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NC State vs Mcneese St.
7pm | PNC Arena | ACC Network Extra (ESPN3)

Tonight NC State faces off against McNeese St. in what is their second to last non-conference tune-up before the ACC season starts. So what are the keys to the game for NC State?

1. Attack the rim…

NC State needs to move the ball side to side and attack the rim with purpose, by getting the ball inside they will be able to overmatch the Cowboys. Malik Abu and Omer Yurtseven will have a tremendous advantage on the interior as McNeese State will not be able to match up with their size and skill. Dennis Smith and company need to exploit this advantage early by getting the ball inside. NC State had great success aginst Fairfield by running their offense inside out which yielded a high shooting percentage from three.

2. NC State needs to leverage their size advantage on defense…

The Cowboys lack size, NC State needs to use their size and athletic guards to smother and force them into contested shots and turnovers. By creating turnovers and poor shots the Wolfpack should be able to score quickly in the open court. Jamaya Burr’s quickness allows him to penetrate; however, NC State’s guards must take the challenge to prevent this. Burr will test Dennis Smith’s discipline on defense because he will have to be in a stance to keep him from driving. The Pack should be able to notch another stress-free win as they use their size to overwhelm the Cowboys.

3. Dennis Smith needs to continue getting everyone else involved…

Dennis Smith is the only NC State player to score in double figures every game this season; however, he must keep getting others involved. In his last two games he is averaging 19.5 PPG, 7.5 APG, and shooting 61% from the field. The addition of Omer Yurtseven has helped Smith because he creates space and does the little things off the ball. Recently, Smith has been efficient since he has been crisp in calling his own number or deferring to his teammates. By allowing Henderson, Abu, and Dorn to get going early, Smith has had cleaner looks as the game progresses. Experience will help Smith find the right balance of scoring and distributing.

4. Be decisive and continue to play…

By not hesitating NC State has started to gain some continuity on offense that has led to some efficient scoring. Terry Henderson must build upon his last game as he was surgical in his offensive moves aginst Fairfield. Gottfried had to like Henderson attempting 6 free throws in addition to hitting threes. NC State’s big men made quick decisions in the post and tallied 9 dimes on the day. McNeese State will not stand a chance of winning especially if State continues to react in their offensive sets.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Yurtseven not fitting in well enough to defeat Miami. Mav looks to be coming around quickly. Love the jumping ability of Kirk. He needs to work with the first team more. His defense is picking up but looses focus sometimes.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

Kirk won’t get better coming off the bench with a minute left in the game. Luckily the large lead allowed him to get in early this game but yeah he should be getting more minutes. It was funny to see him jack up a 3 as soon as he got in with no rebounders under the basket. That’s what guys do when they don’t know when they’ll see the court again.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

I liked how Mav played this game. The big difference was that he was getting clean looks at the basket. Last season he had to force up a lot of contested shots and I think that led to some inconsistent shooting nights.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

I feel like even when Yurt7 isn’t filling up the stat sheets his presence on the court helps spacing and gets guys better shots. He also got his hands on a lot of rebounds and tipped it to another teammate. That ball entering the paint and not immediately becoming a turnover has been a huge difference since Yurt7 became eligible.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Honestly the bench could have won this game. ACC can’t start fast enough.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

The key for me is Yurt7 staying out of foul trouble and staying in the game. Like the last game if the Pack can swing the ball side to side and down into Yurt7 it will expose the holes in the defense as it collapses. What I don’t want to see is too much dribbling and lack of ball movement. The Yurt will create opportunities for others and everyone just needs to seize their opportunities.

Anthony
Anthony
7 years ago
Reply to  Wolfer96

Yea i hate seeing less than 15 team assists int he Box score and it should be around 20 a game with the personnel that we have.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  Anthony

Anthony don’t be a troll now.

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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