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Offseason Basketball Preview: The Wings

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In our last installment of our ‘Offseason Basketball Preview’ we examined the Wolfpack’s guard situation, which really seems to be shaping up nicely.

Today we’ll take a closer look at the wings. In case you were wondering, we’re saying ‘wings’ because this year’s NC State team is pretty interchangeable. I don’t think they fit neatly in the 1 through 5 mold. Instead I think you have guards, wings and bigs. Your only real true position guys are Barber (who is obviously a 1), Lee (who only really fits in at the 2), and Anya (who isn’t really versatile enough to play anywhere but the 5), everyone else is kind of going to float for this team. Let us explain…

Historically, your 3 man is a slasher. Someone who is 6’6 or 6’7 and can attack off the dribble, post a little bit, shoot a little bit and stretch the defense. They are guys that are decent rebounders and have the versatility to defend both big 2’s and small 4’s. I think State has a lot of these type of guys, however, I think you’ll see them floating between the 2, 3 and even sometimes the 4 when State needs to go small.

The most obvious wing on State’s roster is Ralston Turner. With Lacey and Barber both likely to start, Turner moves down to the 3 in place of TJ Warren. Turner is really more suited for this position than the SG position he played most of last year. Reason being, he’s really not that great at putting pressure on the D by attacking from the perimeter. With Warren gone, State will need both Barber and Lacey to put pressure on the defense by penetrating. That should open up some good looks for Turner, who thrives when he’s getting clean looks from 3.

Gottfried has a lot of options here, especially when you start realizing that you can go with a 3 guard lineup that has Dez Lee at the 2 and Lacey at the 3. However, I really don’t think you’ll see this very often unless Lee really starts to demand minutes with his play. Dez is one guy that is really going to have to prove his worth this season if he wants significant playing time. I do think he has the skills and really could blossom this season, but he’s going to have to put his head down and earn his minutes every day in practice.

With that being said, Lacey is one of the most versatile guys on this roster. He’s going to be able top play point when Barber needs a breather, but he’ll also be able to slot in at the wing if need be. At 6’3 he’s a little undersized but he’s got a strong frame and could be the big guard in a 3 guard lineup. (Again, I think this will be a rare occurrence).

The more obvious choice, aside from Turner, will be the Martin twins. A few years ago it seemed as if Caleb Martin would come into college as a big 2 and twin brother Cody would end up as a true 3 (or undersized 4). Last year Caleb played well at Oak Hill but kind of confirmed that he’s more suited for the 3. He was much more effective when he didn’t have to get to the basket off the dribble, which makes sense for a guy that’s 6’7 and not uber-quick.

At the same time, I do think that Caleb could slot in at the 2 if State were in a pinch, but with Lee, Turner and Lacey all better options, I doubt that will happen much. More likely you will see Caleb spell Turner at the 3 from the get-go and let his play dictate his PT from there on. Right now he has a lot of catching up to do as he’s recovering from a foot surgery he had done over a week ago. Don’t worry though, as Gottfried is expecting him back before practice starts for the season.

At the 3 Caleb is a very good shooter, a pretty decent creator off the dribble and someone who i just an all around solid player. He’s versatile, a good defender and will mature into a true scoring threat. This year he’ll get his minutes, but I think you’ll see that it’ll take some time for him to adjust to the physicality of this league. He’s big, but he’s going to get frustrated with the handsy, physical defense the ACC refs allow.

So with 2 real viable options at the 3 (and Lacey possible being pushed down if Dez Lee demands minutes), where does that leave Cody Martin? Well, that’s a good question. Cody was always seen as the question mark between the two brothers, but it was never because of his skill. He’s always been a very good talent, but had focused more on playing in the paint and becoming a great defender/rebounder. With Cody being a thin 6’6 in high school nobody really knowing if he had the versatility to play the 3 at the next level, he was being looked at as a small 4 and really just a true ‘tweener.

But a lot changed last year. Cody started emerging more on the perimeter. He became more versatile and started to sure up his handle and his shot. I still think he’s much less polished than Caleb in those areas, but he’s making improvements. I still think Caleb will be a key piece to this team. He’s a lot tougher and more willing to mix it up in the middle than his brother. He’s a guy that more suited for those sloppy grinders State always finds themselves in against teams like Virginia or that heartbreaker against St. Louis in the NCAA Tournament.

I think Cody will certainly find his niche. He’s too good not too. In fact the Martin twins have always been two of my favorite pick-ups that State has made in recent years. These are two very talented kids that work hard and are extremely coachable. These are guys that are willing to work through adversity. They won’t run or start talking transfer if they don’t see minutes early on. I’m very excited to have these guys on this team.

So there is your ‘wing’ breakdown. I think State is very deep here and Gottfried has so many options with this group. The real challenge is going to be figuring how and when to use all of these talented pieces.

Next week we’ll get talk about what we think is going to be State’s biggest area of improvement from last season…the bigs. We’ll talk about the body transformation of Beejay Anya, the improvements of Kyle Washington and the impending arrival of a guy who could change the whole identity of this team– Abdul-Malik Abu.

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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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