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NC State Basketball

Deacons outlast Pack 88-84

Published

9 years ago

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NC State could not get any stops in the first half as they allowed Wake Forest to score a season high 51 points on 67 % shooting. Not only did the Pack look out of sorts but could not muster the energy to stop the bleeding. State found themselves down at half by 21 points, despite Cat Barber’s continued offensive resurgence. Cat was outstanding offensively the entire evening as he scored at career high 28 points and had zero turnovers. A big reason why Cat has been so lethal is due to a newfound stroke from distance. This has forced his defenders to play up on him which only plays into his strength of beating his opponent with his quickness.

However his effort was in vain as we showed up much too late. A valiant effort to mount a spirited comeback but in the end it goes down as another loss. The reason we lost this game is because we did not step up to the challenge of getting stops on the defensive end. Our guys allowed a Wake Forest team that is in the cellar of the ACC shoot 56% from the field and 50% from three. It is difficult to win on the road with the defensive effort that we had tonight. Offensively State scored 84 points despite  shooting below 42%. This shows how talented this team is offensively, but we will continue our up and down trend because we cannot get stops when we need them.

Once again Lawrence Joel Coliseum dealt the Pack a devastating loss. Until our players make up their minds that they will play both ends of the court for 40 minutes we will continue to come up short. It is too draining for a team to get down by 20 plus and then have to claw their way back to steal it at the end. Someone must step up when things start going awry and right the ship. It seems like we accept our fate that the other team is on a run and there isn’t anything we can do to stop them. Good teams find a way to get stops and baskets when things turn south…Period.

Luckily for the Wolfpack they have 8 days off to prepare for the home stretch. They must use these days to fine tune their effort on the defensive end and continue to play to their strengths offensively. We have looked great on offensive as we have made a concerted effort to attack the paint off the bounce and by feeding Abu. State must build upon these fundamentals offensively and close the season out in a positive way.

Two great opportunities await the Pack as they host the UVA Cavaliers next Wednesday February 11th and then hit the road to face Louisville. These two game are most likely must wins if the Wolfpack want to be dancing come Selection Sunday. I believe that the team has it in them to finish the season on a positive note, but they too must believe  and step up on both ends as the season comes to a close.

7 games remain for our guys to prove that they are worthy of the Greatest Show on Earth.

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THEOKEEP
THEOKEEP
9 years ago

DESMOND LEE BRINGS GREAT DEFENSIVE INTENSITY TO THE COURT AND KNOWS HOW TO GET TO THE RIM HE NEEDS MORE PLAYING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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THEOKEEP
THEOKEEP
9 years ago

PPBalls  WHY IS THEIR BEST DEFENDER ON THE BENCH GAME AFTER GAME. DESMOND LEE

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THEOKEEP
THEOKEEP
9 years ago

Wolfer96  THEY DONT PLAY DESMOND LEE HE PLAYED MAJOR MINUTES LAST YEAR NOW HE DOESNT EVEN TOUCH THE FLOOR UNLESS SOMEONE IS IN FOUL TROUBLE. HE IS THEIR BEST PERIMETER DEFENDER AND HE KNOWS HOW TO GET TO THE RIM AT WILL.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

This team has the talent but lacks heart. Defense was awful at every stage. Half court, transition, post, perimeter, switches, etc. On offense basically what we’ve seen all season… just careless with the ball and weak. Good passing is nonexistent. It’s Feb and while other teams are hitting their stride we look disjointed. And this was the same the past several Februaries. This team does have a penchant for stepping up a little during the ACC tournament but really wish they could be more consistent throughout a season. I’m not as upset as some fans because I knew midway through… Read more »

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PPBalls
PPBalls
9 years ago

This comes from pure lack of aggression and desire on the defensive end.  Nothing else too it.  WF may have shot well, but mainly due to the fact that the Pack gave them easy and open looks.  Our post defense needs to get better.  Washington looks incredibly weak, Abu fouls too much, Freeman is undersized, and Anya is too damn slow still.  On top of that, they looked absolutely lost on the break, constantly not getting back on D and finding their man.  This is part coaching, and part due to a young team, but mainly a lack of desire.… Read more »

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miscophi
miscophi
9 years ago

When I overhear people saying “did you see the game last night? they were down by 20 and lost by 4” I will know they are talking about NC State. On the other hand, if I overhear “did you see the game last night? They were up by 20 and lost by 4” I will know they are talking about NC State.

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Real_Pack_Man
Real_Pack_Man
9 years ago

Ironically, this will be our only really ‘bad’ loss so far on this schedule.  The beauty of an incredibly high SOS is that our RPI is still salvageable.  Now, whether we SHOULD be in the post-season is another story.

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wormncsu
wormncsu
9 years ago

Sad see barber put up these numbers for nothing. This team is in a state of regression instead of progression. Good teams improve as the season goes on not get worse. Afraid this might be a long and tough to watch last seven games.

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NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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2 days ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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4 days ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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1 week ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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1 week ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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