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NC State Basketball

Breakout Candidate: Jordan Vandenberg

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With the departure of Richard Howell and CJ Leslie, NC State is left with huge shoes to fill in the paint this season. The question is, who will fill them?

This offseason, NC State signed 4-star big man Beejay Anya. Many believed it would be he who stepped in at center and started for the Wolfpack. Just one problem. Anya showed up to Raleigh a little out of shape and so far hasn’t earned enough confidence from the coaches in his ability to produce at an ACC level. So where does NC State go from here?

Jordan Vandenberg was a 7’0 project player signed by Sidney Lowe in the class of 2009. Nobody expected much from Vandy when he arrived on campus that season, but it all changed with one dunk.

(skip to the 37 second mark)

With that slam, NC State fans started wondering if they had maybe found something. That season Vandenberg played well as a backup to State center Tracy Smith. He gave the fans a taste of what he was capable of when he dominated the defensive paint against Arizona on Dec. 23rd of that year. With Smith suspended, Vandy went for 11 boards and altered shot after shot. It could have become the beginning of a great career. Instead it became just a blip on the radar. Smith returned soon after and Vandenberg never saw significant time again.

The next season Jordan would play the first quarter of the season as a key reserve, logging significant minutes in 7 of the first 10 games. But with nearly as many fouls as rebounds during that span, he quickly fell out of favor with the coaches and was relegated to bench duty.

At the beginning of the 2011-2012 season, and under a new coaching staff, there was a sense that Jordan’s opportunity may have passed. State had tons of high-level front court talent and he had shown up to camp a little out of shape. He wasn’t moving well on defense, he was confused about his role in the new fast paced offensive and it seemed like his confidence was shot. After Gottfried tried him out in the first 5 games of the season, they discovered that he was dealing with a shoulder injury and decided to give him a medical redshirt.

With a year of redshirting, State hoped that Vandenberg could improve in a lot of areas. They needed him to be active and physical on defense without fouling. They needed him to be able to run the court, and they needed him to do this against bigger, more talented opponents.

That never happened.

Vandy once again showed up out of shape and there were rumbling that he wasn’t taking basketball as serious as he once did. It showed. Although he didn’t get many chances, when he did it seemed disastrous. Jordan seemed nervous, lost, and without confidence in himself. He finished the season averaging 5 minutes per game, .7 points and .7 rebounds per game. This could have been the final chapter for the Aussie’s career….but it wasn’t.

With a majority of their talent gone, State fans began focusing on the future. A talented freshman class, stacked with front court talent, all the media hype was around Anya, Washington and Freeman. Forgotten was the lone senior on the roster, Jordan Vandenberg. But that didn’t stop him this offseason. He worked and worked to get back into playing shape, knowing that if he couldn’t run the court then he would become obsolete.

This offseason Jordan shed over 40 pounds and worked to acclimate himself to the running style that Gottfried has implemented. On Friday he had his coming out party. A quicker, faster, more confident Vandenberg dominated the paint at the Wolfpack’s ‘Primetime with the Pack’ season opening scrimmage. He was dunking, playing physical inside and ruling the boards. He finished 6 of 9 with 12 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes of play. As funny as it sounds, Vandy was the perfect compliment to Tyler Lewis. Lewis continuously pushed the tempo up the floor and each time it was Vandenberg running right with him. He’s obviously in better shape and might be making as case to be NC State’s starting center this year.

(In case you missed this vid from yesterday, check it out! Lots of Vandy highlights.)

It’s been a long, bumpy roller coaster ride for Vandenberg, but it might just end up having a happy ending. If he can stay out of foul trouble, focus on keeping up with State’s point guards, and really get physical on the boards, Jordan Vandenberg might finally be that finished project Wolfpack fans were hoping for.

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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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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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