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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Outlasts Long Beach St. 76-66

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NC State 76 – Long Beach State 66 – Boxscore

Mark Gottfried Press Conference Audio:

 

Cat Barber (19 pts) and TJ Warren (23pts) led the scoring and Lennard Freeman (13 boards) and Vandenberg (5 boards, 3 blocks) held down the middle as the Pack pulled away in the second half, beating Long Beach State 76-66.

Another game, another nice showing by this young Pack team. Although they struggled to get things going early in the first half, they made adjustments and took control later on. Here are a few takeaways that stood out to us:

State still struggles some against the zone. In the first half State really didn’t move the ball that well. They were seemed slow and unsure of themselves. This shouldn’t be the case. Teams have and will be zoning State all season. This is an athletic group, but one that has struggled from beyond the arc. They shot 20% from downtown in this one and they still came out with the win. That’s not going to be the case when they go up against big time teams like Duke and Carolina. With that said, they did do a nice job of the second half of getting inside Lone Beach St.’s zone and making things happen. Vandenberg and Warren has some really nice interior passing that led to some really easy buckets.

Cat Barber is turning into a star. This kid is really answering the bell early in this season. He was definitely the Pack’s player of the game against the 49ers and just keeps getting better week by week. He finished with 19 points and 4 assists on 7-15 shooting. He had some unbelievable moves off the dribble and really got State going against the zone in the 2nd half. Those, however, are not the reasons that Cat Barber logged 35 minutes in this one. His defense on Mike Caffey was the key. In the half court, Barber was able to really shut down the star guard. While he did get his average, most of his points were uncontested on the break. Barber’s defense is a huge plus for the Pack and something that is winning him minutes over Tyler Lewis right now.

Lennard Freeman had 13 boards and is becoming a true force for NC State. The 17 year old freshman isn’t scared of anyone. He’s built like a man and plays like a man down on the blocks. I can’t help but think of Richard Howell when I watch him play. He fights for every loose ball and attacks every ball off the glass. He’s a hungry one and his offense is starting too come around as well. If and when that happens, this kid will become a superstar. As a freshman Richard Howell was lazy, overweight and didn’t care much about rebounding. Things drastically changed and he became one of the hardest working, beloved Pack players in recent memory, but what if he would have had 4 years with that outlook instead of just 2. Freeman does have those 4 years and if he keeps doing what he’s doing he could become the best rebounder State has had in a long, long time.

– TJ Warren did it again. 23 points, 10-18 shooting, 5 boards, just another game for the sophomore leader. I’m going to say that again…sophomore leader. It’s hard to believe TJ is only a sophomore. His game is so advanced, his scoring and game play is so fluid. He’s now averaging 22.6 ppg, leading the ACC. I’m not sure what else you can say about him, he’s a legit pro and probably the best scorer State has seen since Hodge.

Vandenberg policed the middle against LBS and really caused problems. I wish ‘altered shots’ or ‘change of decision’ was a counted stat because Vandy would be a league leader. He only scored 2 points, had 5 boards and added 3 blocks, but his presence alone did so much more. Long Beach State didn’t really know what to do inside. They were forcing quick shots, changing their release and passing out in situations that they would usually shoot…and it was all because of Big V. He had big blocks early on that sent a message to the 49ers. They received that message and looked uncomfortable all night when they were in the paint.

——-

Next up for the Pack (6-2) is the Detroit Titans, this Saturday at 2pm at the PNC Arena.

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NC State Basketball

Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 tonight. Here’s a look at the Golden Eagles before tipoff.

Marquette is ranked 8th in the AP Poll.

They lost to UCONN 57-73 in the Big East Tournament Finals.

As a team, they shoot 48.2% from the field, which ranks 23rd nationally. Their Effective Field Goal Percentage is 55.5%, which ranks 15th.

Marquette ranks 15th in Assist/Turnover ratio, 26th in Scoring Margin, and 26th in Assists per game.

Junior Guard Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field and 41.4% from three.

Senior Guard Tyler Kolek averages 15.3 points and a team high 7.9 assists. He leads the nation in assists per game. Kolek shoots 49.7% from the field and 39.7% from three.

Senior Forward Oso Ighosaro (6’11”) scores 13.6 points per game, and leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. He shoots 58.1% from the field, which ranks 28th nationally.

Junior Forward David Joplin (6’8”) averages 11.0 points per game.

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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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