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ACC Tourney: Pack Set For Showdown with Miami

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10 years ago

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ACC TOURNAMENT
NC State Wolfpack  vs. Miami Hurricanes
7pm | Greensboro, NC | ESPN

Here we are. This is it, folks. There’s no turning back now. It’s win or go home for NC State from here on out. First up is a Miami team who they’ve split with this season. Although the Canes finished 7-11 in the ACC and almost lost to VTech in the first round, they come in at the 1 point favorite against the Wolfpack.

State might be on a nice little run lately and they might have the ACC’s hottest player in TJ Warren, but they’ve struggled mightily against this Miami team this season.

Let’s take a closer look at why:

In the first matchup with Miami: NC State 56 – Miami 55
This game was in Miami but seemed like a sure shot win for NC State at the time. They started out well, but the Canes never let them pull away. Warren dropped 27 and Ralston Turner had 17, but the rest of the team did just about nothing (12 points combined).

Now one thing to note here. Miami sat in a zone for much of the game and this was in during the time where the  Pack was absolutely clueless against the zone. Actually, the truth is, State has been awful against the zone all season up until the last 2 weeks when Lewis, Barber and Lee broke out of their shooting slumps. The Canes also got a big game from Rion Brown (20pts), while Lecomte and Adams added 23 combined.

Miami ruled the boards in this one as well. They won that battle 36-33, but it was on the offensive glass where the Pack really felt the pain. They were outdone there 17 to 11.

State shot under 40% for this game (37.8%)

 

In their second matchup with Miami: Miami 85 – NC State 70
This one had a totally different feel. Now, State was only 3 days removed from their most heartbreaking loss of the season (the 1 pt OT loss to UNC) and they looked out of it. There was zero defense being played and the team just looked beat.

Miami on the other hand was hungry and actually knocking down their shots. Once again Rion Brown took over and dropped 20. and again Lecompte and Adams added a big chunk (31pts combined). This time however, they also got 14 from big man Jekari and 15 from F Eric Swoop.

State was just crushed overall in this one. They were murdered on the boards 32-24 and they just looked awful on D. Miami shot 58.7. Yes you read that right….nearly 60% from the floor by Miami, a team who on average shoots 42%.

State got 20 from Warren, 13 from KWash and 10 from Lee.
In their third meeting with Miami: What do they need to do?

“All I know for us is we need to go and we need to win. You have to play your way into the tournament. That’s our mindset.” – Mark Gottfried in pre-tourney presser

Well, let’s start with defense. State needs to stop the Miami guards. Two times out and both times they butchered the Pack. In game one it was 43 total points and in game two it was 51. Lewis, Barber, Lee and Turner need to step up. They need to realize this game is on them. If you stop Rion Brown, Lecomte and Adams then this team has nothing that can really hurt you. The problem is, those guys are playing well right now.

The Canes have won 5 of their last 7 and 3 of their last 4. Now, those games were against low end ACC teams, but wins are wins. Yesterday against VTech they didn’t shoot the ball that well. They only connected on 38% of their shots and did not shoot well from 3, but they did dominate on the boards.

State needs to keep Jekari off the boards and need to match the physicality of Eric Swoope if they want to own the paint. That will be a another key for State. There is no doubt that if State wins the rebounding war, they win this game. Miami isn’t going to come out on fire like they did last time and I’m guessing State isn’t going to show up soft like they did in Raleigh. My guess is that Gottfried has his boys ready.

Gott is a great late season coach, he has a way of having his guys show up down the stretch and it’s looking like it’s coming together again. Right now you have Warren, Lewis, Barber and Anya playing their best basketball of the season. Washington and Freeman are continuing to battle inside and are getting more and more physical as the season goes along, while Dez Lee is once again turning the corner as a true threat. Turner is still shooting well, but realizing that he doesn’t need to carry the team with his shooting.

Look for the Pack to give Miami a heavy dose of Warren. State is going wherever TJ is taking them, so they’re certainly going to trust him. I think this team has the makings of a group that could be electric in March. With the way Warren is playing right now, he’s positioned himself to be one of those tournament takeover players who refuses to let his team lose. Now, one off game by TJ and this thing is over, but this is a hungry team who wants to make one of those improbable runs and end up in the big dance. The door isn’t completely closed, but they have a lot of work to do.

It starts today vs. Miami.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Releases Their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

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20 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s basketball program has announced its non-conference slate for the 2024-25 season, as revealed on Thursday.

The Pack will play eight of its 11 games, in addition to a preseason exhibition, at Reynolds Coliseum. Coming off a historical 2023-24 season that was highlighted by the program’s first Final Four since 1998, second in program history, head coach Wes Moore is entering his 12th season at the helm. With a strong home court advantage, the Pack has accumulated a 117-15 (.886) record at home since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum was completed in August 2016.

NC State will participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship at Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 against opponents that will be announced at a later date. As previously announced, NC State will play the defending NCAA Champion South Carolina at the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 10, as well as host Ole Miss for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The Wolfpack will host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before officially starting the season at home vs. ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Following the Ally Tipoff, NC State will return home to host Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 14.

