lineup that most of the time has two bigs on the floor. He’s been forced to use his freshmen, but he’s done so by peppering in Braxton Beverly at the right times.

Whatever the equation is that he’s using, it’s working. Suddenly his freshmen are brimming with confidence and leading his team. Suddenly his mix of vets and newcomers are meshing. And suddenly NC State looks like one of the more dangerous teams in the ACC.

Sure, the players have gotten the job done, but Kevin Keatts needs to be given credit where it’s due. His ability to change course this many times during a season and reel off 5 wins in a row (the most since 2004) down the stretch, has been unbelievable. This season isn’t over yet, and it looks like NC State is starting to believe in themselves when it matters most.

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A pasta eatin', Wolfpack lovin' loudmouth from Raleigh by way of New Jersey. Jimmy V and Chuck Amato fanboy. All opinions are my own and you're gonna hear'em.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
3 years ago

Really appreciate your “Give Keatts Credit” section

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NC State Falls Out of the Top-10 After Losses to UNC & Duke

Published

2 months ago

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February 26, 2024

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After losing to rivals UNC and Duke last week, the NC State Women’s Basketball team fell out of the Top-10 in the Week 17 AP Poll, landing at #12. NC State started the 2023-24 season unranked, but jumped to #14 in the first Poll after the Preseason Poll. The Wolfpack have been ranked in the Top-10 since November 20th, which equals 14 straight polls.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

5. Virginia Tech
12. NC State
17. Notre Dame
19. Syracuse
22. Louisville
27. Duke
29. UNC
30. FSU

The Wolfpack will host #19 Syracuse on Thursday night at 7pm.

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NC State’s Week 1 Depth Chart Against UCONN (with Notes)

Published

8 months ago

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August 25, 2023

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NC State will kick off their 2023 Football season next Thursday night against UCONN at 7:30pm. The Wolfpack released their Depth Chart for the game today.

Image

Notes

  • Redshirt Sophomore Anthony Carter Jr. is listed as the starting Left Guard. If Redshirt Sophomore Lyndon Cooper wasn’t missing the first game due to injury, I wonder if Carter would be starting. Doeren did praise Carter in his press conference today. Also, he stated that Cooper should be back for the Notre Dame game.
  • Noticeably, Graduate Transfer Offensive Lineman Dawson Jaramillo is also missing from the Depth Chart. Unfortunately, Jaramillo has suffered an injury, and will miss the entirety of the 2023 season. This is a huge blow for Jaramillo, and a huge blow for the depth of the Wolfpack Offensive Line. Jaramillo was a Swiss Army knife, having the ability to play in numerous positions.
  • Very often, Doeren has stated that the “Or” in between two names means that the coaching staff sees both players as starters. There is an “Or” in between Chris Toudle and Trent Pennix at Tight End, with the former being listed first. Maybe it doesn’t matter whose name is listed first, but I’m shocked Pennix’s name wasn’t the one at the top.
  • I’m not shocked that Julian Gray and Keyon Lesane are listed as the starters at the X and Y Wide Receiver positions. They both have had a lot of buzz surrounding them in Fall Camp, and Lesane was named a captain. Obviously, with Gray’s speed, Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae is going to want to find a way to get the ball in his hands. With that being said, and this is no disrespect to the two of them, but both of them are 5’11”, which isn’t exactly the way you would sculpt your prototypical outside receivers. I expect Terrell Timmons and Bradley Rozner to both be heavily in rotation at the X and Y, to give the outside receivers a good dose of speed as well as height.
  • True Freshman Running Back Kendrick Raphael might be buried at the bottom of the Depth Chart at his position, but I bet he sees a carry before Mimms or Jones. Doeren mentioned that we would see Raphael against UCONN, but didn’t mention Jones or Mimms. Anae likes to run 2 Running Back sets, with one of them almost functioning like a Full Back. As a result, I’m not shocked to see Jones and Mimms where they are in the Depth Chart.
  • Props to True Freshman Kevin Concepcion for earning the starting job at the Inside Wide Receiver position. Get ready to hear his name a lot this year. KC is backed up by Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit, who Doeren spoke highly of today.
  • Junior Porter Rooks is no longer sitting behind Thayer Thomas on the Depth Chart. Doeren said that Rooks has had a great camp. The former 4-Star prospect has an opportunity to show that those stars meant something by his name. With that being said, he will be pushed by True Freshman Javonte “Juice” Vereen, who even has national media buzzing about him heading into the season.
  • Three True Freshman are on the Offensive Depth Chart: Left Guard Kamen Smith, IWR Kevin Concepcion and FLEXY Juice Vereen.
  • True Freshman Kamal Bonner is 2nd on the Depth Chart at the Will Linebacker spot, backing up Payton Wilson. What’s noteworthy, is that he’s ahead of former 4-Star prospect Jordan Poole in the Depth Chart. Bonner must have made a heck of a first impression.
  • As expected, ODU Graduate Transfer Robert Kennedy is starting at Nickel.
  • True Freshman Brandon Cisse is backing up Aydan White at Right Corner, and Doeren said we should expect him to contribute.
  • Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit will be filling in the shoes of Thayer Thomas at Punt Returner.

 

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Elliot Avent is interviewed on MLB Network about rule changes and Wolfpack Alums

Published

1 year ago

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March 10, 2023

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Elliot Avent gave a great interview on MLB Network.

Avent talks about the rules changes in baseball and doesn’t seem too pleaseed about them, while also breaking some news that they might be naming the hitting facility after Trea Turner and the Pitching lab after Carlos Rodon.

Give it a watch.

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NC State Basketball

Mady Traore Will No Longer Enroll at NC State

Published

1 year ago

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December 15, 2022

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This unfortunately seemed inevitable.

According to 247Sports’ Travis Branham, 3-Star Mady Traore is no longer planning on enrolling at NC State.

Traore was a member of the Wolfpack’s 2022 recruiting class, but wasn’t able to enroll in the Fall because of Visa issues and the English Competency Test.

Back on November 29th, I posted the following article, saying that Traore was set to join the team for the 2nd semester. Traore himself told me when I posted it, that he was expecting to join the team in December.

I received the intel 2 weeks prior to posting, and prior to things beginning to brew between NC State and Isaiah Miranda. In hindsight, I wish I would have posted it when I got the intel (haha).

4-Star Mady Traore Expected to Suit up for NC State Soon

Obviously, that didn’t happen, and isn’t happening.

When I posted the article, things were in flux, because there was one scholarship available. If Miranda came, he was going to get the scholarship, and the staff was hoping Traore would be willing to wait and enroll in April. If Miranda didn’t come, then the expectation was for Traore to join the team in December, in the way that Miranda just did.

I still believe my source’s info was solid, and there are always a lot of moving pieces in play that can change scenarios quickly.

From what I hear, the staff was genuinely hopeful they could add Miranda in December, and Traore in April, but it didn’t work out that way, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.

We wish you the best Mady! You’ve got a special future in basketball.

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