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Wolfpack Shocks #11 Syracuse 66-63

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10 years ago

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In a must win situation, NC State did what they couldn’t do a few weeks ago and knocked off Syracuse.

TJ Warren led his team with 28 points and 8 boards, while senior Jordan Vandenberg had the game of his career. Vandy finished 5-5 with 10 points and 5 boards and helped keep the Orange off balance in the lane.

This win gives NC State a very real shot at playing in the NCAA tournament and gives them a matchup with either Clemson or Duke tomorrow. Before we get into all that, however, let’s break down how the Pack was able to upset #11 Syracuse.

TJ Warren at it again

You could see it in his eyes. TJ Warren wasn’t going home without a W. He knew this team was capable, but he knew he needed to have a big game….so he did.

Warren scored 28 points on 9-21 shooting and really willed the Wolfpack to this win. While they needed everyone of his buckets, what he did on defense maybe be even more impressive. CJ Fair had scored 50 points over his 2 previous games and was really leading the Orange offense. Against State Fair had only 9 points on 3-16 shooting and it was all because of the quality job TJ Warren did.

How this kid doesn’t get tired is beyond me. He works tirelessly to get open on offense, pushes himself to give that extra burst when he makes his move to the hoop and throws his body around like he’s invincible, then on the other end he’s guarding the oppositions most versatile player and usually shutting them down. Fair couldn’t get anything going. Warren was too long for him to get clean looks, he was too quick for Fair to get by him off the dribble, he was completely in shut down mode and took the Orange best player out of the game.

Warren showed up huge on both ends of the floor in this one and by the looks of it…he’s not done yet.

 

Jordan Vandenberg Plays the Perfect Game
I’m so happy for the guy. Years of waiting, but finally it’s his time and on the biggest stage he played his biggest game.

Vandy finished with 10 points of 5-5 shooting, grabbed 5 boards and was an enforcer in the paint. He was in the right place at the right time all night long, finishing dunks, knocking down jumpers and dishing out some great passes.

I actually can’t think of a mistake that Jordan made tonight…this was his perfect game.

 

Defense that just won’t quit
This team went on lockdown mode against Syracuse. With all the talk about the Syracuse zone and how hard it is to score against, State was actually the game that looked like the defensive masterminds. They held the Orange to only 32% from the field. Now, this is a team that shoots 43%. It’s also a team that rebounds like animals, however State held them in check, only getting out-rebounded by 3 (36-33).

Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant did everything in their power to keep Syracuse in this game, but it wasn’t enough. The Wolfpack defense was swarming and relentless all night long.

 

Point Guard Production
Cat Barber played great once again. Sure, he did get a little loose with the basketball (4 TOs), but he was a big reason that the Pack won this game. He dished out 6 big assists and had 2 huge steals to go with 4 points. Barber was able to get into the zone and find the open man. He was great on the break and he is starting to become a true PG. His defense on Ennis was also impressive. While Syracuse PG did drop 21 points, Barber did a great job of making it hard for him to get open looks.

Tyler Lewis also played a very strong game. Early on Lewis was the only offense State could muster outside of Warren. His two 3’s in the first half were huge. He finished with 7 points, 2 assists and one TO.

 

The highlights:

And for anyone who has ever questioned Gottfried, please take a look at this interview. This man cares about his players, he cares about this school….

and…the heart-attack inducing finale

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NC State Basketball

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

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17 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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WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

Published

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

Published

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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