NC State’s first true road game of the season is at TCU on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Pack will then play Coastal Carolina at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 before its trip to the Bahamas for two games (Nov. 25-27).

The Pack will close out the non-conference slate with four straight games at Reynolds Coliseum, starting with the SEC/ACC Challenge game vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Dec. 5). NC State will then host Old Dominion (Sunday, Dec. 8), Davidson (Wednesday, Dec. 11) and James Madison (Thursday, Dec. 19) to wrap up non-conference play.

With NC State’s known non-conference opponents, six are coming off postseason tournament appearances. Three received NCAA Tournament bids (Kent State, Ole Miss and NCAA Champion South Carolina), two were invited to play in the WBIT (TCU and James Madison) and one played in the WNIT (Old Dominion).

NC State’s Atlantic Coast Conference schedule will be announced by the league office at a later date. NC State will play Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home. The Pack will take on Wake Forest, Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse on the road.

Season tickets are sold out for the 2024-25 season. Tip-off times and television designations will also be released at a later date.

2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Anderson (Exh.)

Tuesday, Nov. 5 – ETSU

Sunday, Nov. 10 – South Carolina $

Thursday, Nov. 14 – Kent State

Sunday, Nov. 17 – at TCU

Thursday, Nov. 21 – Coastal Carolina

Monday, Nov. 25 – Opponent TBD &

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Opponent TBD &

Thursday, Dec. 5 – Ole Miss +

Sunday, Dec. 8 – Old Dominion

Wednesday, Dec. 11 – Davidson

Thursday, Dec. 19 – James Madison

$ – Ally Tipoff (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)

& – Pink Flamingo Championship (Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas)

+ – SEC/ACC Challenge (Raleigh, N.C.)

 

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NC State Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

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2 days ago

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July 24, 2024

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NC State Legend Julius Hodge has been named the Head Coach at Lincoln University.

This marks Hodge’s first stint as a Head Coach.

Hodge has been in the Coaching world since 2015, when he served as Director of Player Development at the University of Buffalo under Bobby Hurley. Then, he spent 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant Coach under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara. From 2018-20, Hodge served as an Assistant Coach at San Jose State. Hodge has spent the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

At NC State, Hodge earned 1st Team All-ACC honors in 2003 & 2004, and 2nd Team honors in 2005. Hodge was named the ACC Player of the Year in ’04. He earned the All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Hodge is 1 of 11 players in NC State history to earn 1st Team All-ACC honors more than once.

His 2,040 career points scored rank 3rd in NC State history. Hodge also ranks 1st in Free Throws Made, 14th in Rebounds, 7th in Offensive Rebounds, 6th in Assists and 7th in Steals.

Congrats Julius! You deserve this!

 

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

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4 days ago

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July 23, 2024

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NC State Men’s Basketball is releasing videos helping fans get to know the new players on the 2024-25 roster.

Below is the video of Freshman Trey Parker (6’1″/178), with a transcript underneath.

“My name is Trey Parker. I’m an incoming Freshman from Fayetteville, North Carolina.” 

“I was recently playing at Overtime Elite. It was a great experience. A whole lot of development and great energy.” 

“Coach Levi (Watkins) recruited me. As soon as I got to the campus, it was a great experience. They just gave me that big inspiration to feel like I’m home, and feel like a great student outside of basketball.”

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pack back in November of 2022. I just felt like it was a great fit for me.”

“Living in North Carolina, and now playing in North Carolina, is a big opportunity. There’s a lot of people from North Carolina looking up to me, and I want to give them what they want to see.” 

“Being close, allows for them to bring the whole city out. It just feels like I’m already at home.” 

“Y’all stay tuned. Showtime is coming this year.”

_______

Parker originally signed with NC State in November of 2022, as a member of the 2023 recruiting class. He decided to reclassify, making him a member of the 2024 class.

Parker is a consensus 3-Star prospect, though 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 4-Star prospect. 247 ranks him as the #135 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #26 Shooting Guard, and the #13 player in the state of Georgia.

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NC State Basketball

Jersey Numbers for 2024-25 NC State Men’s Basketball Team Revealed

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1 week ago

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July 18, 2024

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The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.

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Numbers that are Staying the Same

Michael O’Connell – #12

Ben Middlebrooks – #34

Dennis Parker Jr. – #11

KJ Keatts – #13

Jordan Snell – #22

Numbers that have Changed

Jayden Taylor – #1 –> #8

Breon Pass – #10 –> #4

Numbers of New Players

Mike James – #0 (He wore #0 at Louisville last year)

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – #1 (He wore #5 at Louisville last year)

Paul McNeil – #2 (He wore #2 in High School last year)

Dontrez Styles – #3 (He wore #0 at Georgetown last year)

Trey Parker – #5 (He wore #5 in High School last year)

Marcus Hill – #10 (He wore #0 at Bowling Green last year)

We don’t know what number Ismael Diouf will be wearing at NC State next year yet. 

 

 

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