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The whole season a team builds towards March, and hopefully they are among the 68 teams that will be selected for the greatest show on earth, the NCAA Tournament.  NC State will hopefully have lots of success as they did last season in the month of March.  Lets take a look at what March has to offer.

The Schedule ( 2 games, 1 home): 

  • Boston College 3/2/16 9 PM PNC
  • Notre Dame 3/5/16 12PM
  • ACC Tournament 3/8/16 Washington D.C. (Verizon Center)
  • NCAA Tournament 3/15/16 thru 3/27/16
  • Final Four 4/2/16 thru 4/5/16

What to watch for: 

The Wolfpack will close the season on the road as they travel to Notre Dame.  It will be important that the Pack can secure a bye in the ACC tournament as the alternative would mean they would only have two days to prepare for the opening game.  Once you factor in travel times, it is more like a single day to prepare.  Another question is, can the Pack build some momentum with the last two regular season games?  Last season the Pack finished the regular season by winning 3 of the last 4 and used that confidence in the opening game of the ACC Tournament against Pittsburgh.  However, a bye would be extremely beneficial, especially given the brutal path a team must march in order to win the ACC Tournament, from day 1 to championship Saturday.

Most Intriguing: 

Last season NC State gave Notre Dame all they wanted but failed to beat them in overtime as they lost by 3 points.  In that game the Wolfpack held big leads, but couldn’t put the Irish away.  The last game of the season is the only contest between the Irish and the Pack.  It will be interesting to see if State can get some revenge from last season.  Few ACC games will feature a more intriguing match-up at the point guard position than this game will.  Cat Barber vs. Demetrius Jackson will be a great showdown as both are upper echelon players in the NCAA.

Jackson is an excellent defender who uses his stout build to out-muscle opposing point guards.  However, Cat’s quickness will make it difficult for Jackson to get his hands on him.  Look for Cat to have a much better game than he did a season ago, as the Pack faced Notre Dame prior to Barber’s coming out party.  Jackson will also have much more responsibility for the Irish, as they lost Jerian Grant to the NBA.  This should be a fun game as both Brey and Gottfried love to get up and down the court.

Summary: 

March is one of the greatest times of the year as it marks the end and the beginning of college basketball.  In my opinion, the ACC Basketball Tournament is a way of life.  I remember getting “ACC Fever” as a kid and always pleading with my mom to miss school on the tournament days.  I wasn’t always successful in my pleas.  Coach Gottfried has gotten the Pack back to being a fixture in the NCAA and has had success in the ACC Tournament as well.  Expect the Pack to be playing their best basketball once more when March arrives.

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Burnbarn
Burnbarn
13 years ago

I wish you wouldn’t give space to Mr Kennel.. it impacts the credibilty of this site.

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True Wolpfacker
True Wolpfacker
13 years ago

Why anyone would give this senile old bastard a stage to put himself out there like this is beyond me.

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ralph
ralph
13 years ago

Lee Folwer approves this message.

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Dof
Dof
13 years ago

I think its great that PI gets Pack alumni to write articles. It is a really neat approach. While I don’t particularly like this one, as RW is that last person that needs public advise, I hope we keep getting more articles by Alums here at PI.

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Fij
Fij
13 years ago

GO BOB.FRED I.

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Bob Kennel
Bob Kennel
13 years ago
Reply to  Fij

Thanks, fred I. LOve all the thinking comments.

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NCSU93
NCSU93
13 years ago

Who is this Bob Kennel person, other than some old alum, and why should I care what he says more than I care what any other alum says ?

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anyone
anyone
13 years ago

Bob Kennel can’t hear anyone over the sound of his own awesomeness.

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curiousbystander7
curiousbystander7
13 years ago

My Open Letter to Bob Kennel:

Dear Mr. Kennel,

Thank you for your support of, and contributions to, NC State. Now, please go away.

With greatest sincerity,

The Rest of Us

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Riprock181965
Riprock181965
13 years ago

Are you serious? This article is about Kennel, not about Russell Wilson. The man can’t do anything without tooting his own horn, telling some story about the good ole days, etc. Why is it that people continue to feed this guys ego?

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tj
tj
13 years ago

Whew! I’m sure Russell is grateful for such advice from a wise sage. For I’m sure he, his father, and his impressive extended family are far too stupid to have ever considered such points of consideration all by their lonesome.

All hale the great Bob Kennel in all his self proclaimed awesomeness.

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curiousbystander7
curiousbystander7
13 years ago

Who possibly, with NC State’s best interest in mind, would EVER give Bob Kennel a stage such as this?

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

Has anyone else seen BJ Anya lately? Dude looks like he lost 30-50 lbs. I wasn’t sure how dedicated he was after showing up his soph season still overweight but it seems clear that he’s got the message in year 3. He may break the record for most blocks in a season this year. If Anya can score 8ppg, grab 8rpg, and add 6 bpg then we are in for a treat. My prediction for stats this season: Cat – 15ppg, 3rpg, 5 apg, 2 spg Hendo – 12ppg, 4rpg, 2apg, 2spg Twins – 20ppg, 9rpg, 5apg, 3spg Abu –… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

Published

13 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

Published

1 day ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

Published

2 days ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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NC State Basketball

Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

Published

2 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

Today was the final day graduate players could enter the Portal.

This past season, O’Connell averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Wolfpack, starting 22 of the 41 games he played in.

O’Connell took over as NC State’s starting Point Guard on January 30th in a win against Miami.

He only scored in double figures in 9 of his 41 games this season, but 6 of those came in postseason play (5 in the ACC Tournament). O’Connell took things to another level in the ACC Tournament, playing aggressive on the offensive end, looking for his shot, and attacking the rim.

NC State played it’s best basketball of the season when O’Connell was running the show. He ranked 3rd in the ACC in Assist/Turnover Ratio (2.5).

Heading into next season, with a lineup filled with new faces, having the calming presence of a veteran leader like O’Connell is reassuring.

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