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NC State post players are in for a test come Saturday as they must find a way to stop John Collins. The 6-10 power forward is having a great season averaging 16.4 PPG (59% FG) and 8.8 RPG. Danny Manning has done a great job at putting his talented sophomore in spots where he can thrive. How can NC State slow down Collins?

The Pack will need their perimeter players to pressure Wake’s guards from having easy entry passes to Collins. With ball pressure, NC State guards can buy their big men more time to move Collins away from the basket. The added time will also benefit help-side defense resulting in less space for Collins to operate.

The Deacons also love putting Collins in pick and rolls. The power forward is quick, bouncy, and has great hands to catch as well as finish off the alley. NC State cannot be lax on their pick and roll defense. Dennis Smith and company will need to fight through screens to avoid confusion related to switching. Malik Abu, Omer Yurtseven, and BeeJay Anya must not allow Collins unobstructed lanes to the basket if they do they will have a front row seat to the dunk show. Collins off-ball movement allows him to catch alley’s even outside of pick and rolls. The Wolfpack must keep connected to Collins at all times.

John Collins has the ball handling skills to beat most forwards and centers to the rim. He has shown the ability to put the ball on the deck and finish inside. The Pack must be aware that Collins does not have a good outside shot; therefore they cannot bite on shot fakes. Collins fakes are designed to counter attack with the dribble to get inside, as he is not comfortable taking outside shots.

NC State cannot foul Collins outside of the paint by committing cheap reach-in fouls. Malik Abu needs to stay out of foul trouble because he has the tools to make Collins work. Due to Collins limited range, the Pack needs to give him a couple of steps defensively and not reach in on his drives. There is no doubt that Collins is the head of the Deacon’s attack offensively. He has had huge jumps in his production compared to last season.

NC State can slow the super sophomore down by pushing him away from the basket and communicating with one another to his whereabouts as he moves. Implementing a zone from time to time should also slow him down by having plenty of help inside. In the zone NC State will have to communicate even more to keep Collins off the offensive glass.

Again it will need to be a total team effort from all five players to make Collins work each possession. Game time is at 2 PM this Saturday at the PNC Arena, coverage on ACC-Network.

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NC State Basketball

D.J. Burns is OFFICIALLY BACK!

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Well, it’s OFFICIAL. D.J Burns will be returning to NC State for his final year of collegiate eligibility!

 

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A post shared by DJ Burns / BIG 30♨️ (@dj.b30)

This confirms everything I’d been hearing about the return of Burns. Burns was the key to the Wolfpack offense running effectively this past year. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23, but he elevated his game in ACC play, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference games.

Burns is celebrating his return to run with the Wolfpack by dropping his own Big 30 merch. Go over and snag something.

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NC State Basketball

Isaiah Miranda is an Early Entry Candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft

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The NBA released the names of the 242 players that have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2023 last night, and NC State’s Isaiah Miranda’s name was on the list.

Miranda (7’1″/225) joined the Wolfpack back in December, deciding to forgo the remainder of his prep season. Miranda didn’t see the court for NC State, resulting in a redshirt season.

ON3 ranked Miranda as the #16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

It makes perfect sense for a player like Miranda, with his height and athleticism, to go through the draft process to be evaluated on what he needs to continue to work on. As an early entrant, Miranda has the ability to pull his name out of the draft and remain a collegiate athlete.

I don’t expect Miranda to keep his name in the hat when the time comes. From what I hear his game has tons of potential, but he still needs to fine tune his craft. Also, Miranda shared this on social media, implying he will be back in the Red and White next year.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra Commits to NC State

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NC State picked up their 5th transfer today. Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) committed to run with the Wolfpack today while in Raleigh on an Official Visit.

Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

With news breaking today that Dusan Mahorcic entered the Transfer Portal, the Wolfpack found his replacement. NC State’s frontcourt in 2023-24 currently will be made up of D.J. Burns, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra and Ernest Ross.

Check out these highlights of Diarra.

There is a lot to like in Diarra’s game. He is athletic, can hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor, can play defense on the perimeter, block shots, and is an aggressive rebounder.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra is On an Official Visit to NC State Today

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Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) is on an Official Visit to NC State today. Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Diarra entered the Transfer Portal on March 28th.

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