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Sloppy Pack Squeaks By FSU 72-63

Published

9 years ago

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NC State came out firing. They looked like a team that just convincingly beat Duke and then took UNC to the wire. They were hungry on defense, they were knocking down shots on offense. It looked like we were about to witness a pretty bad beat down, but then things got weird.

FSU’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes got hot and knocked down a few contested jumpers, but instead of locking down, refocusing and competing, it was like the Wolfpack just went into coast mode. They stopped running the offense, they started taking poor shots and they stopped playing physical. FSU climbed all the way back from a 19 point deficit to tie the game at 60 late in the second half before Ralston Turner hit a 3 that gave the Pack the lead for good.

Let’s take a look at what happened:

State Needs Barber
Cat was in street clothes due to the death of his younger brother. He had only found out the night before the game, so it makes sense that he probably was not mentally ready to take the floor. But make no mistake, State needs this kid. Barber hasn’t quite been the dominant PG State fans were hoping for (yet), but he’s gotten better as the season has progressed. He’s started to understand his role and that is a role that the Pack has no backups for.

Lacey was given the reigns at PG in this one but as you could see, that’s not where he’s most comfortable. To be honest, I don’t really think Gottfried wants him to get comfortable there. Coach has worked hard to turn Lacey from a pass first makeshift point guard into one of the top scoring shooting guards in the country. With Cat out he struggled to find the balance between scorer and creator. This was apparent when shots stopped falling as the Pack was never really able to get into their offense to get the bigs some easy looks.

Ralston Turner Has Arrived
Turner has always been a good shooter, but this year he’s turned the corner. Turner has become elite. He’s asking for the big shot and knocking it down. He’s hitting 41% of his 3s this season which is about the career number Scott Wood finished at. Turner has become a guy you not only expect to knock down shots but also someone this team counts on and needs to be successful. As teams start to scout him and attempt to take away those looks, he’s moved his range out further, quickened his release and even added a mid range jumper. Ralston Turner has been and will continue to be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Pack.

Against FSU he was as advertised. He can get a bit streaky, but seems to focus in and hit shots when State needs him to. Case in point, FSU has mounted a big comeback and the Pack looked lazy, tired and without answers as the Noles tied it at 60. That’s when Gottfried turned to Turner to end the drought. They found him in the corner and with hands in his face he hit the shot that stopped the bleeding. That 3 gave State the momentum they needed to close this one out.

Where is the Defense?
Washington had 8 and 6, Freeman had 7 and 6, and Anya finished with 7 and 5. The FSU bigs had a total of 17 points (thats all 5 of their bigs combined). State out-rebounded FSU 38-34. The bigs pulled their weight in this one.

Sure Lacey had 17 and Ralston added 15, but the FSU guards went for 20, 11 and 15. They were killing State all night. Now maybe this was all due to the fact that State really didn’t have any depth at the guard position with Barber out. Maybe they were tired and therefore allowing open looks and allowing their men to get into the paint. Maybe that is why then went zone, to conserve energy.

Whatever it was, they need to fix it. Their zone is weak, soft and full of holes and if the FSU guards can expose it, anyone can. Their guards are decent, but Lacey, Turner and Lee needed to do a better job of limiting open looks. This, again, is one of those little things you don’t realize that Cat does. he limits drives and limits open looks that his man gets. Lacey and Turner looked too slow, or too tired to do that in this one.

To their defense, Turner was being asked to guard someone quicker than he usually does (a 2 guard), and so was Lacey (a PG), this seemed to create a lot of mismatches, but State needs to figure that out if they are going to go far this season. They can’t be just one injury away from collapsing.

Martins Maturing
These kids looked great again. They still need that offensive refinement, but overall they are hustling, making plays and defending as good as anyone on this roster. They combined for 15 points and 4 boards while also providing good defense most of the game.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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18 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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2 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

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

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3 days 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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3 days 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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