Connect with us

NC State Basketball

Gameday: State’s 3 keys to Beating #2 Duke

Published

9 years ago

on

NC State vs Duke
1:30pm | CBS | PNC Arena

Duke is the #2 ranked team in the nation, and while they’re likely going to be going into this ball game with a high sense of confidence, there also is likely a little voice in the back of their heads saying “Watch out! This IS the PNC Arena.”

The reason for this is the fact that Duke has lost 2 of their last 3 road games to NC State and also lost their NCAA tournament game to Mercer in that very same arena. That means the Blue Devils have only won 1 of their past 4 games at the PNC.

“I’m 0-2 there, my sophomore year against N.C. State and last year against Mercer,” said Duke’s Quinn Cook. “I’m not going there thinking, oh Mercer, oh N.C. State, it’s a new team, a new year and hopefully myself and Amile and Rasheed can get our first win in there.”

While NC State certainly will be ready to take on rival Duke, they also will be facing a challenge that they have not yet seen this season – Jahlil Okafor.

That brings us to our 3 keys..

1 | Stop Okafor. The true freshman big is averaging 19pts, 9 boards and nearly 2 blocks per game. He’s unlike anything State has seen thus far. He has great hands, near perfect footwork and has the IQ and anticipation of an upperclassman. State needs to try numerous different looks to make him uncomfortable. Simply playing behind him and doubling down isn’t going to get State the win. Duke has too many shooters and the ability to make plays off the dribble. If State is constantly trying to recover from double teams then they’ll be playing from behind all night.

There is really no good answer for a player like Okafor. He’s 6’11, super skilled and the focal point of Duke’s offense. State needs to constantly give him different looks. Front him some with backside help, double down on him, go zone, try different defenders. None of these are going to stop him, but they could stop him from getting into a good rhythm.

 

2 | Protect the Basketball Duke’s defense has always been a problem for NC State. They push you out and make you run your offense from way beyond the 3 point line. This year State has 2 PGs on the floor for most of the game and has played a bunch of very strong defensive teams as of late. They need to be strong with the ball, come to passes, and not allows Duke’s pressure and physicality to get to them.

Gottfried has had success against Duke in the past because he’s understood how to exploit their lack of size and their constant overplays on the perimeter. He’s allowed his guys to go more 1 on 1 with them, break them down and get easy buckets. This year, while they may be able to exploit the overplays, there is now a beast waiting for them in the paint. How the Pack will handle that, I’m not quite sure.

 

3 | Bigs and Bench State needs more production from their bigs. And no, I don’t mean short baseline jumpers from Kyle Washington. They need to start punishing teams inside, at the rim, and getting to the foul line. Last game, aside from Washington the Pack got next to nothing in the paint. Abu is a guy we’re watching right now and is showing signs of breaking out offensively. The Pack desperately needs him to.

They also need to outlast Duke. Coach K likes to keep his rotation small, but that means that a deep, fresh State bench could take advantage. The Martin twins and Lennard Freeman will be big for State. You will also have either Abu or Anya coming off the bench. Whoever that is will also need to be very ready. Okafor is going to get these guys in foul trouble, so being deep in the paint is going to help big time.

Related Topics:
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Basketball

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

Published

15 hours ago

on

April 24, 2024

By

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.

Image

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

2 days ago

on

April 23, 2024

By

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

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

2 days ago

on

April 22, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

3 days ago

on

April 22, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading