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When the process of finding a new coach began it was really keying in on landing Archie Miller. However, as time went on it started to look more and more like Miller was eyeing the potential opening of the Ohio State job. That too changed when OSU publically stated that Thad Matta would be returning next season. So where does that leave the situation, exactly?

Well, tonight Miller will face off against another past-potential NC State target, Gregg Marshall of Witchita State. Should Dayton fall, the game really begins for the Wolfpack. There is no doubt that State will engage Miller. The former Wolfpack point guard is probably the hottest mid-major coach on the market, has ties to Raleigh and the timing couldn’t be better (Miller is losing a talented senior class that has brought him most of his success.) The question is, will Miller listen?

This is his alma-mater. He has friends here. His wife’s family is local. While all of that doesn’t mean he’s likely to take the job, we think he’ll listen at the very least out of generosity.

So the question we are posing is, what would it take to get Miller to Raleigh? There is not going to a hometown bargain here. This is a guy who is rocketing his way up the coaching ranks. A few more big seasons at Dayton and he’ll be the front-runner for nearly any big-time job that opens up. That means NC State needs to not only come in strong with an offer, they need to blow Miller away. If this is NC State’s #1 guy, and we believe it is, they need to be ready to compensate him well enough that any questions he has about the decision to come to NC State falls into the background.

We are talking big money. We’re talking $3 million plus money. We might be talking $3.5 range when all is said and done. But that’s not all. A big salary isn’t going to be the only thing NC State needs to pony up to pull Miller. They need to provide security. That is the biggest detractor from this job. Whether it was Herb Sendek or Mark Gottfried, the word on the street is that NC State has a quick trigger with their coaches. Fair or not, that needs to be addressed in this offer. That means long-term with a large buyout. Too risky, you say? When you’re bidding for a guy like Miller it’s a high stakes game. If you, as a program, view Miller as your home run then you go and you get him. You don’t lowball him or hedge your bets. You go all in.

This is the difference between a good program and a great program. Does NC State have the confidence in their vetting process? Do they have confidence in their evaluation process? Do they know what they want? What they need? If you want to be a great program then you need to know yourself. You need to know your fanbase and your expectations. You need to pinpoint what is necessary to take your program to the next level. That way, when you find that person, then you go get him. No questions asked.

Will the Wolfpack put their hesitation at bay and make the offer needed to reel in Archie Miller, or will they play it safe and make another value hire? I think that is the answer we’ll get in the next few days.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
6 years ago

It would take moving NCSTATE to Indiana.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
6 years ago

I’m hearing that his brother doesn’t want him taking the job.

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NC State Basketball

NC State is a Slight Underdog in ACC Opener vs. Boston College

Published

14 hours ago

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December 1, 2023

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NC State (4-2) will play their first ACC game of the 2023-24 season tomorrow on the road against Boston College (5-2), and they enter the game as slight underdogs. The Wolfpack are 1.5-point underdogs, and the Total is 150.5.

  • NC State is 0-2 Straight Up as underdogs
    • BC is 4-1 Straight Up as favorites.
  • NC State is 2-4 Against the Spread.
    • BC is 4-3 Against the Spread
  • The Total has gone Under in 2 games for NC State, Over in 3 and Pushed in 1.
    • The Total has gone Under in 3 games for Boston College and Over in 4.
  • NC State is 6-4 in their last 10 games against BC Straight Up.
    • NC State is 4–6 Against the Spread in their last 10 games against BC.
    • The Total has gone Under in 5 games, and Under in the other 5.

NC State

Boston College 

 

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NC State Basketball

#5 NC State 70 Vanderbilt 62: BOX SCORE (with notes)

Published

3 days ago

on

November 29, 2023

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The 5th ranked NC State Women’s Basketball team improved to 8-0 tonight, defeating Vanderbilt 70-62 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

Notes

  • Saniya Rivers scored 20+ points for the 2nd time this season, scoring 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting. She also chipped in 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
  • River Baldwin posted her first double-double of the season. She scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards.
  • Aziaha James has now scored in double figures in 7 of 8 games, scoring 14 points tonight, shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
  • Freshman Zoe Brooks led the Pack in steals (4) and assists (4).
  • NC State didn’t shoot well, making only 39% of their shots. Fortunately, they held Vandy to 34.3% shooting.

