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Keys To The Game: Louisiana Tech

Published

9 years ago

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PNC Arena | 7PM | ESPN 3

Louisiana Tech is not a team to be taken lightly, finishing last season with a 29-8 mark and taking home the Conference USA title with a conference record of 13-3. The Bulldogs will bring an uptempo attack to Raleigh this evening averaging 77 points per contest. Spearheading the attack for the Bulldogs is Raheem Appleby (6-4 160) and Alex Hamilton (6-4 190) this experienced duo will give NC State plenty of headaches. Appleby is averaging 16.3 points per outing and Hamilton is averaging 15.0 points per game. Another name to watch out for is Kenneth “Speedy” Smith, a senior guard who is the reining Conference USA defensive player of the year! Smith registered over 90 steals a season ago. Think of Smith as Rajon Rondo, scoring is not his forte, yet he is averaging over 7 assists a game!

What must State do in order to walk away with a quality win and a great resume builder towards March?

Handle the Rock: 

The Pack must be prepared for an all out assault tonight as Louisiana Tech loves to get up and pressure. Smith is one of the best in the country at getting steals and loves to stay in opposing point guards pockets. State must be prepare to use their dribble wisely as Louisiana Tech loves to mix it up in the full-court with a variety of impromptu traps. Hustling and grit are two trademarks of a ferocious Bulldog defense.

NC State must use ball fakes, spacing, and stay out of the corners in order to beat Louisiana Tech tonight. I know the Bulldogs watched the film of the game versus West Virginia and must like their chances of forcing turnovers to create easy offense. Cat Barber, Trevor Lacey, and Ralston Turner must be prepared to move the ball quickly and attack off of the Bulldogs pressure. If the Bulldogs are trapping simple math tells you someone is open. I am optimistic that NC State’s guards and bigs will be prepared for the Bulldogs and will be armed with a few more wrinkles to combat the pressure. Another side note is the Pack must avoid the corner at all cost tonight! Against the Mountaineers our guards found themselves stuck all too often only to turn it over.

Use our Strength: 

Louisiana Tech has adequate length and quickness; however, they are rail thin. The heaviest guy on their team weighs in at 225 pounds, as for their guards they are pretty light as well. Trevor and Ralston must use their strength to beat their man off of the bounce and finish through their defenders. If State can get Smith into foul trouble the Bulldogs will undoubtedly struggle without their floor general. We must also find a way to hit BeeJay deep in the post to allow him to out muscle Louisiana Tech’s big men. I am confident that if the Pack can draw some double teams in the post that Trevor and Ralston will be able to convert from the perimeter. Also look for Washington to use his face-up game to use his length to finish over the top.

Defend: 

Last game out the Pack didn’t have the energy or effort to keep West Virginia out of the paint. Guess what? Tonight we must bring the intensity and energy needed to play against an athletic team that thrives on chaos. I can assure you that there will be some ugly possessions out of the Bulldogs only to yield two points. As things go a-rye the Bulldogs are most comfortable. State must keep its wits and stay in the moment defensively. They cannot allow a lucky basket get them down mentally. Also State must continue their dominance on the defensive glass. The best way to avoid chaos is to not allow second and third chances. Hopefully our guys continue to show the commitment needed in order to out rebound the Bulldogs.

Another area that must be improved upon is defending the three-point line. The Bulldogs average 7.8 made threes per game. NC State must run Louisiana Tech off the line and force them to finish at the rim. We cannot allow Smith to penetrate and kick out to wide open shooters. If State is not sound on defending the three-point line it will be increasingly difficult to walk away with a win! It will all start with on the ball defense and not getting beat off the dribble. Pay attention to this throughout the night. Our best games defensively have been a direct result of not allowing the opposing team to hunt the paint! Cat and Trevor must turn the Bulldogs and force them outside their operational area. If the Pack can do this they will win!

Conclusion: 

NC State must play with energy first and foremost. They also must limit their turnovers and do a better job at moving the ball with the pass instead of dribbling. It will be imperative for the Pack to not fuel Louisiana Tech’s frenetic style by giving the ball away and allowing them second chances on the offensive glass. In my opinion State will continue the bounce back trend, the Pack are 2-0 following losses this season. In each game after a defeat State has improved on the errors in the last game and looked much better overall! Game time is slated for a 7PM, make sure to make the trip out to help give the Wolfpack every advantage possible!

 

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

We shot so many more FTs than our opponent last game and just blew it at the line. Missed FTs, lack of toughness, and poor decision making. Sounds like a broken record. Either we begin to address some of these issues by the halfway mark or it’s time to throw in the towel. Either these guys are going to improve as the season progresses or they’re not. We should be seeing a lot of improvement through the first 16 games. I’m not seeing it but here’s hoping. Gottfried is a major improvement over all the coaches since Jimmy V. and… Read more »

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NC State Falls Out of the Top-10 After Losses to UNC & Duke

Published

2 months ago

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February 26, 2024

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After losing to rivals UNC and Duke last week, the NC State Women’s Basketball team fell out of the Top-10 in the Week 17 AP Poll, landing at #12. NC State started the 2023-24 season unranked, but jumped to #14 in the first Poll after the Preseason Poll. The Wolfpack have been ranked in the Top-10 since November 20th, which equals 14 straight polls.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

5. Virginia Tech
12. NC State
17. Notre Dame
19. Syracuse
22. Louisville
27. Duke
29. UNC
30. FSU

The Wolfpack will host #19 Syracuse on Thursday night at 7pm.

