Connect with us

NC State Basketball

Gameday: NC State Faces Challenge in Florida Gulf Coast

Published

on

NC State Wolfpack vs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
7pm | ESPN 3 | PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC

I guess we should apologize for not giving you guys a solid scouting report of NC Central last week. We kind of just figured that it was going to be another team that no matter what they did, just wouldn’t be able to match up with NC State. We won’t make that mistake again. From here on out we’ll make sure you get proper scouting reports. We’ll start today.

Opponent: Florida Gulf Coast (4-1)

Why do I know that name? If you don’t know this team then you weren’t watching the NCAA Tournament last year. This group went on one of the most amazing cinderella runs in recent history. They took it to the Sweet 16 after beating Georgetown before falling to Florida.

Who have they beat this year?: Well, they really don’t have a quality win. They’ve beaten Furman, Hartford, Eckerd, and Ave Maria. I’ll be honest, I have no idea who those last two teams are and neither does ESPN (they don’t have team pages). The one game of note played by FGC is their opener vs Nebraska where they were blown out, 79-55. Nebraska is looking so-so right now. They’ve beaten UGA but lost to UAB and UMass.

Who are their top players? FGC isn’t exactly the same FGC that was dubbed “Dunk City” last March Madness when the Eagles went on a magical Sweet Sixteen run, but they do have most of the guys returning from last year.

Their go-to guy, Sherwood Brown, is gone. So that is a significant blow to the Eagles. He was a NBA guy and a real threat to big time teams. Returning are their two flashy guards, Bernard Thompson and Brett Comer. Don’t get me wrong, these guys are real good, but without Brown they lack that big time scorer. Stepping in is Chase Fieler (14ppg), who you may remember from this brutal slam on Georgetown last March.

FGC also adds Marquette transfer Jamail Jone who is a 6’6 swing man who has been impressive so far, averaging over 10 ppg. They also bring in big man Nate Hicks from Georgia Tech for some size in the middle.

Can NC State beat them? Yes they can, but it won’t be easy. This is a veteran FGC team that achieved success last year and are looking to rekindle the magic they had last March. State is coming off a rather embarrassing loss to Central and is trying to find their identity and get in a real rhythm. As we keep saying, State is young, but tonight they’re going to face a tough challenge. The Eagles are going to run and Gottfried’s kid like that pace, but the question is still on the boards. FGC isn’t huge but they’re big and they’re seasoned, however NC State will almost certainly be welcoming back Jordan Vandenberg from a high ankle sprain that has kept him out since the preseason. Adding Vandy to the mix will be both exciting and interesting. The Pack’s biggest flaw thus far has been frontcourt play and the big Aussie should improve that drastically.

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Basketball

NC State 84 BC 78: BOX SCORE

Published

on

NC State improved to 5-2 this afternoon, defeating Boston College 84-78 on the road, winning their 2023-24 ACC opener. Below is the box score.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State is a Slight Underdog in ACC Opener vs. Boston College

Published

on

NC State (4-2) will play their first ACC game of the 2023-24 season tomorrow on the road against Boston College (5-2), and they enter the game as slight underdogs. The Wolfpack are 1.5-point underdogs, and the Total is 150.5.

  • NC State is 0-2 Straight Up as underdogs
    • BC is 4-1 Straight Up as favorites.
  • NC State is 2-4 Against the Spread.
    • BC is 4-3 Against the Spread
  • The Total has gone Under in 2 games for NC State, Over in 3 and Pushed in 1.
    • The Total has gone Under in 3 games for Boston College and Over in 4.
  • NC State is 6-4 in their last 10 games against BC Straight Up.
    • NC State is 4–6 Against the Spread in their last 10 games against BC.
    • The Total has gone Under in 5 games, and Under in the other 5.

NC State

Boston College 

 

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

#5 NC State 70 Vanderbilt 62: BOX SCORE (with notes)

Published

on

The 5th ranked NC State Women’s Basketball team improved to 8-0 tonight, defeating Vanderbilt 70-62 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

Notes

  • Saniya Rivers scored 20+ points for the 2nd time this season, scoring 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting. She also chipped in 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
  • River Baldwin posted her first double-double of the season. She scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards.
  • Aziaha James has now scored in double figures in 7 of 8 games, scoring 14 points tonight, shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
  • Freshman Zoe Brooks led the Pack in steals (4) and assists (4).
  • NC State didn’t shoot well, making only 39% of their shots. Fortunately, they held Vandy to 34.3% shooting.

The Wolfpack will host Illinois State on Sunday at 2pm.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State Stat Leaders Heading into the ACC Opener vs Boston College

Published

on

This Saturday, NC State heads to Boston College for the now-annual early ACC opener. The Pack will face off against the Eagles at 4pm on ACC Network. Here is where the team is statistically after 6 games.

  • Casey Morsell leads NC State in scoring with 14.5 ppg.
  • The Pack has 4 double-digit scorers this season. Morsell (14.5), Jayden Taylor (13.3), DJ Burns (13) and DJ Horne (11.2)
    (Last season State had 4 double-digit scorers as well. Terquavion (17.9), Joiner (17), Burns (12.5) and Morsell (11.8)) 
  • After their top 4 scorers there is a big dip. Parker comes in at 6.8, O’Connell at 6.3, and Middlebrooks at 5.5 ppg.
    (Last season Jack Clark was 5th on the team in scoring at 9 points and Mahorcic was at 8.7. However, both guys missed a large chunk of the season.) 
  • Burns is leading NC State in rebounding this year at 5.3 per game. Diarra is next with 5.3 (but is currently hampered by an ankle injury.) 
  • O’Connell is leading NC State in assists with 3.3 per game, and Burns is up next with 2.5. PG DJ Horne is only averaging 2.
  • LJ Thomas and Mike O’Connell are tied in leading the team at .15 assists per minute.
  • Jayden Taylor is leading NC State in 3pt %, shooting an outstanding 45.8%, while Morsell is up next at 34.6%. Horne is close behind at 33%.
    (LJ Thomas is shooting 50% from 3, but only has 2 attempts.) 
  • Burns is leading the bigs, shooting 56.5% from the floor, while Middlebrooks is close behind at 54.2%. Dennis Parker Jr is coming in at 45.2%.
  • For the guards, it’s Casey Morsell leading the way at 44.6% from the floor, while O’Connell is next up at 43.4%. Taylor is shooting 42.4%, and DJ Horne is struggling a bit, shooting just 34.8% from the field.
  • Jayden Taylor is turning the ball over the most at 1.8 times per game, while Burns is next at 1.7. Morsell is at 1.5 and O’Connell is at 1.2. DJ Horne has been doing a good job of protecting the basketball, turning it over just .3 times per game.

Continue Reading