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NC State Basketball

Bearcats romp Pack 76-60

Published

9 years ago

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The Cincinnati Bearcats took advantage of a sluggish and sloppy NC State team today. This is one of the most disappointing losses under Coach Gottfried since his arrival in 2010. You could tell how frustrated Gottfried was from his post game court-side interview with Tony Haynes and Gary Hahn. He started his interview by apologizing to the Wolfpack faithful and wished he could give them their money back to ease the pain of such an awful performance. He was consistent in his comments on how the team lacked enthusiasm, energy, and pride. These comments are unfortunately true! Some 17,000 Wolfpack fans were in attendance despite the awkward start time only to leave disappointed. Coach Gottfried took part of the blame but I will pin this loss on the players. I find it puzzling how Coach Gottfried can display so much desire and energy on the sidelines yet our players show up lethargic as well as emotionless. College basketball is too competitive of a landscape to not show up with energy. NC State will have the same result every game if they do not play with energy…a loss, it’s that simple.

Today NC State allowed the Bearcats to force them into 13 turnovers which resulted in an early hole for the Pack. To compound the problem State was out-rebounded 31-26 by the Bearcats. Defensively the Wolfpack could not string together any stops as the Bearcats shot 53 % from the field. State found some energy as they were able to claw their way back late in the second half. Twice the Pack cut the lead to 10 but once again couldn’t get enough stops to get within single digits.

Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner both turned in their worst performances of the season. The duo combined for a total of 11 points and 5 turnovers. It was a strange outing for both players as they looked unsure for most of the night. Ralston only attempted 4 shots while Lacey went 1-8 from the field. NC State will not be successful if these two players do not play up to their ability. I will chalk up the outing by Lacey as a fluke. No one is immune to an off-night, sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go down. I believe in Trevor and know he will bounce back against Pittsburgh this coming Saturday. Also look for Gottfried to run some plays early for Ralston in an attempt to get him going. State is a completely different team when his shots are falling.

There really isn’t much to be gained from a performance like this. It is what it is…A bad loss. The season can go one of two ways from this point on. Either the team will rally together and play with heart, enthusiasm, and energy that is needed to compete and be successful, or they can continue to go through the motions and get their tails whipped. There really isn’t any middle ground. Saturday will be a great barometer for the rest of the season. I have faith the Pack will come out and play inspired basketball and will display great energy and positive attitudes in order to beat Pitt.

Tip-Off is slated for 12PM at the PNC, if you cannot make it out be sure to catch the action on Raycom/Acc Network.

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kjefferson776
kjefferson776
9 years ago

How can you win in college basketball on a high level without playing players that can attack the rim off the dribble…Desmond Lee needs more playing time!

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miscophi
miscophi
9 years ago

I remember thinking that Wofford was quicker, hungrier, more athletic, more skilled, more prepared. Guess what? EVERYONE is quicker, hungrier, more athletic, more skilled, more prepared than us. Want proof? Down 20 in the first half of the last three games.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Nothing surprising about this loss. You live by the perimeter shot, you die by the perimeter shot. This sorry excuse of a one dimensional offense is predicated on dribbling and passing on the perimeter for 25 seconds and then jacking up a contested jump shot. All Cincy did was lock down on the perimeter because they knew we had no inside game.  When Turner and Lacey go cold it is almost impossible for this team to win. Barber and Lacey had way too many turnovers and just lacked toughness. What bothers me most is that we have played against similar… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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3 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She 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 the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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