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Sweet 16 Coverage: A Closer Look At Louisville

Published

9 years ago

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The team that the Pack will face this Friday night in the Sweet 16 is different than the team they played in February. Flashback to that game where the Cards lost at home to NC State by 9 points the Cardinals had Chris Jones who has since been dismissed from the team. On that night Jones played well torching the Pack for 20 points and drawing a number of fouls. Since Jones’ dismissal Pitino has inserted freshman Quentin Snider (4 star 2014) into the starting lineup and he has gained confidence in his stroke the last few games. In the two games Louisville played last weekend, Snider was 4-7 from three point land and a big reason why the Cardinals avoided a first round upset as he scored 16 points versus UC Irvine.

Let’s recap Louisville’s season to get a clearer picture of what the Pack will face this coming Friday.

Recent Form: 

In the last 12 games Louisville has compiled a record of 8-4. The four losses have been to NC State, Syracuse, UNC, and Notre Dame. In this 12 game stretch the Cardinals have not beaten any team of promise besides Northern Iowa if you can call that a good win.

Who to Watch: 

Terry Rozier #0 6-1 190 lbs. SG: Rozier has been the go to man for the Cards all season as he leads their team in scoring at 17.2 per contest. Louisville depends on Rozier to shoulder the scoring load from the outside; however, Terry has proven to be an inefficient scorer. Thus far he is shooting  42 % from the field and an even worse clip from beyond the arc at 31%. The way Terry scores is by attacking the paint and finding his way to the free throw line where he’s 78 percent shooter.  One thing that Rozier excels at is in his effort. He goes 100 percent every time he steps onto the court and his rebounding numbers support this fact as he averages a shade over 5 per game, despite being one of the smaller guys on the court. Louisville becomes a top 10 team when Rozier is in the groove but struggles offensively when he is kept in check.

Montrezl Harrell #24 6-8 240 lbs. PF: The emotional leader of Rick Pitino’s squad is without question Montrezl Harrell as he plays with outstanding energy and effort. He is ultra athletic playing above the rim and using his combination of quickness and leaping ability to hunt the paint as well as the glass. Louisville loves to use Harrell in different spots to make the most of his versatility. Don’t be surprised to find Harrell catch the ball at the top of the key for an isolation play or see Harrell ignite the fast break by bringing the ball up the court himself. On the season he is averaging 15.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG. One of Harrell’s weakness is that he sometimes settles for long jump shots which is not his strength; however, when his does not settle and is locked in few if any in the college ranks are more difficult to stop at the rim.

Rick Pitino: We cannot underestimate the effects that a leader who has won multiple NCAA Championships can have on a game with a week to prepare. Pitino become the first coach to win two NCAA Championships with two different schools and has used his uptempo style of play to wreak havoc on opponents for the past 30 plus years. The man’s sweet 16 record is an astonishing 11-1!

Style of Play: 

Louisville will not hide their cards as they will play their brand of basketball which is uptempo and packed with pressure. The Cardinals believe in speeding up their opponents through full court pressure and using the turnovers forced to create quick buckets. However sometimes their press has the opposite effect which can be just as crippling in the way it can slow a team down. Many teams that have faced Louisville this season have been so cautious in guarding against turnovers that they don’t attack the press for easy baskets. This can wear a team down mentally as they are just getting into their offense as the shot clock is at 25 seconds.

The two man game is a big part of their offense as Pitino likes to match Rozier and Harrell up on the pick and roll. These two are both equipped to score the ball and can create lots of space as Harrell must be respected as not only rolling to the basket but spotting up for a jump shot. As Rozier and Harrell garner so much attention in the two man game others must keep track of Wayne Blackshear who is an adequate spot up shooter from three. This team doesn’t have any cool hand Luke’s anymore but the others must be respected.

Summary: 

This Louisville team is not as dominat of a squad as Pitino has had in recent years but nonetheless a capable group with talent. On the season the Cards have compiled a record of 26-8 in large part because of their defense. The defensive end is where the Cardinals hang their hats as they rank in the top 20 in a couple of defensive team stats including RPG (38.2), SPG (8.3), and BPG (5.5). Louisville is more than capable of losing when teams attack their pressure with good guard play and take care of the ball. If a team is loose with the basketball it only fuels the Cardinals press and allows them to hide their less than stellar half court offense. The reason State beat Louisville in February is because they protected the basketball and looked to score against the press. It will be critical that the Pack come out focused and survive the first 10 minutes of the game come Friday.

 

 

 

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Can’t believe the sweet 16 game is merely hours away. Our front court better be ready to step up. There were a lot of whistles in the Thursday games which has me a bit concerned. I think we’re going to need all 4 of our BIGs to step up for this game. Boxing out, rebounding, defending, scoring. My guess is that Anya will pick up some quick fouls which means that Abu and Freeman will have to play extended minutes with Kyle coming in for 8-10 minutes. It’s about time for Turner to shake off the poor 2 of 12… Read more »

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

We seem to have an interesting mix of recruits on this team: Cat – 4-5 star Lacey – 4-5 star Abu – 4 star Anya – 4 star Kyle – 4 star Caleb – 4 star Cody – 4 star Turner – 3-4 star Freeman – 3 star Dez – 2-3 star So for anyone thinking that we don’t have the talent/experience of other teams I beg to differ. We won’t match the recruiting power of Kentucky but our average is 4 star which has to be way above the last 30 year average. My hope for State was to… Read more »

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

2 teams playing their best backetball this season. It will be a fun matchup.

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grggaertner07
grggaertner07
9 years ago

Interesting analysis.   As we all know, NCSU has not been static in its game either.   Since playing Lville, NCSU’s team has witnessed the emergence of a more well-rounded inside game.

On a side note, please edit the word ‘dominate’.    It should read ‘dominant’ in the context of the sentence.   thanks!

