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NC State vs. #20Duke
2pm – PNC Arena – CBS

NC State is coming off their most impressive outing of the season, crushing a ranked Pitt team 78-61. Today they take on their next challenge, a #20 ranked Duke team that has dropped their last 3.

Now, don’t go thinking that this Duke team is going to lay down for NC State. They have had a week off and are starving for a victory. You know that Coach K will have his group ready. On the other hand, this NC State team is starting to gel and starting to trust each other. These factors should make for a very hard fought and intense matchup at the PNC.

Let’s take a look at the advantages NC State will have coming into this game…


Momentum rides with the Pack
State is coming off their biggest win of the season while Duke is looking for their identity after dropping 3 in a row. Look closer, however, and it become a lot deeper than the wins and losses.

State’s last two games have looked much different. They’ve gone with Cody Martin at the 3, giving them a true do-it-all guy who is willing to do the little things. Cody has been good at attacking the lane and not settling for jumpers. He’s also a good passer, and has helped move the ball in what was once a pretty stagnant offense. This has taken some of the pressure off of Barber, who needs to really keep his focus on scoring. The slight change in the lineup has also shifted NC State away from taking unnecessary 3s and allowed them to focus on getting the ball in the paint, which has ignited a surging Malik Abu. Cody Martin has also been vital on defense. In the past two games the Pack has looked much more aggressive and a ton more physical. He was able to shut down Marcus Paige and then did a great job against Pitt as well and it’s bled over to his teammates. Overall, this is a State team is doing the little things that were missing early in the season. They are focusing on fundamentals and it’s really starting to pay off.

For the Blue Devils, they are in a state of flux. They knew coming in that they would be a little thin in the middle, but after losing Amile Jefferson to a foot injury, they have been slow to adapt. They have had trouble finding out who they are. They have Marshall Plumlee in the middle, but aside from him they’ve had to rely on freshman Brandon Ingram. If you remember, Ingram was a Wolfpack recruit who picked Duke late in the process. Ingram is a talented player, but he’s raw and not great when you make him get physical. This has turned Duke into somewhat of a jump shooting team that is taking a lot of 3s. If Jones, Allen and Kennard get hot then they could be dangerous, but if they don’t then Duke struggles.

Physicality and Rebounding favors Wolfpack
This, to us, is going to be a major factor in this game. NC State comes in as the top rebounding team in the ACC with almost 43 boards per game and they out-rebound their opponents by 6 per game. This is a big deal because Duke is getting crushed on the boards lately. Against Syracuse they were murdered on the offensive glass, giving up 26 to the Orange.

Another key is front court depth. State isn’t super deep, but they do have Anya, Abu and Freeman who have been playing at a high level. Duke only has Plumlee as a reliable force in the middle. If State can get him in foul trouble, this game changes dramatically in favor of the Pack.
Interesting Matchups Could Favor NC State
Duke is going to come out with three 6’5 guards in Jones, Kennard and Allen. NC State is likely going to come out with Barber, Rowan and Cody Martin. It will be interesting to see who guards who. Jones is the least dangerous in terms of scoring, while Kennard and Allen are both good shooters who can attack the basket. Allen is more aggressive off the bounce while Kennard will opt to pull up or shoot from 3. Barber would be fine on Jones or Kennard, while Cody Martin will likely guard Allen. Cody give you length and physicality that can match the talented 2 guard pretty well.

The key for NC State’s defense will be their 2 guard spot. We’ll have to see how it plays out, but Rowan obviously is only in there to provide offense. His defense hasn’t been great, especially against guards who push the issue and try to get to the rim. If that ends up happening, you may see a little more Caleb Martin, as he brings a little more on the defensive end.

While those guard spots seem pretty evenly matched, size and athleticism wise, NC State may have a big advantage in paint. With Duke forced to go with Plumlee and Ingram, they will be giving up a lot of size, experience and physicality at the 4. Anya and Plumlee should be a decent matchup. Both are not great on the offensive end and both are mainly there for defense and rebounding. Anya needs to make sure he does not get in foul trouble and force Plumlee to shoot over top of him. If State has to guard Plumlee with Freeman (because of foul trouble then Duke gets the advantage.)