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NC State’s Week 1 Depth Chart Against UCONN (with Notes)

Published

8 months ago

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August 25, 2023

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NC State will kick off their 2023 Football season next Thursday night against UCONN at 7:30pm. The Wolfpack released their Depth Chart for the game today.

Image

Notes

  • Redshirt Sophomore Anthony Carter Jr. is listed as the starting Left Guard. If Redshirt Sophomore Lyndon Cooper wasn’t missing the first game due to injury, I wonder if Carter would be starting. Doeren did praise Carter in his press conference today. Also, he stated that Cooper should be back for the Notre Dame game.
  • Noticeably, Graduate Transfer Offensive Lineman Dawson Jaramillo is also missing from the Depth Chart. Unfortunately, Jaramillo has suffered an injury, and will miss the entirety of the 2023 season. This is a huge blow for Jaramillo, and a huge blow for the depth of the Wolfpack Offensive Line. Jaramillo was a Swiss Army knife, having the ability to play in numerous positions.
  • Very often, Doeren has stated that the “Or” in between two names means that the coaching staff sees both players as starters. There is an “Or” in between Chris Toudle and Trent Pennix at Tight End, with the former being listed first. Maybe it doesn’t matter whose name is listed first, but I’m shocked Pennix’s name wasn’t the one at the top.
  • I’m not shocked that Julian Gray and Keyon Lesane are listed as the starters at the X and Y Wide Receiver positions. They both have had a lot of buzz surrounding them in Fall Camp, and Lesane was named a captain. Obviously, with Gray’s speed, Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae is going to want to find a way to get the ball in his hands. With that being said, and this is no disrespect to the two of them, but both of them are 5’11”, which isn’t exactly the way you would sculpt your prototypical outside receivers. I expect Terrell Timmons and Bradley Rozner to both be heavily in rotation at the X and Y, to give the outside receivers a good dose of speed as well as height.
  • True Freshman Running Back Kendrick Raphael might be buried at the bottom of the Depth Chart at his position, but I bet he sees a carry before Mimms or Jones. Doeren mentioned that we would see Raphael against UCONN, but didn’t mention Jones or Mimms. Anae likes to run 2 Running Back sets, with one of them almost functioning like a Full Back. As a result, I’m not shocked to see Jones and Mimms where they are in the Depth Chart.
  • Props to True Freshman Kevin Concepcion for earning the starting job at the Inside Wide Receiver position. Get ready to hear his name a lot this year. KC is backed up by Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit, who Doeren spoke highly of today.
  • Junior Porter Rooks is no longer sitting behind Thayer Thomas on the Depth Chart. Doeren said that Rooks has had a great camp. The former 4-Star prospect has an opportunity to show that those stars meant something by his name. With that being said, he will be pushed by True Freshman Javonte “Juice” Vereen, who even has national media buzzing about him heading into the season.
  • Three True Freshman are on the Offensive Depth Chart: Left Guard Kamen Smith, IWR Kevin Concepcion and FLEXY Juice Vereen.
  • True Freshman Kamal Bonner is 2nd on the Depth Chart at the Will Linebacker spot, backing up Payton Wilson. What’s noteworthy, is that he’s ahead of former 4-Star prospect Jordan Poole in the Depth Chart. Bonner must have made a heck of a first impression.
  • As expected, ODU Graduate Transfer Robert Kennedy is starting at Nickel.
  • True Freshman Brandon Cisse is backing up Aydan White at Right Corner, and Doeren said we should expect him to contribute.
  • Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit will be filling in the shoes of Thayer Thomas at Punt Returner.

 

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Elliot Avent is interviewed on MLB Network about rule changes and Wolfpack Alums

Published

1 year ago

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March 10, 2023

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Elliot Avent gave a great interview on MLB Network.

Avent talks about the rules changes in baseball and doesn’t seem too pleaseed about them, while also breaking some news that they might be naming the hitting facility after Trea Turner and the Pitching lab after Carlos Rodon.

Give it a watch.

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NC State Basketball

Mady Traore Will No Longer Enroll at NC State

Published

1 year ago

on

December 15, 2022

By

This unfortunately seemed inevitable.

According to 247Sports’ Travis Branham, 3-Star Mady Traore is no longer planning on enrolling at NC State.

Traore was a member of the Wolfpack’s 2022 recruiting class, but wasn’t able to enroll in the Fall because of Visa issues and the English Competency Test.

Back on November 29th, I posted the following article, saying that Traore was set to join the team for the 2nd semester. Traore himself told me when I posted it, that he was expecting to join the team in December.

I received the intel 2 weeks prior to posting, and prior to things beginning to brew between NC State and Isaiah Miranda. In hindsight, I wish I would have posted it when I got the intel (haha).

4-Star Mady Traore Expected to Suit up for NC State Soon

Obviously, that didn’t happen, and isn’t happening.

When I posted the article, things were in flux, because there was one scholarship available. If Miranda came, he was going to get the scholarship, and the staff was hoping Traore would be willing to wait and enroll in April. If Miranda didn’t come, then the expectation was for Traore to join the team in December, in the way that Miranda just did.

I still believe my source’s info was solid, and there are always a lot of moving pieces in play that can change scenarios quickly.

From what I hear, the staff was genuinely hopeful they could add Miranda in December, and Traore in April, but it didn’t work out that way, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.

We wish you the best Mady! You’ve got a special future in basketball.

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