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NC State Basketball

NC State Advances to the Elite 8 for the First Time Since 1986 with a 67-58 Win Over Marquette

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1 month ago

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#11 seed NC State dominated #2 seed Marquette to the tune of 67-58 this evening in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1986.

The Wolfpack have now won 8 games in a row, with that streak beginning on Tuesday, the first day of the ACC Tournament.

At the 15:51 mark in the 1st half, NC State took the lead, and they never let go of it.

The Wolfpack led by 13 at halftime, and led by as much as 16 in the 2nd half.

Senior DJ Horne was unflappable. Marquette’s defense was swarming him, but Horne’s pure determination led him to finish with 19 points, hitting 4 of his 7 three pointers.

Senior Casey Morsell put together one the best games of the season when it mattered most, scoring 15 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field. The point total doesn’t tell it all. It was when he made the baskets as well. Morsell’s defense was once again integral to an NC State win.

Junior Mohamed Diarra posted a double-double for the 4th straight game, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds. He has now grabbed 10+ rebounds in 7 straight games.

Senior DJ Burns might have only had 4 points, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t stop him from impacting the game. Burns led NC State with 7 assists.

In the final 4 minutes of the game, with Marquette chipping away at the lead, Horne and Senior Michael O’Connell both hit three’s, and Morsell made a clutch acrobatic layup.

The Wolfpack Guards weren’t about to allow Marquette to take away what had been in their hands nearly all game long.

NC State’s defense was outstanding, holding the Golden Eagles to 33.3% shooting from the field, which was their 3rd worst shooting performance of the year. The Wolfpack’s physicality on defense was rattling, and they switched and communicated to perfection when the Golden Eagles brought screens.

NC State will play the winner of Houston (#1 seed) and Duke (#4 seed).

The Wolfpack doesn’t look like a Cinderella team. They are playing with as much poise and confidence as any team in this tournament.

NC State doesn’t look like they are trying to prove they belong. They are playing like they know they do.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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24 hours ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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2 days ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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6 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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7 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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