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Where has Ralston Turner been? I am sure it is a question many Wolfpack fans have been asking themselves as Turner has struggled the past couple of games, but I want to go on record and say that Ralston will have a big impact on the game tonight. A lot of attention has been given to Cat Barber and Trevor Lacey and rightfully so; however, Ralston hasn’t been off by much in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. His shooting numbers are way down as he has gone 2-14 from distance in the Tournament thus far.

I am confident that Ralston will have some good looks tonight and will be prepared to knock them down. As we look back on the travesty that was the Duke game in the ACC Tournament there wasn’t many positives to be gained but Ralston played well. Versus Duke Ralston had 16 points and shot 60 percent from the field. I honestly think that Louisville will present a similar look as they will pressure Barber and Lacey which could leave Turner open; like he was against Duke. The great thing about Ralston is that he is unafraid to miss! What do I mean? Well we have seen Ralston miss 6 or 7 shots in a row only to make his next 5. This trait is rare as it shows that he is mentally tough as well as confident in his abilities. I love when players display the mental fortitude to move past mistakes or missed shots only to make game altering plays minutes later.

Tonight we will see a great game from Ralston and he is the X-Factor who will most likely determine if NC State wins tonight. I don’t have any predictions as to how many points he will have but I am confident in saying that he will play a great game tonight. Look for Turner to be aggressive in finding his pull up jumper. I have said it all season that I feel like he is at his best when he looks to hunt that 12-15 foot jump shot. Once Ralston sees the ball go through the net; we have all witnessed the fireworks that can erupt when he gets confident. There haven’t been many players that I can think of that have represented North Carolina State University better than Ralston Turner. Let’s hope that his career can go a couple more games!

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Wolfer96 wolfpack74 Washington scored 11 points in 9 minutes.  Where was he during the last 10 minutes of the game?  He must have been sent to the showers or he boarded the bus early.  Either way, Gott has to get his head out of his ass concerning Kyle.  No where have I seen anything about the defensive capability of Terry Henderson.  Has to be better than Scarecrow Turner.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

wolfpack74 Wolfer96 I tend to worry less about Freshmen and their mistakes. In my opinion the guys with the most upside are Abu and the Martin twins. Caleb did get caught in the air with no one to pass to but he also had some nice passes and that monster dunk. So he was a net positive for the game. As for Freeman, Cat, and Anya I think they have likely hit their ceiling. Lacey has likely hit his ceiling as well because I really can’t imagine him playing much better but that remains to be seen. Because Anya has bad… Read more »

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Wolfer96 Rotation was a major issue to night.  You know how I feel about Washington, he outscored all the other three put together. His defense was no worst than Anya, Turner or Freeman.  It was obvious that Gott was out coached especially when he went to three different time outs and did not change personnel.   Cat  was catatonic again.  Caleb does not deserve the time he gets, sorry.  Maybe someone will really improve before the start of next year.  I fear that it will look just like this one.  The kind that gets you up and then drops you… Read more »

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

Ralston hit his 3’s but countered them with his usual brand of poor defense. Other than the 2 three pointers Cat did not show up. He made one poor decision after another. Anya was pretty much useless out there. He played timid. I feel bad for Lacey because he’s the only one that showed up for the entire game. Why Gott didn’t play Kyle more in the 2nd half I do not know? I thought Gott just got out coached and didn’t use the proper rotations. His team settled too often for the long jump shot and didn’t attack the… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

NC State Guard MJ Rice Will Be Returning Soon After Stepping Away for a Period of Time

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3 days ago

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September 20, 2023

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NC State Guard MJ Rice (6’5″/215) announced yesterday that due to personal reasons, he had to step away from the basketball program, but was excited to be back with his teammates soon. He was clear that his commitment to NC State hasn’t wavered.

(Tweet)

Life is much bigger than sports. These young men are human beings first and foremost, and as we all know, this life is never simple and easy.

Rice transferred to NC State this offseason from Kansas with three years of eligibility remaining. The former High School McDonald’s All-American didn’t get a lot of playing time in his Freshman season at Kansas, averaging 7.6 minutes per game in only 23 games played.

Coming out of Prolific Prep in California, Rice averaged 20.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a Senior. Rivals ranked him as a 5-star prospect, ON3 ranked him 24th nationally, and ESPN ranked him as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina.

Whatever Rice is working through, we value him as a person more than we do a player.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Announces Hiring of Larry Dixon as NC State Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach

Published

4 weeks ago

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August 24, 2023

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RALEIGH – NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts announced Wednesday that Larry Dixon has joined his staff as an assistant coach.

Dixon comes to NC State after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach at South Florida.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in January to allow two more assistant coaches on men’s basketball staffs. Dixon, will serve as one of the Pack’s two new assistant coaches that can engage in coaching activities but may not recruit off campus.

“I think Larry is a great addition to our staff,” Keatts said. “He’s a North Carolina native that has dedicated himself to a coaching career since graduating from college. He started at the high school level in North Carolina and eventually moved up to college and now has been a Division I assistant coach for almost 20 years. I think his experience is going to be a great asset for me and our coaching staff, as well as the young men in our program as we develop them on and off the court.”

