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Pack Outlasts Miami 67-58, Syracuse Up Next

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10 years ago

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TJ Warren dropped 24 and Ralston Turner added 22 as NC state outlasted the Canes in the first round of the ACC tournament.

You just knew that Miami wasn’t going to be an easy out. This is a team that beat State in Raleigh by double digits and then nearly knocked them off in Miami. Both times State seemed timid against the Physicality of the Canes. Tonight, however, was different. State matched the intensity of the canes and came ready. Here are some key notes from tonight’s win:

Warren and Turner lead the way
TJ Warren is just insane. It’s been the majority of the season that I’ve had to pretty much write the same thing over and over again after games, but dear lord. Warren is just unlike anything I’ve ever seen. His touch, his release, his body control, his demeanor, just everything he does is high quality. Miami did everything they could to stop him. They ran doubles at him, they trailed him and didn’t help off of him, but still TJ found a way to score it, as he usually does. He finished with 24 points and 8 boards.

The big boost that State needed (other than Warren’s 24) was the sharp shooting of Ralston Turner. The junior transfer has been big all season long and he stepped up huge again. Turner finished with 22 pts on 5-8 from 3pt range. There were a lot of big ones, but the one that stands out was the shot that put State up 58-53 as time was winding down. This broke Miami’s back and allowed State some breathing room.

Vandy Was Huge
Sometimes Vandy just doesn’t get a fair shake. This guy has really put forth a ton of effort all season. Sometimes it works for him, sometimes he just can’t get it going. Tonight he was great. Maybe the best we’ve ever seen him. 4 points 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 assists. That’s a pretty full stat sheet for a 7’1 center. He helped get Warren open with his passing, he altered a lot of shots, and he played with focus and poise (knocking down 2-3 FTs at the end), not to mention was physical on D without fouling. Huge game for the senior looking to live another day.

Cat Barber Catching On
Lewis played well again, but Barber seems to finally be figuring out how to manage a team and play the PG position at this level. He was magnificent in this one. Sure his defense was great but his real problem was that he’d fallen in love with trying to score, he’d be too busy trying to find a lane to drive that he would miss opportunities to find the open man. Tonight Cat took another step forward. He finished with 5 points, 7 assists and 0 turnovers. That’s 15 assists and 0 TO’s over his last 3 games. He’s trusting his teammates and finding the scorers. Look for Barber to play good minutes against a syracuse team with talented guards.

By the numbers
The big stat in t his one was turnovers. State once again was near flawless with the basketball. They turned it over only 5 times against Miami and forces the Canes into 15 turnovers. This was huge for allowing them to get out in transition and get easy buckets. The other big number was 13. That’s the combined point total for Lecomte and Adams, two guys who have haunted the Pack in their past two meetings. That due scored over 20 in the first meeting and combined for over 30 in the second. Stopping them was a key for the Pack.

Another key number was 41%. That’s what State shot from 3pt range. The usual dismal shooting Wolfpack team has all of the sudden started knocking down some more 3s. Over the past 4 games this team is shooting 39% from beyond the arc. Well, above their season average of 30%.

Survived…now advance
It’s payback time. State advances to play a Syracuse team who they had all but beaten in the final seconds earlier this season, however a few bad turnovers and a few iffy calls led to a 1 point heartbreaking loss. Now it’s time to get even. On a neutral court, State takes on the Orange at 7pm on Saturday. We’ll have the preview coming midday Friday. Stay tuned!

 

 

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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4 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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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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2 days 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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3 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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