As for the 4 spot…this is where a lot of our focus is going to be. How will this Abu vs. Ingram matchup play out. First and foremost, Abu needs to be smart against Ingram. The freshman can shoot it and likely is not going to want to bang on the blocks with the bigger, stronger Abu. Malik has got to close out under control, and force him into tough long 2s. On offense, however, Abu should be massively aggressive. Ingram is no match for his size and athleticism. If State plays it right you should see him being fed on nearly every possession. K will almost certainly be forced to double this matchup…and how NC State responds to this will dictate the outcome of this game. If Abu can find the open man and exploit these double teams, then they will be able to really bother the Devils. If Duke is smart, they will try to mitigate risk and just go zone.

Cat must come out with killer mentality and laser focus
He’s certainly got a chip on his shoulder after being shut out in the last matchup with Duke, but he needs to be careful. Coach K knows he doesn’t have a single guard that can stay in front of Barber. If he goes man to man, Barber will put up massive numbers. K will likely throw a ton of zone at State, double Barber to get the ball out of his hands, and make the rest of the Pack beat them. Cat needs to understand this and realize how to beat it. He can’t try to do it all himself. He’ll need to trust his guys and let the game come to him. Establishing a dominant inside game will lead to Duke being forced to ease up on Cat. Taking quick shots is going to play into the Blue Devils hands, so you might see a press of some sort that attempts to speed State up. Staying patient and focused is vital. Let Duke show their hand, then adapt. Cat will have a big game if he can be patient and and strategic with his attack

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

wormncsu We need bigs that can play, not a bunch of transfers.

wormncsu
wormncsu
7 years ago

Packinsider this season is a lost one at this point but I would like to hear what you think of the team as far as next year. Let’s assume we keep everyone and don’t get any other recruits. We would look at a team of Cat, Smith Jr, Henderson, Rowan, Martin twins, Abu, Anya, Freeman, Kirk, dorn. Do you think these added players will make enough difference to get us back to the top of acc?

NC State Basketball

NC State’s Ebe Dowuona Enters Transfer Portal

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NC State Junior F/C Ebe Dowuona has entered the transfer portal, with two years of eligibility remaining.

This year, Ebe played in 30 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game. As a Sophomore, after the injury to Manny Bates in the first game of the season, Dowuona went on to start in 27 of the 31 games he played in, averaging 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

I’m not shocked. I don’t blame Dowuona for wanting to find a place where he would get more playing time.

Nonetheless this is a hit to the Wolfpack’s front court. While he didn’t offer much on the offensive end, he continually altered shots on the defensive end.

Ernest Ross will be a Junior next year, and fans will likely get to see Freshman Isaiah Miranda for the first time after redshirting after arriving to Raleigh midseason. Greg Gantt will be a Redshirt Junior next season as well.

Other questions loom for the Wolfpack front court as well. Will DJ Burns and Jack Clark return for their final year of eligibility? Will Dusan Mahorcic be granted a medical waiver for an additional year of eligibility?

Time will tell.

We wish Ebe all the best!

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NC State Ranked in Top-25 in Men’s Basketball Attendance in 2022-23

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When it was all said and done, the NC State fans represented in 2022-23, ranking 20th amongst Division-1 teams in Men’s Basketball attendance. The Wolfpack ranked 4th in the ACC, behind UNC, Syracuse, and Virginia.

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NC State Basketball

Wolferetti: Feed me my crow. NC State lost to Creighton and I’m here to break it down (and admit I was wrong)

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I was wrong.

I thought this matchup was a good one for NC State. I watched a lot of Creighton this year and to me, they looked like a team that NC State could roll over. Let me explain why.

I knew a few things. I knew Nembhard was a PG that could get a little out of control if sped up. I knew with a little defense and physicality, Sheierman could be made uncomfortable. I knew Kalkbrenner was a good defender but was going to sink on the pick-and-roll to protect the basket.

Joiner’s pull up just wouldn’t fall

I figured that Joiner, the pull-up king would be taking that DJ Burns screen, getting to the middle, and pulling up as Kalkbrenner sank. I figured Smith would exploit this as well. Well, turns out Joiner was off and couldn’t get his pull-up game going and Smith, well yeah Smith did exploit this pretty well.