Larry Dixon joined the USF coaching staff as assistant coach on May 12, 2018.

In just his second season with the team in 2018-19, Dixon helped USF to the top win turnaround in the NCAA during the 2018-19 season, as the Bulls won 14 more games than the previous season. In addition, USF turned in a 24-14 overall record to set a new single-season school record for wins. The Bulls would go on to win the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship and claim the program’s first postseason title since 1990.

Dixon also played an instrumental role in the development of 2019 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Laquincy Rideau and 2019 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Alexis Yetna.

Dixon helped USF become one of the top defensive teams in the NCAA during the 2019-20 season, finishing the year ranked 20th in scoring defense by allowing only 62.7 points per game. The Bulls limited eight teams to fewer than 60 points during the season and held 27 of their 31 opponents under their scoring average at the time of play. The Bulls also ranked 44th in the nation in turnovers forced with 15.6 per game, and stood 65th in the NCAA in steals with 7.5 thefts per game.

In 2021-22, Dixon helped develop Russel Tchewa and Corey Walker Jr. into one of the best frontcourt tandems in the league. The Bulls were again among the top defensive teams in the country, ranking 45th in the NCAA in scoring defense (64.9 ppg).

Dixon came to Tampa after five seasons as an assistant at Georgia Southern under head coach Mark Byington. Prior to his stint with the Eagles, Dixon had collegiate assistant coaching jobs at Winthrop (2007-12), East Carolina (2005-07), South Carolina State (2003-05) and St. Andrews College (2002-03).

In his final season at Georgia Southern, Dixon helped lead the Eagles to a 21-12 record, including an 11-7 mark in the Sun Belt. In 2016-17, he helped Georgia Southern reach the postseason for the first time since 2006, playing in the College Basketball Invitational.

Prior to arriving at Georgia Southern, Dixon spent the 2012-13 season as head coach at York Comprehensive High School in York, S.C.

During his five seasons (2007-12) on the coaching staff at Winthrop under head coach Randy Peele, Dixon was recognized as the top assistant coach in the Big South by Fox Sports.

Before entering the college game, Dixon served as the head coach at Garinger High School in Charlotte, N.C. for three seasons. In 2001, he led Garinger to a North Carolina High School sectional championship and earned Mecklenburg County Coach of the Year honors from the Charlotte Observer. Dixon also spent one season as an assistant at Carver High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. and one season at South Rowan High School in his hometown of Salisbury, N.C.

Dixon graduated from Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, N.C) in 1996, where he was a four-year letterman as a player. He was named the team’s most improved player following his junior season and the top defensive player after his senior season. He helped the Golden Bulls to a pair of CIAA Southern Division titles and a championship game appearance as a sophomore.

A native of Salisbury, N.C., Dixon has two children, Devin and Leah.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Releases 2023-24 Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

Published

1 month ago

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August 9, 2023

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NC State released their 2023-24 Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule today.

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Below is a look at each teams 2022-23 record, postseason play results, followed by their final rankings according to the NET and KenPom.

The Citadel – 2022-23 Record – 10-22. NET Ranking: 330/KenPom: 327
Abilene Christian – 2022-23 Record – 13-17. NET Ranking: 204/KenPom: 193
Charleston Southern – 2022-23 Record – 10-21. NET Ranking: 304/KenPom: 302
(Vegas Showdown) Vanderbilt – 2022-23 Record – 22-15. NET Ranking: 81/KenPom: 81 (Won 2 games in the NIT)
(Vegas Showdown) Arizona St. – 23-13. NET Ranking: 61/KenPom: 55 (Lost in 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament)
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(Vegas Showdown) BYU – 2022-23 Record – 19-15. NET Ranking: 84/KenPom: 77
@ Ole Miss – 2022-23 Record – 12-21. NET Ranking: 129/KenPom: 122
Maryland Eastern Shore – 2022-23 Record – 18-13. KenPom: 251
UT Martin – 2022-23 Record – 19-14. NET Ranking: 251/KenPom: 273
(Hall of Fame San Antonio) Tennessee – 2022-23 Record – 25-11. NET Ranking: 5/KenPom: 6 (Lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)
Saint Louis – 2022-23 Record – 21-12. NET Ranking: 97/96
Detroit – 2022-23 Record – 14-19. NET Ranking: 212/KenPom: 200

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NC State Basketball

NC State Men’s Basketball to Play Vanderbilt in Opening Round of Vegas Showdown

Published

2 months ago

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August 8, 2023

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The bracket for the Vegas Showdown on November 23-24 has been released, and NC State will play Vanderbilt in the opening round on ESPN2. They will either play Arizona State or BYU the following day, depending on how it shakes out.

Vanderbilt finished the regular season last year with a record of 22-15, and were ranked 81st according to KenPom. Arizona St. finished the regular season with a record of 23-13, and were ranked 55th according to KenPom. BYU finished the regular season with a record of 19-15, and were ranked 77th according to KenPom.

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