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DEEP STATS: Wake Forest by the Numbers

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Who is Wake Forest? One of the worst teams in the ACC.

What makes them bad? In one word: OFFENSE.

They rank last in the ACC in Offensive Efficiency, and 206th in the NCAA, with a rating of 98.0. Offensive Efficiency = points scored in 100 possessions. Basically, are you offensively productive when you have the ball in your hands.

There are two glaring factors in the Demon Deacons offensive struggles. They can’t shoot and they can’t take care of the ball. Sure, that’s extreme language. Extreme language fits extreme statistics. Their Effective Field Goal % (FGM + 0.5*3PM)/FGA) on the year is 46.7%, which ranks 217th nationally. Their ability to take care of the ball makes their shooting look good. The Demon Deacons Turnover % of 22.0% ranks 266th in the NCAA, meaning they turn the ball over a little over one out of every five possessions. This young team allows their opponents to steal the ball on 13.8% of their possessions, which ranks 342nd in the nation.

The two most important things a team can do offensively, is shoot the ball well and take care of the ball well. Hence the Demon Deacons early season woes, with a current record of 4-4.

Now, I’ve been a bit harsh. They aren’t half bad at crashing the offensive glass (60th), and are one of the better teams in the country at getting to the charity stripe (31st).

They are three times better at defense than they are at offense. They rank 70th in Defensive Efficiency. But that is because of one singular factor. They rank #1 in the country in Holding their opponent to a low Offensive Rebounding %. Their opponents only snag 21.1% of the possible offensive rebounds at their disposal. They don’t allow second chance points. Period.

When it comes to holding teams to a low shorting percentage, creating turnovers, and keeping opponents off of the free throw line, they rank 130th or higher in each of these areas.

This Demon Deacons are one of the youngest teams in the country. Each player has played an average of 1.24 years. They don’t shoot well, and they let other teams shoot well. They turn the ball over a lot, and don’t create turnovers on defense. They are extremely active on the glass at both ends. They aggressively attack the basket, and get to the line, but find that aggressiveness translating to foul trouble on defense.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

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

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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.

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NC State Basketball

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

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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.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s DJ Horne Named to Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team

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NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.

Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.

The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.

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NC State Has Shown Interest in Utah Guard Transfer Deivon Smith

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NC State has reached out to Utah Transfer Guard Deivon Smith (6’0″/173).

Smith filled up the stat sheet every game this year, averaging 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.8% from three for Utah. He earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention this season. Smith had 8 double-doubles and 1 triple-double this year.

Wherever Smith lands, this will be his 4th college. He started at Mississippi St., starting in 8 of the 33 games he played in, averaging 22.5 minutes per game. Smith went on to spend his next two seasons at Georgia Tech. Year 1 in Atlanta, Smith started in 5 of the 24 games he played in, averaging 19.7 minutes per game. In Year 2, he carved out more of a role, starting in 13 of the 24 games he played in for the Yellow Jackets, averaging a career high 24.8 minutes per game.

At Utah this year, Smith broke out and had a career year in every possible way.

NC State is familiar with Smith, offering him back when he was a 4-Star prospect out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Rivals ranked Smith as the #53 overall player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the #5 player in the state of Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #11 Point Guard in his class.

 

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