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NC State found a way to walk out of Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since 1995 with a win. The Pack gave full effort refusing to lose when things got tough and proved they are making some progress. Let’s take a look at last night’s win.

Dennis Smith Jr had an outstanding game, his best in Red & White to date.

NC State needed a monumental effort out of Smith if they were going to win at Duke and he answered the call. Duke could not stop Smith as he torched them to the tune of 32 points. Many of Smith’s baskets came in critical junctures of the game that allowed the Pack to stay in striking distance. The close of the first half appeared to be going in Duke’s favor; however, Smith went on a personal 6-0 run to cut a 12 point deficit to just 6 before the half.

In the second half, Smith continued his stellar play by getting his teammates involved. He recorded all 6 of his assists in the second half leading NC State to shoot 55% from the field to overcome the 6 point halftime hole. It wasn’t just about Smith’s stat line last night. It was about his swagger and desire to do whatever was necessary to win. Dennis Smith Jr has that “it” factor. His competitiveness and desire to win willed his team to victory. His attitude was contagious as each player left it all on the court!

Ted Kapita gave NC State toughness and energy off the bench.

Mark Gottfried said, “have a hunch bet a bunch.” He had a gut feeling that Kapita needed to be the first player off the bench and it paid off! Kapita finished the game with 14 points (6-7 from field) and 10 rebounds! NC State fed off of Kapita’s energy by playing harder which allowed the Pack to survive Duke’s runs. Duke did not have an answer for Ted’s effort as the freshman wanted the basketball more than anyone else on the court. That is why NC State needs him to play more because he brings an edge to the Pack that no one else does. With Ted in the game, NC State plays harder. Kapita should be rewarded with more playing time as he appeared to be a good fit alongside Abu.

NC State showed progress as they found a way to win.

Duke had a couple of opportunities to put the game way; however, NC State refused to quit. The Pack found ways to get stops when they needed to by protecting the paint better in the second half. They did not allow Duke to have uncontested layups. Defensively, they did a much better job at not fouling, as the Blue Devils attempted 21 free-throws on the night.

Offensively the Wolfpack found ways to score when the game was in question. Smith was not alone in making big shots as Maverick Rowan hit tough shots down the stretch. Rowan also came up with clutch free-throws to keep NC State ahead. Malik Abu avoided foul trouble and scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting. It wasn’t about X’s and O’s last night it was the will to win. NC State wanted this game more than Duke, period.

Defensively NC State accepted the challenge but still needs to communicate better.

Overall NC State defended better as they improved in keeping their man out of the paint. NC State players accepted the challenge of taking away the paint off the dribble. Individually, they decided they were not going to allow uncontested layups as they protected the rim. Jayson Tatum missed several layups down the stretch because NC State refused to give up on the play. They recovered and contested well.

Communication still needs improvement, especially on ball screens. NC State guards need to be better at fighting through screens to prevent big men from having to hedge so much. Post players need to communicate frequently to guards to let them know where the screener is coming from as early as possible. Guards will have more time to adjust and fight over the impending screen. Sometimes communication is too late, which puts the Pack in a bad situation where the guard is not aware of the screen, resulting in an advantage for the offense. Last night NC State got lucky that Duke did not hit some open shots.

Coach Gottfried is still figuring his group out.

Mark Gottfried was open about how he is still trying to figure out which lineup combinations work best for his team. Last night BeeJay Anya played just 3 minutes as Ted Kapita captured his usual minutes as a result of his strong play. Kapita gave NC State more energy and versatility because he is capable of playing out of the high post as well as the block. With Kapita and Abu in the game, NC State has two guys that provide spacing under the basket. That space helps Smith when he looks to attack the rim by not having a help-side defender in his pocket.

NC State believes in each other. Their belief in each other is why they still have an opportunity to finish the season strong. I cannot tell you which team will come out on Sunday at Louisville, but I do know that NC State just beat Duke and that is something to enjoy.

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BALLERMAN4452
BALLERMAN4452
7 years ago

I hope this lights a fire under Yurtseven. The kid has potential but is way too soft and ACC teams are quickly figuring that out. Kapita was given a chance and he did really well, and maybe will be taking Yurts minutes if he keeps this up.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  BALLERMAN4452

If he doesn’t take Yurts minutes, then Gott’s the most ignorant coach in the league. Yurts can’t play ACC level basketball yet.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Picked to Finish 2nd in the 2024-25 ACC Preseason Poll

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2 days ago

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October 15, 2024

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After the ACC Tipoff last week, the results from the Official 2024-25 ACC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll (voted on by members of the media) are out, and NC State is picked to finish 2nd.

For perspective, the Wolfpack was picked to finish 8th in last years preseason poll, and went on to finish 2nd.

It’s not shocking that NC State’s stellar Senior duo of Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James were named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, because both of them finished with 1st Team All-ACC honors at the end of last season.

True Freshman Zamareya Jones was named as 1 of 5 players on the Top Newcomers Watch List. Jones was a 5-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class according to ESPN, ranked as the #21 overall player nationally.

Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame

Preseason All-ACC Team (First-place votes – 79 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo So., G, Notre Dame 921 (62 first-place votes)
Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State 734 (9 first-place votes)
Saniya Rivers, Sr., G, NC State 527 (2 first-place votes)
Aziaha James, Sr., G, NC State 473 (1 first-place vote)
Olivia Miles, Jr., G, Notre Dame 457 (4 first-place votes)
Sonia Citron, Jr., G, Notre Dame 331
Makayla Timpson, Sr., F, Florida State 315
Alyssa Ustby, Gr., G/F, North Carolina 308
Reigan Richardson, Sr., G, Duke 202
Kymora Johnson, So., G, Virginia 193 (1 first-place vote)

Newcomer Watch List
Toby Fournier, Fr., F, Duke 222
Imari Berry, Fr., G, Louisville 180
Kate Koval, Fr., F, Notre Dame 177
Zamareya Jones, Fr., G, NC State 116
Liza Karlen, Gr., F, Notre Dame 109

Predicted Order of Finish (79 voters)
1. Notre Dame (70), 1726
2. NC State (8), 1617
3. Duke, 1446
4. Louisville, 1370
5. Florida State, 1335
6. North Carolina, 1279
7. Stanford (1), 1214
8. Miami, 883
9. Virginia, 877
10. Georgia Tech, 855
11. Syracuse, 801
12. Virginia Tech, 786
13. Clemson, 553
14. California, 546
15. Boston College, 533
16. SMU, 274
17. Wake Forest, 259
18. Pitt, 233

(ACC)

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NC State Basketball

NC State Men’s Basketball Picked to Finish 8th in the 2024-25 ACC Preseason Poll

Published

2 days ago

on

October 15, 2024

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After the ACC Tipoff last week, the results from the Official 2024-25 ACC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll (voted on by members of the media) are out, and NC State is picked to finish 8th.

For perspective, the Wolfpack was picked to finish 7th last year, and ended up finishing 10th at the end of the regular season, before they went on to go on a miraculous run, winning their first ACC Tournament since 1987.

2024 ACC Preseason Poll
School, Points
1. Duke (42), 956
2. North Carolina (11), 924
3. Wake Forest (1), 800
4. Clemson, 765
5. Virginia, 743
6. Miami, 659
7. Pitt, 636
8. NC State, 550
9. Louisville, 518
10. Notre Dame, 462
11. Syracuse, 454
12. Georgia Tech, 433
13. SMU, 344
14. Virginia Tech, 252
15. Florida State, 251
16. California, 206
17. Stanford, 165
18. Boston College, 116

First-place votes in parentheses; 54 total voters

Preseason ACC Player of the Year
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 40 votes
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 10
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 3
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford, 1

Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 53 votes
Jeremiah Wilkinson, California, 1

Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
RJ Davis*, North Carolina, 54
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 52
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 52
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 41
Nijel Pack, Miami, 37

Second Team
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 36
Chase Hunter, Clemson, 31
Jamir Watkins, Florida State, 26
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 21
Ishmael Leggett, Pitt, 20

*denotes unanimous selection

(ACC)

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball is Ranked 9th in the 2024-25 Preseason AP Poll

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2 days ago

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October 15, 2024

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The 2024-25 Women’s College Basketball Preseason AP Poll has been released, and NC State will head into the season ranked 9th. The Wolfpack finished last season ranked 4th in the AP Poll, after advancing to the Final Four. For perspective, NC State wasn’t even ranked in the Preseason AP Poll last year.

The highest NC State has ever been ranked in the Preseason AP Poll is 5th, which was prior to the 2021-22 season, when they finished the season ranked 3rd.

The highest the Wolfpack has ever been ranked in the AP Poll is 2nd.

Three weeks in 2021-22

Three weeks in 2020-21

Four weeks in 1990-91

The Wolfpack Women will play non-conference games against two teams ranked in the Preseason Top-25: #1 South Carolina & #20 Ole Miss.

In ACC play, they will play #17 Louisville, #11 Duke, #19 FSU, #15 UNC and #6 Notre Dame.

 

 

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NC State Basketball

NC State Men’s Basketball Doesn’t Receive a Single Vote in the 2024-25 Preseason AP Poll

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3 days ago

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October 14, 2024

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The 2024-25 Men’s Basketball Preseason AP Poll was released today, and NC State didn’t receive a single vote, after winning the ACC Tournament and advancing to the Final Four last season.

While the rankings will obviously change week-to-week, the Wolfpack enters the 2024-25 season with quite a few opponents on their schedule ranked in the Preseason Top-25.

NC State will play #1 Kansas, #14 Purdue and #19 Texas in non-conference games. There’s also a chance they could play Ole Miss in the Rady Children’s Invitational as well, and the Rebels are ranked 24th.

When it comes to their ACC slate, the Wolfpack will play #9 UNC twice, and #7 Duke once. The Tar Heels and the Blue Devils are the only two ACC teams ranked in the Top-25 to start the season.

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