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Gameday: NC State Needs Focus vs Virginia Tech

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8 years ago

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NC State vs Virginia Tech
6pm | Raleigh, NC | ESPN2

Coming off a season saving victory over Louisville, NC State now must keep it rolling against Virginia Tech. Let’s be real here, history tells us that NC State is going to come off this big win with a lackluster performance that leaves fans scratching their heads and calculating if there is still anyway to squeak into the tournament. While any State fan knows this is still a possibility, we don’t believe it’s going to go down this way. Let us tell you why:

It’s a home game…
State hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in front of their home crowd, but against a Virginia Tech team that is 2nd to last in the ACC and the team coming off such a huge win, the fans are smelling the post season and will help them power through.

A week off…
Don’t underestimate the importance of a week off this late in the season. Small injuries have chances to heal, mental fatigue washes away, and you have a ton of time to game plan. State’s week off gives them the opportunity to realize the implications of this game. It gives them a week to plan for Virginia Tech and week for Gottfried to beat into their heads that any bad loss that this point could derail their entire season.

Lessons have been learned….
This State team is still relatively young, but they’ve learned enough lessons to last them a lifetime. They’ve blown big leads, they overcome big deficits, they’ve knocked off giants and lost to some bottom feeders. At this point this team has seen it all and that’s going to go a long way in getting them where they need to go. After the win over Louisville the locker room wasn’t a party, it seemed like a group that is used to closing. Hopefully that all business mentality can roll over to the game tonight.

Virginia Tech Reeling…
This team has problems. They don’t defend well, they don’t have any prolific scorers and they are weak on the boards. All that equates to a team that has lost 12 of their last 14 games (both at home). If State has any focus at all, they should roll.

 

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

Was Kyle hurt? I don’t even recall him playing 1 minute? Anya had a solid game. Turner was hitting. Caleb played well. Defense was pretty good for most of the game but credit to VT for hitting some tough shots.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

So far so good. Had a couple of lapses on defense but otherwise good ball movement and rebounding.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

What’s scary about this Pack team is that on a given night they can beat anyone but also lose to just about anyone as well.

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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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