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Releases Their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

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13 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s basketball program has announced its non-conference slate for the 2024-25 season, as revealed on Thursday.

The Pack will play eight of its 11 games, in addition to a preseason exhibition, at Reynolds Coliseum. Coming off a historical 2023-24 season that was highlighted by the program’s first Final Four since 1998, second in program history, head coach Wes Moore is entering his 12th season at the helm. With a strong home court advantage, the Pack has accumulated a 117-15 (.886) record at home since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum was completed in August 2016.

NC State will participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship at Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 against opponents that will be announced at a later date. As previously announced, NC State will play the defending NCAA Champion South Carolina at the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 10, as well as host Ole Miss for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The Wolfpack will host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before officially starting the season at home vs. ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Following the Ally Tipoff, NC State will return home to host Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 14.

NC State’s first true road game of the season is at TCU on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Pack will then play Coastal Carolina at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 before its trip to the Bahamas for two games (Nov. 25-27).

The Pack will close out the non-conference slate with four straight games at Reynolds Coliseum, starting with the SEC/ACC Challenge game vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Dec. 5). NC State will then host Old Dominion (Sunday, Dec. 8), Davidson (Wednesday, Dec. 11) and James Madison (Thursday, Dec. 19) to wrap up non-conference play.

With NC State’s known non-conference opponents, six are coming off postseason tournament appearances. Three received NCAA Tournament bids (Kent State, Ole Miss and NCAA Champion South Carolina), two were invited to play in the WBIT (TCU and James Madison) and one played in the WNIT (Old Dominion).

NC State’s Atlantic Coast Conference schedule will be announced by the league office at a later date. NC State will play Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home. The Pack will take on Wake Forest, Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse on the road.

Season tickets are sold out for the 2024-25 season. Tip-off times and television designations will also be released at a later date.

2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Anderson (Exh.)

Tuesday, Nov. 5 – ETSU

Sunday, Nov. 10 – South Carolina $

Thursday, Nov. 14 – Kent State

Sunday, Nov. 17 – at TCU

Thursday, Nov. 21 – Coastal Carolina

Monday, Nov. 25 – Opponent TBD &

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Opponent TBD &

Thursday, Dec. 5 – Ole Miss +

Sunday, Dec. 8 – Old Dominion

Wednesday, Dec. 11 – Davidson

Thursday, Dec. 19 – James Madison

$ – Ally Tipoff (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)

& – Pink Flamingo Championship (Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas)

+ – SEC/ACC Challenge (Raleigh, N.C.)

 

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NC State Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

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2 days ago

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July 24, 2024

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NC State Legend Julius Hodge has been named the Head Coach at Lincoln University.

This marks Hodge’s first stint as a Head Coach.

Hodge has been in the Coaching world since 2015, when he served as Director of Player Development at the University of Buffalo under Bobby Hurley. Then, he spent 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant Coach under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara. From 2018-20, Hodge served as an Assistant Coach at San Jose State. Hodge has spent the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

At NC State, Hodge earned 1st Team All-ACC honors in 2003 & 2004, and 2nd Team honors in 2005. Hodge was named the ACC Player of the Year in ’04. He earned the All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Hodge is 1 of 11 players in NC State history to earn 1st Team All-ACC honors more than once.

His 2,040 career points scored rank 3rd in NC State history. Hodge also ranks 1st in Free Throws Made, 14th in Rebounds, 7th in Offensive Rebounds, 6th in Assists and 7th in Steals.

Congrats Julius! You deserve this!

 

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

Published

3 days ago

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July 23, 2024

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NC State Men’s Basketball is releasing videos helping fans get to know the new players on the 2024-25 roster.

Below is the video of Freshman Trey Parker (6’1″/178), with a transcript underneath.

“My name is Trey Parker. I’m an incoming Freshman from Fayetteville, North Carolina.” 

“I was recently playing at Overtime Elite. It was a great experience. A whole lot of development and great energy.” 

“Coach Levi (Watkins) recruited me. As soon as I got to the campus, it was a great experience. They just gave me that big inspiration to feel like I’m home, and feel like a great student outside of basketball.”

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pack back in November of 2022. I just felt like it was a great fit for me.”

“Living in North Carolina, and now playing in North Carolina, is a big opportunity. There’s a lot of people from North Carolina looking up to me, and I want to give them what they want to see.” 

“Being close, allows for them to bring the whole city out. It just feels like I’m already at home.” 

“Y’all stay tuned. Showtime is coming this year.”

_______

Parker originally signed with NC State in November of 2022, as a member of the 2023 recruiting class. He decided to reclassify, making him a member of the 2024 class.

Parker is a consensus 3-Star prospect, though 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 4-Star prospect. 247 ranks him as the #135 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #26 Shooting Guard, and the #13 player in the state of Georgia.

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NC State Basketball

Jersey Numbers for 2024-25 NC State Men’s Basketball Team Revealed

Published

1 week ago

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July 18, 2024

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The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.

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Numbers that are Staying the Same

Michael O’Connell – #12

Ben Middlebrooks – #34

Dennis Parker Jr. – #11

KJ Keatts – #13

Jordan Snell – #22

Numbers that have Changed

Jayden Taylor – #1 –> #8

Breon Pass – #10 –> #4

Numbers of New Players

Mike James – #0 (He wore #0 at Louisville last year)

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – #1 (He wore #5 at Louisville last year)

Paul McNeil – #2 (He wore #2 in High School last year)

Dontrez Styles – #3 (He wore #0 at Georgetown last year)

Trey Parker – #5 (He wore #5 in High School last year)

Marcus Hill – #10 (He wore #0 at Bowling Green last year)

We don’t know what number Ismael Diouf will be wearing at NC State next year yet. 

 

 

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