Burns didn’t look like Burns

The other thing I’d figure would happen is that I thought DJ Burns would really frustrate Kalkbrenner. If you’ve looked at games where Kalkbrenner had to face a really good, physical back-to-the-basket big man, those bigs usually had pretty good games in the scoring column.  I honestly don’t understand what happened to Burns in this one. Sure he got a few stupid early fouls, but before he even picked up a foul he looked out of it. With no double teams coming, Burns is usually calculated, slowly backing you down and hitting you with a flurry of head fakes, pump fakes or spins. If the big doesn’t bite, Burns can fade away, go with a contested hook shot, or pass out.

In this game, Burns looked sped up for some reason. The first time he got the ball he quickly backed in and threw up a hook that rattled out. Not awful, but usually you see him probe a little more. Then the next time he didn’t even look for contact, instead, he threw up a little floater that didn’t fall. While neither were awful shots, both were uncharacteristic of Burns. On top of those things, he looked absolutely gassed within minutes of coming in. My guess is that it was the altitude, but either way, it took a toll on him.

Whatever it was, it had him frustrated and he had two really bad fouls where he just shoved Kalkbrenner (he also had a phantom foul that was ridiculous). That said, it just wasn’t his night and this made NC State a lot more one-dimensional.

Casey Morsell came to play, but this NC State roster just wasn’t built to get a guy like him going, which is a shame. Jarkel Joiner was a huge reason why NC State got to where they got. His scoring ability, his speed and his toughness and leadership skill were huge. But Joiner is a scoring guard, and great basketball teams need POINT guards.

What is a point guard, and why can’t we have one?

A point guard isn’t just a guy who dribbles it down. It’s a guy who understands the games within the games. Guys who dictate pace, call plays (sets) and are essentially coaches on the floor. NC State and Kevin Keatts never had that this season, and while you can get a long way with scoring guards and good big men, you’ll never compete for anything of worth until you prioritize the skill set of a true point guard. I think that has been NC State’s problem for years, and I find it kind of insane that coach after coach falls into this idea of having a scoring guard play as a PG for more offense to get on the court.

This is no shot at Jarkel, either. The guy was one of my favorite players to watch on this team, but it just is what it is. He is a scoring guard who happens to be slotting in at PG. When you see Keatts bring in a guy whose priority is getting his guys open and dictating pace, then you can start to believe that this program may be close to arriving. Until then, sneaking into the tournament and hoping guys get hot hands is as good as it gets.

Look at Kihei Clark (Virginia’s PG). I know it’s not a great time to be talking about Clark, whose errant pass ended up losing the game for Virginia on Thursday, but look at Clark’s build.5’10, 170lbs. Look at his stats. Mid-30s shooting % from 3. Hight 70s from the FT line. The guy is nothing special when it comes to the numbers, but he’s a leader and he distributes the basketball to the right guys at the right time. Tony Bennett has started Clark for 4 years despite the fact that he’s coaching a team that is always in the running to win the ACC and won a national championship less than 5 years ago.  He could replace Clark with an elite, tall, athlete at any moment. But he doesn’t. Why? Because he understands what I’m talking about. It’s a puzzle that coaches need to put together, and one piece of that puzzle is a guy like this.

I was wrong about this game. I thought things would play out differently. They didn’t. I’m not blaming anyone in particular, but the makeup of this team vs. the makeup of teams that play deep into March are different. Maybe this is step one to getting there. We’ll have to see how the roster shapes up next season.

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NC State Basketball

VIDEO: NC State falls to Creighton 72-63 in first round of NCAA Tournament | Extended Highlights & Box Score

NC State came out flat, DJ Burns looked gassed, and for the most part, the Pack looked shell-shocked vs. Creighton from the opening tip. However, Terquavion Smith is excluded from all of that. He was amazing and in what was likely his final game at NC State, he kept the Pack afloat, dropping 32 points on 12-25 shooting. In the end, it wasn’t enough as their big man, 7’1 Ryan Kalkbrenner went for 31.

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NC State came out flat, DJ Burns looked gassed, and for the most part, the Pack looked shell-shocked vs. Creighton from the opening tip. However, Terquavion Smith is excluded from all of that. He was amazing and in what was likely his final game at NC State, he kept the Pack afloat, dropping 32 points on 12-25 shooting. In the end, it wasn’t enough as their big man, 7’1 Ryan Kalkbrenner went for 31.

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