NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Seeks Redemption vs Syracuse

Published

10 years ago

March 14, 2014

ACC Tournament 3rd Round
NC State vs. Syracuse
7pm | Greensboro, NC | ESPN/ACCN

This is the game Pack fans had been eyeing. As the season played out, it was obvious that the Wolfpack’s best chance to get into the big dance was to finish with a 7th seed in the ACC. That would net them a game against a lower seed (which ended up being Miami) and then a rematch with Syracuse (who they feel they can beat.)

The Orange is a team that is hard to read right now. They have lost four of their last six and are still ranked #11. This would be the signature win the Pack has been needing. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup:

Last meeting with the Orange
One huge factor in the first game was the play of TJ Warren. Usually we talk about his scoring, but in this one it was his defense that was the key for State. He held CJ Fair to only 11 points and really kept him off balance all night. They need to focus on that again, but this time out the Pack should make sure Jerami Grant (who went for 12 pts and 14 boards last time) and Rakeem Christmas (14 points, 12 boards) don’t get off. Those two guys were monsters in the paint and were the real reason Syracuse stayed in the game (oh, and also the massive FT discrepancy in the 2nd half).

I tried to get through this without mentioning the need for Warren’s scoring, but it’s not possible. State needs Warren to be big tonight on the offensive end. He needs to get inside that zone and knock down mid-rangers. He’s got the perfect game to attack this ‘soft in the middle’ zone. This is likely Warren’s last go-round so you can believe he’ll be out there going 110%.

Attack the zone
Last time out the Pack did a great job of getting to the middle of the Syracuse zone. They used Kyle Washington to get in the middle and create havoc. He finished with a huge game that night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 boards. They’ll need that again, however it’s likely that Syracuse will pinch in a little and try to make Washington a little more uncomfortable. This will open up some shots from the arc, an area that State has been constantly improving late in the season.

They key for State should still be to infiltrate that zone and score in the paint, but knocking down a few 3s certainly wouldn’t hurt. They only shot 29% from the arc in the last meeting.

Rebounding is key
Syracuse is huge and they can really hurt you on the glass, but last time out State matched their physicality and their will in the paint. In the end the difference between the teams was only 1 rebound. Vandy is coming off a big game, so State will certainly welcome that, but the key today is whether or not Washington and Warren can replicate what they did last time out.

Syracuse struggling
We mentioned that Syracuse has lost 4 of their last 6 games, but they did just smash FSU to close their season. In that game they were animals on the boards and CJ Fair did whatever he wanted. Fair actually has been really good as of late, scoring 50 over his past 2 games. Ennis, Grant, Christmas and Cooley have all been off and on. State does matchup well with this team, but can not afford to come out soft or come out cold.

Gottfried is a great late season coach and the team was fired up yesterday. With a possible tournament bid on the line tonight, you should expect this team to come out with a ton of fire and thirst for redemption.

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. 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 #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.