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NC State and Fairfield square off today at 2 PM at PNC Arena on ACC Network Extra (which can be found on ESPN3). Coach Gottfried and company will need to have a good game plan to take away the leading scorer in the MAAC, Tyler Nelson. What are some of the keys to the game to help State improve to 9-2 on the season?

1. Limit clean looks for Tyler Nelson…

Nelson is capable of scoring in bunches, his game high is 38 points, and is leading the MAAC in PPG. Terry Henderson will be tasked with utilizing his length and athleticism  to slow Nelson down. The Pack must keep an active tab on Nelson on the break and off of offensive rebounds. NC State will have to change their normal tendencies and pick up Nelson sooner to guard against deep threes. Henderson and company will have to be in control on their closeouts and not bite on shot fakes. Fairfield’s chances of beating NC State depends on Nelson’s scoring and being efficient.

2. Limit Sidibe on the glass…

Amadou Sidibe has been on a mission to grab every rebound this season and is leading the MAAC in RPG at 11.9. In his last 5 games, he is averaging 15 boards a contest and has chipped in 14 PPG in that stretch. It will be rebounding by a committee for NC State to limit Sidibe. Abu, Anya, Kapita, and Yurtseven must put a body on him, as he accounts for 31% of their total team rebounds. By taking away Sidibe, NC State should be able to cripple Fairfield on the glass.

3. Keep the ball moving on offense…

NC State scored 97 points in their last game, and looked more fluid on offense; however, they still need to attack more with the pass instead of the dribble. Omer Yurtseven’s skill set looks to be a stabilizing force for NC State. His shooting, patience, and passing opened the floor up for the Pack. It was fun watching the movement off-ball when Omer had the ball in the low post or the high post. Ball movement should become more fluid as State gains experiences playing with each other and roles continue to become concrete.

4. Balanced scoring from NC State should be too much for the Stags…

At full strength for the first time in their last game the Wolfpack had success, 97 points, 50% from FG, 50% from three, 82.9 from FT, and 6 players in double figures. This balance will make it difficult for Fairfield to match up against the Pack. NC State’s depth and balance should overwhelm the Stags and result in another notch in the win column.

Fairfield should be a good test for State as they must take away a talented scorer in Tyler Nelson as well as a barometer to test their conditioning . Look for NC State to wear down the Stags with their depth and size as they march on through non-conference play.

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rizdolla
rizdolla
7 years ago

Offense looking like its coming together (still need work). We still have to work on perimeter defense before conference play.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

I can’t wait for the Miami game. Enough of these cream puffs, I want to see what this full complement of players can do against a good team.

Anthony
Anthony
7 years ago
Reply to  Wolfer96

not to disappoint you but.. our RPI is 30… MIami’s is 96. that’s worse than TSU’s

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  Anthony

Yeah but they are a well coached team and they are an ACC team. RPI’s don’t really mean anything this early. For instance, 8-3 Florida who lost to FSU is ranked #4 in RPI and 12-0 UCLA who beat Kentucky at Kentucky is #15.

Anthony
Anthony
7 years ago
Reply to  Wolfer96

we are 10 to 12 games in so it’s fair to say that the RPI while not a infallible measure is beginning to be more and more accurate and 30 and 96 is a huge jump TSU who when we played them was 56. They are 63 now and Miami is 76 which closes the Gap substantially. i believe that we will see that type of game when we play Miami.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

9 assists by Smith is the stat line that I am most impressed by. The ball movement was much better. We were swinging the ball from one side of the court to the other, then going into the post and looking for the open man. I much prefer the Dennis that gets his guys involved and looks less to shoot. When he did shoot he mostly had his feet set and shoulders squared. Shooting off a pass a few times.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Just caught the game on stream and right off I am impressed by Yurt7’s ability to catch, pass, shoot, and really drive the offense from the high post and low post areas. This kid will help everyone’s 3 point shooting % with his passing and decision making from the post. The offense is no longer perimeter dominated, it’s much better balanced. This is what I was wanting to see all season.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Hey we outrebounded someone!

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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