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Gameday: NC State ready for big challenge at Wake Forest | Game Preview & How to Watch

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1 year ago

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NC State Wolfpack @ Wake Forest
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Winston Salem, NC
TV: ACCN

Wake Forest sits tied with NC State at 6-4 in ACC play, however, the Deacs are coming off back-to-back losses. One at the hand of #10 Virginia (at home), and the other at Pitt.  But don’t let that fool you, the Deacs are good.

Wake is going to lean on Tyree Appleby, a 6’1 transfer from Florida. He’s really been the catalyst for them this season. He’s averaging 17.7 pts and 6 assists per game. He’s shooting 45% from the floor and 39% from long range. If I’m Wake, I’m attacking Burns with the high pick and roll, early and often. Appleby can get to the rim and finish or if you don’t hedge out far enough, he can hit the 3. He’s also a very good passer off the drive. That’s dangerous because Wake has guys who can knock it down if left open.

6’6 junior, Demari Monsanto is the other guy that Wake is going to lean on for scoring. He’s averaging 12 points per game and shooting 41% from 3. That said, NC State does have the guards to matchup with these guys. Joiner vs. Appleby will be a great matchup and Smith, at 6’4, can check Monsanto. That would leave Morsell to guard 6’4 Cameron Hildreth, who is Wake’s 3rd guard. He’s not very athletic and he’s not shooting it well from 3, but he’s averaging 13 points per game and plays very physical. Hildreth is an interesting player for Wake and can cause a lot of matchup problems due to his unique style. He plays like a 6’7 wing. He attacks, uses his body well and loves contact. However, at 6’4, he’s smaller than a lot of guys that take on that roll. Because of this, he’s probably a better matchup for Morsell than he is for Smith. We’ll have to see how Keatts plays that.

In the paint, Wake has Andrew Carr, a 6’10 versatile forward who can put it on the floor, back you down or hit the 3. He’s going to be a problem for NC State in this game. Gantt is your best bet against him due to his physical nature, but State doesn’t have a guy like Carr (esp. with Clark out).

Their big man is Matthew Marsh, a 7 footer who isn’t too versatile. He’s more of that slow, lumbering big. NC State has a big advantage with Burns in this one. Marsh has the beef to keep Burns from getting him too deep, but Burns’ quick spins and multiple pump fakes are going to cause problems for Marsh. Wake is last in the ACC in blocked shots per game.

The key for NC State is to bottle up Appleby and focus on getting quality shots. State is going to be quicker than Wake at a number of positions, so they’ll need to use that to their advantage. If Smith and Joiner can get to the rim, Wake really has no rim protectors, so the Pack can take advantage there.

The one thing that has us a bit worried in this game is Wake’s offensive style. They will run the pick and roll, but if you play up too much, they’ll also alleviate pressure with back cuts, which have hurt NC State this season (due to overplaying the passing lane). Wake also is good at finding open shooters when you help off. They are an unselfish team, and while they are 11th in the ACC in assists per game, they’ve had some success against teams that have allowed them to get drives into the paint.

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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

Gonna come down to final minutes. Gotta keep JJ fresh enough for the home stretch. That means Breon and LJ keep giving us some good minutes. Of course DJ needs to avoid foul trouble.

We can do this.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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14 hours ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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1 day ago

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April 22, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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NC State’s DJ Horne Named to Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team

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2 days ago

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April 21, 2024

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NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.

Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.

The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.

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NC State Has Shown Interest in Utah Guard Transfer Deivon Smith

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3 days ago

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April 20, 2024

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NC State has reached out to Utah Transfer Guard Deivon Smith (6’0″/173).

Smith filled up the stat sheet every game this year, averaging 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.8% from three for Utah. He earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention this season. Smith had 8 double-doubles and 1 triple-double this year.

Wherever Smith lands, this will be his 4th college. He started at Mississippi St., starting in 8 of the 33 games he played in, averaging 22.5 minutes per game. Smith went on to spend his next two seasons at Georgia Tech. Year 1 in Atlanta, Smith started in 5 of the 24 games he played in, averaging 19.7 minutes per game. In Year 2, he carved out more of a role, starting in 13 of the 24 games he played in for the Yellow Jackets, averaging a career high 24.8 minutes per game.

At Utah this year, Smith broke out and had a career year in every possible way.

NC State is familiar with Smith, offering him back when he was a 4-Star prospect out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Rivals ranked Smith as the #53 overall player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the #5 player in the state of Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #11 Point Guard in his class.

 

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