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NC State Basketball

Cat Guides Pack Past Pitt 81-70

Published

9 years ago

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If you tuned into to this game without knowing the circumstances, you’d have sworn that NC State was the team fighting for their post season life. The Pack, led by Cat Barber, played with a tenacity and a focus that State fans haven’t seen all season as they eliminated Pitt 81-70 in the 2nd round of the ACC Tournament. Let’s take a look at how they did it.

Cat Barber was amazing in this one. He finished with 34 points on 9-13 shooting, 4-5 from 3pt range and 12-12 from the line, all while adding 5 assists. This might not have been Barbers true coming out party (that happened a few weeks ago), this was certainly the game where he clearly claimed NC State’s leadership role. With the ball in his hands Barber was nearly unstoppable. He made great decisions, took smart shots and just played with a heightened sense of confidence.

“Today I was more aggressive.” said Cat. “You know, my teammates and the coaches keep saying to be me, be me. They need me down the stretch. Today I just came out with a high sense of urgency and confidence. I’m going to put the team on my back and that’s what I did”

 

Trevor Lacy Was On Fire
We’ve seen Lacey get hot, but he was a next level type of hot in this game. After starting off a little slow he had few stretches that were just insane. There was nothing the defense could do against him. He hit step back fadeaways, deep 3s and jumpers with hands in his face on his way to 21 points. When Lacey is in the zone like this, State is very, very hard to beat.

Nailed the Coffin Shut
NC State fans might be wondering what the catch is these past few games. NC State doesn’t seal victories. They don’t end up with runaway wins. Well, those days may be behind them and you can thank the extremely tough schedule Gottfried signed the Pack up for. This team has built toughness, learned lessons and are getting very good at closing out games.

“I think we learned from previous games where we had leads.” said Lacey. “We’ve allowed teams to go on runs and get momentum, but we’ve just learned from that and keep our foot on the gas. We’re not going to try to make crazy plays but we will take advantage of what we do have and that’s what we did.”

Defense was Always There
Pitt was playing for their life, but the NC State defense never let them get too much momentum. They cut off drives, made life a living hell for their bigs, and they really showed a lot of physicality and heart. Sure, Pitt shot lights out in the 2nd half, but the Wolfpack defense was was always there making things as tough as possible.

One reason State’s defense has really taken a step forward is because of Gottfried’s commitment to Lennard Freeman. The sophomore forward plays strong, physical, and smart position defense. He’s a relentless rebounder, and while he doesn’t provide too much offense, he’s actually starting to turn the corner in that regard.  He finished with 9 points and 6 boards.

________

 

Up next is Duke at 7pm Thursday night.

 

 

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
9 years ago

You mean Freeman actually made a free throw and four layups.  Wow!

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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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8 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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9 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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19 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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USC Transfer Power Forward Brandon Gardner Includes NC State In Top 6

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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USC Power Forward Brandon Gardner (6’8″/215) listed NC State in his Top-6 along with Jacksonville, San Francisco, Arizona St., Texas A&M and Arizona.

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Gardner was a 4-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #74 overall player nationally, and ESPN ranking him as the #2 player in the state of New York (Christ the King, New York City). He is originally from Waynesboro, Georgia. Prior to playing for Christ the King, Gardner played for Word of God Academy, so Raleigh is familiar to him.

Kevin Keatts and his NC State Coaching Staff offered Gardner when he was in high school.

Prior to committing to USC, Gardner was committed to St. John’s.

This past season Gardner only played in 4 minutes in 1 game for the Trojans, making it a redshirt season.

Gardner will have 4 years of eligibility wherever he lands.

 

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