The Wolfpack will host Illinois State on Sunday at 2pm.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Stat Leaders Heading into the ACC Opener vs Boston College

Published

3 days ago

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November 29, 2023

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This Saturday, NC State heads to Boston College for the now-annual early ACC opener. The Pack will face off against the Eagles at 4pm on ACC Network. Here is where the team is statistically after 6 games.

  • Casey Morsell leads NC State in scoring with 14.5 ppg.
  • The Pack has 4 double-digit scorers this season. Morsell (14.5), Jayden Taylor (13.3), DJ Burns (13) and DJ Horne (11.2)
    (Last season State had 4 double-digit scorers as well. Terquavion (17.9), Joiner (17), Burns (12.5) and Morsell (11.8)) 
  • After their top 4 scorers there is a big dip. Parker comes in at 6.8, O’Connell at 6.3, and Middlebrooks at 5.5 ppg.
    (Last season Jack Clark was 5th on the team in scoring at 9 points and Mahorcic was at 8.7. However, both guys missed a large chunk of the season.) 
  • Burns is leading NC State in rebounding this year at 5.3 per game. Diarra is next with 5.3 (but is currently hampered by an ankle injury.) 
  • O’Connell is leading NC State in assists with 3.3 per game, and Burns is up next with 2.5. PG DJ Horne is only averaging 2.
  • LJ Thomas and Mike O’Connell are tied in leading the team at .15 assists per minute.
  • Jayden Taylor is leading NC State in 3pt %, shooting an outstanding 45.8%, while Morsell is up next at 34.6%. Horne is close behind at 33%.
    (LJ Thomas is shooting 50% from 3, but only has 2 attempts.) 
  • Burns is leading the bigs, shooting 56.5% from the floor, while Middlebrooks is close behind at 54.2%. Dennis Parker Jr is coming in at 45.2%.
  • For the guards, it’s Casey Morsell leading the way at 44.6% from the floor, while O’Connell is next up at 43.4%. Taylor is shooting 42.4%, and DJ Horne is struggling a bit, shooting just 34.8% from the field.
  • Jayden Taylor is turning the ball over the most at 1.8 times per game, while Burns is next at 1.7. Morsell is at 1.5 and O’Connell is at 1.2. DJ Horne has been doing a good job of protecting the basketball, turning it over just .3 times per game.

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NC State Basketball

NC State 52 Ole Miss 72: Box Score (with notes)

Published

3 days ago

on

November 28, 2023

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team lost it’s second straight game tonight, losing 52-72 on the road at Ole Miss in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Below is the Box Score with some notes below.

Notes

  • Ben Middlebrooks posted a double-double, with 13 points and 12 boards. To be honest, Middlebrooks was the only bright spot in this game.
  • Casey Morsell was the only other player to score in double figures (12 points), but it wasn’t pretty, shooting 5 of 14 from the field.
  • One of the poorest statistical shooting performance I can remember.
    • NC State shot 31.8% from the field and 12% from three (3-25).
  • The Wolfpack’s DNA on defense is turning over their opponent, and they were unable to do so tonight, turning over the Rebels only 7 times.
    • For comparison, the Wolfpack turned it over 13 times, giving them a Turnover Margin tonight of -6.
    • Heading into tonight, they averaged a Turnover Margin of +7.8.
    • Ole Miss scored 13 points off of turnovers, compared to NC State’s 4.
    • This is the first time this season that NC State failed to force their opponent to commit at least 10 turovers.
  • NC State was -25 when D.J. Burns was on the court, which was the worst on the team.
    • NC State was +3 when L.J. Thomas was on the court, and +2 when Ben Middlebrooks were on the court. They were the only two players in the positive.
    • Thomas and Middlebrooks should have earned themselves some more playing time going forward.
  • Ole Miss’ length was problematic for the Wolfpack, blocking 9 of their shots.

There will be more analysis on this game coming tomorrow.

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