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Wolfpack Cages Cardinals 74-65

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The  Pack finally managed to hold on in the second half as they used Louisville’s aggression to their advantage. Cat Barber was outstanding as he finished with a game high 21 points, 4 assists, and only 2 TO’s. By attacking the press Cat was able to draw the Cardinals out of position, this led to him to be able to dish to Anya who had some thunderous dunks in traffic. I am extremely pleased with the heart and guts that Cat has shown over the past 5 games. He has been using his strengths and playing within himself by using his outstanding quickness and speed to beat defenders to the basket. The most improved part of Cat’s game in this 5 game stretch has been his ability to finish among the trees. His focus and use of the hesitation has allowed him the daylight to convert inside. Today Cat was 10-13 at the charity stripe. If he keeps attacking the paint there is no reason why this outstanding play cannot continue.

Cat was a catalyst but he was not alone. Trevor Lacey provided the usual fireworks off of the dribble hitting some tough shots in crucial times to help keep Louisville from evening the contest in the second half. Lacey finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Not only did Trevor push the pace off of the press but he did an excellent job at slowing the tempo to settle the Pack as the Cardinals mounted their comeback. This was the first game that I have had a confidence in our guys that they would walk away with a win. Contributions came from each player that stepped foot on the floor. Caleb Martin came away with a beautiful lob pass that he converted from Lacey, and then on the next possession hit a big three in the corner.

At times it was a struggle for either team to come away with points, but make no mistake about it the Wolfpack was the better defensive team today. We battled the Cardinals on every possession and even beat them on the glass posting a plus 10 advantage. The reason NC State came away with the win is because they decided that they were going to stifle the Cardinals by not allowing them any easy buckets. Every drive by their star Harrell was contested and played straight up. Harrell only manged 7 points on the day, well below his average of 15. The Pack was not simply satisfied with taking Harrell away but made life difficult for the leading scorer in the ACC; Terry Rozier. Rozier had to watch the last 4 minutes from the bench as he fouled out. On the day Rozier was 3-11 from the field and only registered 7 points. Yes, the leading scorer in the ACC at 18.5 points per didn’t even make it into double figures. This intensity and desire must be matched each and every game from this point on if the Pack wants a chance at the NCAA.

Today’s performance is exactly what makes this season so dumbfounding. How can we go into a hostile environment and beat a top 10 team at their own game? How can we out rebound a team that has bullied so many teams thus far and then have  so many games slip away just as it looks like we are building some momentum? Let’s look forward though, 5 games  remain and nothing is set in stone in the ultra competitive ACC. State must use today as a confidence builder and come out next Saturday and demoralize the Hokies. There cannot be anymore playing down to the competition. There cannot be anymore slow starts. This is the time of the season where we must have that killer instinct and prove that we deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament.

NC State has to forget about this win and have a great week in practice and be ready to win in the PNC this coming Saturday versus Virginia Tech. Game is slated for a 6PM tip.

Side Note: How sweet were the black jersey’s? Personally I loved them and I know the guys were amped to be wearing the black threads and gold shoes.

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deedogtx
deedogtx
8 years ago

cooperpack I am not big on alternate jersey’s but as alternate jerseys go, these were very nice! Red and white are the primary colors, trim has been blue or black. http://brand.ncsu.edu/color/

smfrank42
smfrank42
8 years ago

You gotta also give a lot of credit to Freeman. Freeman’s defense was real tough. He was agressive, moved his feet and physical. He was tasked from tipoff to stick to Harrel, and he did. And to compliment this, he also finished well inside. While Cat and Lacey were excellent, I thought Freeman was the key to that game. His presence downlow set the tone for our team. Over the last few games, we’ve given up too many easy buckets off simple cuts/post-ups and the bigs cut those out this game. Great game!

cooperpack
cooperpack
8 years ago

sorry.  don’t like the black unis.  basketball, football, bass fishing or checkers.  Colors are red and white.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

wormncsu He’s deserved the criticism most of the season and he earned the praise today. He put a complete game together against Louisville. He handled the pressure, drove hard to the basket, made some sweet interior passes, and played really good defense.
I was just really happy to see this team handle the pressure. Attacking the press. It only took them most of the season to figure that out.

wtaylor082671
wtaylor082671
8 years ago

wormncsu I’m with you…  All year I have been saying with his skill set, “Does he know how good he is?”…  Sometimes it takes a while, but I think we have seen enough over the last several weeks to validate the excitement we had when he committed to us.  I am real happy for him.  With his speed…  once he believes, the sky is the limit.

wormncsu
wormncsu
8 years ago

I think we all need to give cat some credit for the job he has done the last few games. He has taken a lot of heat this year but I hope he continues to improve and show the dominant player he can be. Lets hope this is a turning point for the rest of the season.

NC State Basketball

D.J. Burns is OFFICIALLY BACK!

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

 

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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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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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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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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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