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Wofford Irks Out Upset Over State 55-54

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9 years ago

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NC State’s Trevor Lacey hit a game winner with .01 on the clock. The replay confirmed it. The only problem was that the replay was wrong. FoxSport’s clock on-screen was a frame behind. Realtime told a different story. After NC State celebrated, the refs went back to the monitor to see that the ball was on Lacey’s fingertips when the clock hit 0. Another chapter to add the the “You’ll never see that again as long as you live” type back luck that the Wolfpack has endured over the past 25 years. Now, it’s been happening less and less lately, but tonight was a simple reminder that the players have changed, the coaches rotate, but you’re still watching NC State basketball.

At this point your probably wondering why State was even in a close game with Wofford. We’ll get into that in a second. First, I think it’s important to realize that this, while still a loss, is not a loss that is going to really hurt the Pack. This Wofford team won the Southern Conference Tournament last season and returned all of their starters. This is a veteran group that is going to be right up there again and should have a pretty healthy RPI this season.

Now, let’s get into tonight game.

– State’s bigs were just bad tonight. They combined for only 11 points in this one and although they finished tied on the glass with 33 boards, they were beat on the offensive glass 9-3. That was huge. State had very few second chance points and just seemed timid against the Wofford bigs. Kyle Washington couldn’t hit a shot, Beejay got his blocks and rebounds but that was it, and Freeman just was plain off tonight.

– Turnovers. State only coughed it up 11 times, but that’s not very good when you only turn the other team over 4 times. Now, Wofford is a veteran team and a calling card to most veteran teams is the ability to protect the basketball, but the Wolfpack is long, strong and should have dominated Wofford on the defensive end.

– Speaking of defense. The Pack was decent at best in this game. They were pretty good on the ball, but their help side was weak and they allowed far too many easy baskets in the paint. Again, A lot of this had to do with the bigs just not showing up tonight.

– No reinforcements. I’m not sure what happened tonight, but Gottfried just did not seem to want to explore his bench when his starters weren’t getting it done. Caleb Martin, who scored a career high 17 last time out only logged 11 minutes and was never allowed to get into any sort of rhythm. We didn’t even see any of Cody Martin in this game.

– Karl Hess. Who let this guy back on the floor? Hess was banned from reffing State games after throwing out Googs and Corch at a game a few years back. All of the sudden he’s back and within 5 minutes of play he gives Gottfried a technical foul for what just seemed like normal coach/ref banter after a questionable call. Quick-Whistle Karl obviously was trying to establish some sort of dominance again and put the Pack in the hole early. Those 2 free points that Wofford got ended up costing State this game.

– Now for the bright spots. Trevor Lacey was once again awesome down the stretch. He finished with 18 points and hit a huge jumper to put State in the lead after Wofford took the lead in the last minute then the would-have-been game winner. The kid has ice in his veins and you just wish he’d have taken over sooner. This kind of is reminding me of Warren last year. During the beginning of the season he tried to play as unselfishly as possible until he realized that he needed to be the offense for this team to win. Lacey is in the same situation. Sure, he has other weapons but he needs to realize that he is option A-1 and should be getting up 16-20 shots per game.

– I also thought Cat improved in this game. He still had a few moments of indecision which resulted in poor shots, but overall he played better basketball. He is trying as hard as he can to pick his spots and to run the offense and I think  you’re seeing that. Remember, he’s still only a sophomore in the beginning of his second season. I just think people, us included, thought he’d be coming in here college ready. Athletically he was ready, but he’s learning how to play PG at this level and there’s certainly been a learning curve there. His line wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either. 10 points, 3 assists and 5 boards…all with no turnovers.
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State better shake this one off because Tennessee is up next this Wed. at the PNC.

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nedmorlef
nedmorlef
9 years ago

I have issue with biased refs on the court. Especially when the bias is open and well known. Thye ‘re not hurting NCSU as much as they’re hurting the game, the league and the fans. This is as inexcusable as the loss.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I’ve said it before and my opinion remains unchanged… this is a very average team. There are some above average players (e.g. Trevor Lacey) but the team as a whole is average. We will lose more games this season than fans would like. As great of a job as Gott has done on the recruiting trail since he joined the Wolf Pack, where is falls short is evaluating key skills.  Looking at Barber for instance, he is as oft mentioned quick like a cat. However, he has limited court vision and decision making skills. Kind of the opposite of Tyler… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Katie Peneueta Enters the Transfer Portal

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5 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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NC State Forward Katie Peneueta is entering the Transfer Portal.

Peneueta transferred to NC State last offseason from Sacramento State, where she averaged 8.4 points, shooting 45.5% from three.

In her one year at NC State, Peneueta only played 8 games for the Wolfpack, battling injuries throughout the year. Peneueta has 1 year of eligibility.

With Peneueta entering the Portal, NC State now has 3 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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Boston Center Caitlin Weimar is on an Official Visit to NC State

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11 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) is currently on an Official Visit to NC State.

Weimar 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 NC State not having River Baldwin at Center next year, adding Weimar is an extremely exciting possibility.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren?

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13 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren? I caught up with the man who won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 to get his take.

What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?

I’m a second generation Wolfpack basketball player. Wolf blood runs through my veins, so to be able to witness a ride like that was truly amazing.

What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?

I think that is speaks to the heart that the players have. As a 10th seed in the ACC tournament, it’s easy to pack it in and look towards the offseason, but they did the opposite. They bonded together over adversity and that’s what made them so endearing. Hard work in the face of adversity, that’s something that Wolfpack fans can relate to.

As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?

As I mentioned earlier, NCSU hoops has been in my family for a long time, so it meant a whole lot personally. This run definitely took me back to some of the fond memories I have of putting on the Red & White and playing in front of a packed house at the PNC.

What was the most memorable moment for you?

I think Mike’s shot to tie the game at the end of regulation. It just felt like destiny at that point. Anytime you get to beat UNC and Duke days apart is special too.

How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?

I think that it puts us back on the national radar where we belong. After a magical run like that, I think it makes players want to be a part of that. A run like that reinvigorates a program definitely.

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Warren is 1 of only 6 NC State players to ever be named the ACC Player of the Year. In his Sophomore season, Warren was named a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and the AP. He averaged 24.9 points per game, which is the 5th best mark in a single season in NC State history. Warren scored 871 points that year, which is the most points ever scored in a single season by a Wolfpack player.

TJ was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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NC State Forward Ernest Ross Enters the Transfer Portal

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2 days ago

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April 16, 2024

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NC State Forward Ernest Ross announced today that he is entering the Transfer Portal.

 

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A post shared by Eway♻️🏂 (@thebiggesteworld3)

Ross played in 14 games this year, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.

Ross was a consensus 4-star player in the 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.

Ross has one more year of eligibility remaining.

NC State has 3 scholarships available now.

Best of luck Ernest!

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