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Well, well, well. It’s amazing the difference when NC State runs out a team at full strength. For the first time this season they looked dominant. They had a focus and a confidence about them as they went on to waste the Mountaineers 97-64. Let’s take a look at how it all came together.

Confidence built in Smith Jr during OT win carried over
We never like to “we told you so” our readers, but we took a ton of flak for our ‘positive’ write-up after the OT win over Tennessee State. The point of that article was to point out that every season had cornerstone moments. They’re not always big wins, for flashy performances. Sometimes they are gritty, ugly, hard-fought battles that alter perception, expose character, and build confidence. The win over Tenn St changed this team. That was the game it ‘clicked’ for Dennis Smith Jr. It had nothing to do with his stats or how many shots he hit. It had to do with him being in a position with his back against the wall, and an entire fanbase watching closely how he reacted. He answered the call and it was a proving moment for the kid. It was like you could see the switch getting flipped.

Against App State you saw that Dennis Smith Jr. He was physical, he was making plays and he was in full-on attack mode. Smith finished with 22pts, 6 assists, and 3 steals, but those numbers weren’t the story. The story was his style of play, his defense, and his leadership of the offense. This led to the Wolfpack getting easy buckets, and dominating the Mountaineers all night long.

Larger rotation of big time talent was fun to watch
Finally at full strength, it was really fun to see what this team is capable of. Gottfried has so many options. With Rowan and Yurtseven in the fold, you now have 9 guys that can give you legitimate ACC minutes without skipping a beat. All of the sudden there is less a concern over foul trouble and your guys can play full bore without hesitation. You can ask for max effort knowing that you have a fresh guy ready to come off the bench.

Last night eight guys played over 13 minutes. Think about that. When was the last time NC State had a legit 8 man rotation?

This also allowed Gottfried to show a bunch of different looks. He went big with Yurt and Anya or Yurt and Abu, something State really hasn’t been able to do with any significant success. This will help with rebounding and help when team’s have talented size. We already know the Pack can go small with success, as we’ve seen them do that most of the early part of the season.

See the next section as to why going big is suddenly working…

The addition of Yurtseven is game changing
With Omer Yurtseven reinstated by the NCAA, all of the sudden the Wolfpack offense looks better. Why is that? Well, it’s simple. Yurtseven and Smith are a feared duo. With Yurtseven’s shooting ability, teams can no longer double the pick and roll, or sag off in the lane. Yurt his two early jumpers that made App State have to respect him at the foul line and beyond. Add in the fact that Dennis Smith Jr is your primary ball handler and you have a very, very tough decision for defenses to make. Smith had less pressure and more room to drive. The middle was opened up as the opposing bigs had to step high to challenge Yurt. This in itself is going to make everyone on this team a little more dangerous.

Yurtseven finished the game with 12 points and 4 boards. He added 4 fouls and 4 TOs, but overall a very nice debut for the big man who showed a little nerves and a little rust. The takeaways for most will be his shot. He hit hit a long jumper and a 3, which had the crowd going nuts. However, the real exciting things were his footwork and his off the ball defense. Yurtseven understands space and that is super important for a big. He uses his body to creates space on offense, he rolls correctly off of ball screens, sealing his man and leading to the basket. His footwork is quick, crisp and confident and it helps him get good position on the block, and in good position to score when he receives it.

What wasn’t talked much about however, was Yurtseven’s defense. His on the ball defense was ok. He did foul a few times unnecessarily, but that will come with time. The real big takeaway was his off the ball defense. He is fully aware of his surroundings. For example, watch when Yurtseven’s man screens for someone else. Every time that happened, Yurt bumped the guy going off of his man’s screen, to slow momentum and give his man a chance to recover. A very small part of the game, but a part that if not done correctly can end up meaning 6 or 8 points over the course of the game…which is sometimes enough to change the outcome.

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Stay tuned as we’ll have more breakdown from last night’s game throughout the day….

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

The true test will be Miami.

yakima2k
yakima2k
7 years ago

The lineup with Yurt and Anya with Smith, Henderson and Dorn was my favorite of the night. It’s amazing seeing all these talented guys playing unselfishly, too. They seem to genuinely enjoy playing basketball together and want each other to succeed.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  yakima2k

I’m not sure you’ll see that lineup too much because Anya may not leave enough room for Yurt7 to operate in the paint.

NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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