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NC State faces a quick turnaround as they travel to Duke for Monday night’s showdown in Cameron Indoor. Game time is at 7 o’clock with coverage on ESPN. What are some keys to the game for NC State?

Turnovers.

NC State cannot turn the ball over if they want to have any chance at winning at Duke come Monday. The Blue Devils are a dangerous team as they can create baskets in an instance as a result of live ball turnovers. Turnovers are compounded in an environment like Cameron Indoor as each miscue slowly eats away a team’s psyche. Guard play will need to think twice before making long passes and be patient when dealing with Duke’s ball pressure defense. If NC State can keep their turnovers in single digits they have a shot.

Rebounding.

NC State has got to give itself a chance at winning by giving full effort to prevent offensive rebounds. They have striggled to collect misses at key points in the game. Last game they allowed Wake Forest to grab a few offensive rebounds after getting a stop intially only to surrender another possession due to not boxing out. Duke is too good at Cameron at knocking down shots! The best time to shoot the three-ball is off of an offensive rebound, and Duke will punish NC State if they get to the offensive glass.

The Pack must guard their “yard”.

Defense is a team effort but that team effort is useless if individual players constantly get beat off the dribble. NC State has got to keep their man in front of them to limit teams access to the paint. It takes a lot of effort to cut off penetration and to do it without fouling is critical. This lack of being able to defend without fouling and protecting the paint is why NC State is ranked last in team defense in the ACC. They are allowing 84.7 PPG in seven ACC games. That is inexcusable. That stat alone tells the story of why the Pack are 2-5 in ACC play.

The season has been a disapointment to say the least. A team with NC State’s depth and talent should not be 2-5 in the ACC; however, they are. Excuses don’t matter at this point. The Wolfpack cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results. Game time is at 7 PM with coverage on ESPN.

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Ballerman4452
Ballerman4452
7 years ago

I hate to say it, but the team played better when Yurtseven wasn’t on the court. That’s why he barely played the 2nd half. The kid is full of potential but is just way too soft.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  Ballerman4452

He is either soft or way out of shape. Doesn’t move like the videos we saw before he committed to State.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Now Tyler, study the lineup changes. Tell Gott what you discovered, because it worked well tonight.

NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s DJ Horne Named to Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team

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NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

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In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.

Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.

The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Has Shown Interest in Utah Guard Transfer Deivon Smith

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NC State has reached out to Utah Transfer Guard Deivon Smith (6’0″/173).

Smith filled up the stat sheet every game this year, averaging 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.8% from three for Utah. He earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention this season. Smith had 8 double-doubles and 1 triple-double this year.

Wherever Smith lands, this will be his 4th college. He started at Mississippi St., starting in 8 of the 33 games he played in, averaging 22.5 minutes per game. Smith went on to spend his next two seasons at Georgia Tech. Year 1 in Atlanta, Smith started in 5 of the 24 games he played in, averaging 19.7 minutes per game. In Year 2, he carved out more of a role, starting in 13 of the 24 games he played in for the Yellow Jackets, averaging a career high 24.8 minutes per game.

At Utah this year, Smith broke out and had a career year in every possible way.

NC State is familiar with Smith, offering him back when he was a 4-Star prospect out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Rivals ranked Smith as the #53 overall player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class. ESPN ranked him as the #5 player in the state of Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #11 Point Guard in his class.

 

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