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NC State travels north to take on Boston College Wednesday night at 9 PM with RSN providing coverage. Both teams are coming into the contest after losing on the road. Boston College couldn’t overcome turnovers to knock off the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor. NC State suffered a lopsided loss to Carolina. Both teams are 1-2 in ACC play and will look to get to even their records with a win. What must NC State do to find their first road ACC win of the season?

NC State must take care of the basketball.

Wolfpack cannot afford to give up possessions as well as easy baskets that result from live ball turnovers. In their two road games at Miami and Carolina, the Pack averaged 20.5 TPG and 28 points off those turnovers. That cannot happen on the road in the ACC. It will take a total team effort to play within the framework of the offense and not go off script. NC State needs to have the discipline to outwork their defenders to get to their spots in the half court. Dennis Smith Jr. must be in control and not force the issue early in the shot clock. Mark Gottfried needs his group to be quick but not in a hurry. NC State Should win if they can play under control by taking care of the basketball.

Transition defense will be critical if NC State will win Wednesday.

Boston College is averaging 81.3 PPG in ACC play. They are getting out in the open court as well as pushing the pace on makes and misses. Ky Bowman has been electric during ACC play averaging 21 PPG. Bowman is aggressive at pushing the basketball up court because of his speed and athletic ability. Paired with Bowman is sophomore Jerome Robinson who is equally lethal on the break as he possesses smooth handles and length to finish in traffic. NC State’s guards have got to be aware of these two and get back on defense to stop the ball. Everyone in Red & White needs to sprint the floor to get back and thwart BC’s fast break attack. NC State can slow down the Eagles if they force them to have to execute in the half-court aginst a set defense.

NC State needs to make Jerome Robinson work on both ends of the court.

Robinson is having an excellent sophomore campaign averaging over 20 points per game. Boston College has found a go-to scorer who has the skill set to score in a variety of ways. Robinson loves to move without the ball utilizing ball screens to lose his defender. Another area that Robinson thrives at is keeping defenders off-balance by changing pace. NC State will need to keep him marked when he is off-ball as well as shade his direction on help-side defense.

Terry Henderson will be up for the challenge as he is familiar with Robinson’s game. Both players have played aginst each other in the Summer as Robinson trains in Raleigh in the off-season. Henderson must do his best to bait Robinson into tough contested jumpers off the bounce. Offensively whoever Robinson is guarding needs to work hard off-ball in order to wear him down. That means being physical with Robinson on screens and not letting him off the hook by shooting quick jumpers. The tone needs to be set early as allowing Robinson easy baskets early will fuel his confidence throughout.

The Wolfpack needs to display heart Wednesday night.

The adage is that a team is only as good as their last performance. That axiom rings especially true with NC State this season. Wednesday night is not as much about game plans, plays, as it is about heart and hustle. Each player should be counting down the seconds until tip-off Wednesday night to erase some of the pain from their last outing. Dennis Smith, Terry Henderson, Torin Dorn, Malik Abu, and Omer Yurtseven will need to set the expectation of playing hard from the start. That means diving on the ground, working hard off-ball, defending like their lives depend on it, and having positive body language. Wednesday night is NC State’s opportunity to play each game like it is their last because that is the only way to win in the ACC.

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RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

a shot? I mean if its early and we still have time to turn things around why not give Butch a shot? I’m sure he cant do any worse than Mark is right now. I mean he did say he didnt give a S**t. Fans don’t even have the desire to watch NCSU Mens BBall right now. This is sad…

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RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

My bad this was a continuation of my original post I corrected it below.

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RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

I have never blamed the players because they did their job with being recruited to this level they are blessed with talent. Mark’s coaching just is not getting the job done. Point blank and it kills me that everyone sees it other than the AD or whoever he reports to. I mean they cant see it right because if they did… Butch Pierre seems to have coached at elite programs. Why not give him

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RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

a shot? I mean if its early and we still have time to turn things around why not give Butch a shot? I’m sure he cant do any worse than Mark is right now. I mean he did say he didnt give a S**t. Fans don’t even have the desire to watch NCSU Mens BBall right now. But we got better! smh…This is sad…

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Great job at BC. DSJ needs to go back to AAU ball and take Gott with him.

2
RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

DSJ just needs a coach to coach him.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

I agree, but he will only be here a year and Gott is still the coach!!!!!!

0

NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Katie Peneueta Enters the Transfer Portal

Published

12 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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NC State Forward Katie Peneueta is entering the Transfer Portal.

Peneueta transferred to NC State last offseason from Sacramento State, where she averaged 8.4 points, shooting 45.5% from three.

In her one year at NC State, Peneueta only played 8 games for the Wolfpack, battling injuries throughout the year. Peneueta has 1 year of eligibility.

With Peneueta entering the Portal, NC State now has 3 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Center Caitlin Weimar is on an Official Visit to NC State

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18 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) is currently on an Official Visit to NC State.

Weimar is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With NC State not having River Baldwin at Center next year, adding Weimar is an extremely exciting possibility.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren?

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20 hours ago

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April 17, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren? I caught up with the man who won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 to get his take.

What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?

I’m a second generation Wolfpack basketball player. Wolf blood runs through my veins, so to be able to witness a ride like that was truly amazing.

What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?

I think that is speaks to the heart that the players have. As a 10th seed in the ACC tournament, it’s easy to pack it in and look towards the offseason, but they did the opposite. They bonded together over adversity and that’s what made them so endearing. Hard work in the face of adversity, that’s something that Wolfpack fans can relate to.

As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?

As I mentioned earlier, NCSU hoops has been in my family for a long time, so it meant a whole lot personally. This run definitely took me back to some of the fond memories I have of putting on the Red & White and playing in front of a packed house at the PNC.

What was the most memorable moment for you?

I think Mike’s shot to tie the game at the end of regulation. It just felt like destiny at that point. Anytime you get to beat UNC and Duke days apart is special too.

How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?

I think that it puts us back on the national radar where we belong. After a magical run like that, I think it makes players want to be a part of that. A run like that reinvigorates a program definitely.

_______

Warren is 1 of only 6 NC State players to ever be named the ACC Player of the Year. In his Sophomore season, Warren was named a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and the AP. He averaged 24.9 points per game, which is the 5th best mark in a single season in NC State history. Warren scored 871 points that year, which is the most points ever scored in a single season by a Wolfpack player.

TJ was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Ernest Ross Enters the Transfer Portal

Published

2 days ago

on

April 16, 2024

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NC State Forward Ernest Ross announced today that he is entering the Transfer Portal.

 

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A post shared by Eway♻️🏂 (@thebiggesteworld3)

Ross played in 14 games this year, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.

Ross was a consensus 4-star player in the 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.

Ross has one more year of eligibility remaining.

NC State has 3 scholarships available now.

Best of luck Ernest!

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