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NC State Basketball

Deacons outlast Pack 88-84

Published

8 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
8 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
8 years ago

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

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THEOKEEP
THEOKEEP
8 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
8 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
8 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
8 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
8 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
8 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

D.J. Burns is OFFICIALLY BACK!

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1 month ago

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April 27, 2023

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Well, it’s OFFICIAL. D.J Burns will be returning to NC State for his final year of collegiate eligibility!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DJ Burns / BIG 30♨️ (@dj.b30)

This confirms everything I’d been hearing about the return of Burns. Burns was the key to the Wolfpack offense running effectively this past year. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23, but he elevated his game in ACC play, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference games.

Burns is celebrating his return to run with the Wolfpack by dropping his own Big 30 merch. Go over and snag something.

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NC State Basketball

Isaiah Miranda is an Early Entry Candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft

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1 month ago

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April 26, 2023

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The NBA released the names of the 242 players that have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2023 last night, and NC State’s Isaiah Miranda’s name was on the list.

Miranda (7’1″/225) joined the Wolfpack back in December, deciding to forgo the remainder of his prep season. Miranda didn’t see the court for NC State, resulting in a redshirt season.

ON3 ranked Miranda as the #16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

It makes perfect sense for a player like Miranda, with his height and athleticism, to go through the draft process to be evaluated on what he needs to continue to work on. As an early entrant, Miranda has the ability to pull his name out of the draft and remain a collegiate athlete.

I don’t expect Miranda to keep his name in the hat when the time comes. From what I hear his game has tons of potential, but he still needs to fine tune his craft. Also, Miranda shared this on social media, implying he will be back in the Red and White next year.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra Commits to NC State

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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NC State picked up their 5th transfer today. Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) committed to run with the Wolfpack today while in Raleigh on an Official Visit.

Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

With news breaking today that Dusan Mahorcic entered the Transfer Portal, the Wolfpack found his replacement. NC State’s frontcourt in 2023-24 currently will be made up of D.J. Burns, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra and Ernest Ross.

Check out these highlights of Diarra.

There is a lot to like in Diarra’s game. He is athletic, can hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor, can play defense on the perimeter, block shots, and is an aggressive rebounder.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra is On an Official Visit to NC State Today

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) is on an Official Visit to NC State today. Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Diarra entered the Transfer Portal on March 28th.

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