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NC State is coming off three of what we believe are their best played games of the season. While they may have only come away with one win in that stretch they played three ranked opponents.

Tonight they take on a Georgia Tech team that sits 1-5 in conference play, but the stakes could not be higher. The Wolfpack are in a must win situation. With #15 Miami next, followed by a FSU team that beat them earlier this year and then Duke, nothing is going to come easy.

State is now 1-6 in conference play. If they want to make a serious run at a post season berth, they’ll have to start winning, and start soon.

Here are the keys to tonights matchup.

– Stop Georges-Hunt and Adam Smith
These are the two top scorers for the Jackets. Georges-Hunt is a 6’5 senior guard averaging 16ppg. He’s big, strong and can really pose a threat going to the rim. Smith on the other hand is a smaller guard who really shoots it well. The Pack had trouble stopping Greyson Allen who is plays a lot like Georges-Hunt. They will need to stay in front of him and make him settle for jumpers. If he gets going, things could get interesting.

– Win the battle of the boards
The Pack bigs have been good over this recent stretch, but tonight they have to be great, especially on D and on the boards. This will start with putting a body on Charles Mitchell. Mitchell is a 6’8 senior who is physical and loves to mix it up down low. Abu will likely take on this challenge and really needs to stay out of foul trouble while staying physical and not allowing Mitchell to wreck havoc on the boards.

– Smart shots and patience on offense
Over this recent stretch State has done a much better job of getting the ball down low and playing inside out. This has helped them get better looks, take higher percentage shots and get the defense out of position for Cat to attack. The addition of Cody Martin has been big, but a sustained effort by Cat is paramount. Against UNC and Duke, Barber trailed off late in the game (vs Duke he was likely injured) and the Wolfpack offense scuffled. Cat playing at a high level is the key for this team to put points on the board.

The game tips at 8pm at the PNC arena and will be on ESPN3.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Lou,
What have you been smokin’ , man?  A serious run at post season play will not happen until the first and last State game in the ACC tournament.  This team can’t get out of its own way.  1-7, serious run my god you will write anything to get someone to read this shit.  Give it up and cover wrestling and possibly baseball.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Another one bites the dust.  It’s fun trying to think before the game how this team is going to ultimately lose the game.  This one belongs to Abu for the technical.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State

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2 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is on a visit to NC State currently, according to a source.

Indiana State Transfer Ryan Conwell was on campus last week, but he just committed to Xavier.

From what I hear, the staff preferred James over Connell anyway. A plus with James is he has 2 years of eligibility, whereas Conwell has 1.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

Rivals ranked James as the #71 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the #7 prospect in the state of Florida.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years. This year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds.

For a more extensive look at James’ game, click here.

Rivals ranks James as the #77 overall player in the Transfer Portal.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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6 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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11 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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A post shared by NC State Basketball (@packmensbball)

Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.

Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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22 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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