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NC State Basketball

Sustained Success

Published

9 years ago

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After dismantling Duke this past Sunday, NC State faces a new kind of challenge that comes from success. Life in the ACC is a difficult road where ups and downs are common place. State must be on high alert this Wednesday as they face another bitter rival in UNC. Our players must not be ok with just beating Duke. The problem that NC State has fallen victim to all to often is success. It happened a couple of years ago when we knocked off Duke on Tracy Smith’s birthday. All signs pointed up for the Pack only to lead to despair as the team crumbled down the stretch.

That was a long time ago and the team had a completely different make-up with Sidney Lowe at the helm. This years team must use the win against Duke as a lesson. They must use the confidence gained from such a win and use it to their advantage. The reason we beat Duke is simple, we executed the game plan and played with poise and confidence, as well as energy. Our guys are more than capable of replicating such an outing each game! Granted our guys will not shoot lights out each and every night; yet if they play with the desire and focus they can contend for a top 4 finish in the ACC.

In order for State Basketball to continue their accession upwards in the college basketball landscape we must create a ruckus environment each game. The PNC Arena is one of the most difficult venues to play at when it is filled to capacity! Unfortunately it only seems to reach such elite heights twice a year, when Duke or UNC come to town. Imagine the advantage our team would have if we could fill the arena each and every game with 19,000 plus rowdy State fans? I can not think of a more imposing arena to play at!

Frequently I have said how I feel like Coach Gottfried and his Staff are the ones to get NC State to the top once again. This season has been one that could of turned south quickly; however, the team has banded together following an awful loss against Cincinnati. This team hasn’t lost back to back games this season. Give the players credit for sticking together and allowing the coaches to teach them. Against Duke our guys trusted the game plan and were mentally tough enough to see it through. We out fought Duke, who is notorious for its’ fight and effort!

Sitting at 3-1 in the ACC is a great start for the Pack. The schedule grinds on from here; with the Tarheels coming to town this Wednesday. Look for our guys to come out with great intensity and accomplish a great feat in defeating both Duke and UNC in back to back games. These type of results are a must if NC State Basketball wants become a fixture in the top 25. We must battle for respect on Tobacco Road, the best way to accomplish that is to win! There is no better time than the present!

Side Note: Brandon Ingram SF (6-8 180) #12 on ESPN top 100 list for 2015 was court side. Currently he has Duke, UNC, NC State, Kansas, and UCLA as top choices

Tip-Off is slated for 7PM this Wednesday night at PNC Arena.

 

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miscophi
miscophi
9 years ago

Wolfer96 miscophi This strategy works for all games, not just UNC. The Martins can hit the boards because they never stop. This is all about energy and desire, and getting Barber and Turner hungry when they hit the floor. Lacey starts the game with the ball in his hands. The bigs? When you need energy go with Abu/W. If you need enforcers then Anya/F.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

miscophi Will Abu/Washington combo provide enough defensive rebounding? May need to go 3 BIGs and 2 guards to start game. unc will try to get 2nd chance opportunities.

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miscophi
miscophi
9 years ago

Lineup and Minutes:

Start: LACEY 35, MARTIN 20, MARTIN 20, ABU 20, WASHINGTON 20

6th and 7th: TURNER 25 BARBER 20

8th and 9th: ANYA 15 FREEMAN 15

10th: LEE 10

Game starts off with energy; microwave off the bench; fresh energy with Barber; Anya/Freeman in for D and boards, especially when we’re up; Lee finishes both halves with tenacious D. Start off with full or 3/4 press; go zone with Anya/Freeman. Keep both Martins on the floor. And let upper-level ticket-holders come downstairs for the second half. Jeez.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

The Wolf Pack struggle against physical teams (e.g. Cincinnati, West Virgina, UVA). Duke was mostly soft (with the exception of Okafor). While there was a lot of pushing and shoving, duke was not physical as in they don’t wear you down for 40 minutes. This game will come down to who is more physical. I haven’t seen one unc game this season so I am not sure about the toughness of their squad. The Pack will have to do all the things right… boxing out, fighting for loose balls, rebounding, and dumping the ball inside. Anya and our BIGs will… 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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