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Basketball Preview: NC State’s Senior Leadership May Take Them Far

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Senior leadership is something you really don’t hear too much about in college basketball anymore. In the age of ‘one and done’ and guys leaving early to go play overseas,  it’s becoming rare that a guy with that type of make-up sticks around.

However, every March the phrase starts to get a little more run. It’s no coincidence either. Experience trumps talent in college basketball. It always has and it always will. Sure, you will still have a ‘one and done’ squad like Kentucky snatch a championship every now and again, but it’s not the norm. Seniors bring something no underclassman can ever give you. They bring you 3 years of work. 3 years of preparation. 3 years of punishing their bodies. They sit there, starting at that 4th and final year, motivated to make it all worth something.

Not all seniors end up capitalizing, but the more they’ve invested the more they will focus. They bring a sense of urgency that you can’t coach and wisdom that only game minutes can give you.

NC State enters this season with many believing that they are young and inexperienced. But if you look closer you’ll see a team that has more experience than we’ve seen in Raleigh in a long time. In fact, between Lennard Freeman, Sam Hunt, Malik Abu and Al Freeman, the Wolfpack has 15 years of college experience. That’s right. Three of NC State’s seniors are 5th year guys.

Let’s look at the last few seniors (from the Gottfried Era) that NC State has had on their roster and then look at how those teams finished.

Beejay Anya (2016/17) – No postseason
No seniors (2015/16) – No postseason
Ralston Turner (2014/15) – Sweet 16
Jordan Vandenberg (2013/14) – NCAA 2nd round
Scott Wood (2012/13) – NCAA 2nd round
CJ Williams and Richard Howell (2011/12) – NCAA Sweet 16

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when you saw strong senior leaders, you also saw good results. Just look.

The only outlier here is last season when Beejay Anya was a senior and the team didn’t make the postseason. I also think of all the seniors on this list, he was the only one who had no real leadership qualities (at least that he showed). His quarrels with the coaching staff and a certain sect of the team made that apparent. Other than that instance, where there was leadership, there was success.

While Hunt and Al Freeman may be new to the program, it doesn’t take away their four years in a college basketball program and it certainly doesn’t take away the fact that this is their last go-round. With those two, the always hungry, always focused Lennard Freeman, and Malik Abu, who decided to stick around one more season to reach his full potential, this Wolfpack team might end up being a little better and a little hungrier than everyone is expecting.

 

NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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A Historical Breakdown of the Series Between NC State & Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, which will mark the 6th time the two teams have played one another.

The first time the Wolfpack and the Golden Eagles played one another was also in the NCAA Tournament, and it just so happened to be the 1974 Championship game, with NC State winning the game 76-64, giving the Pack their first National Championship.

Wolfpack led the way with 21 points, and Tommy Burleson had a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, with 7 blocks, which is tied for the 8th most in school history in a single game.

NC State also had 12 steals in the game, which is the most by a Pack team in an NCAA Tournament game.

The next time the two teams would meet was on January 21st, in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack won 89-76, and it was a night for the history books for Point Guard Chris Corchiani. In that game, set ACC career records for assists with 861 and steals with 276.

The following year, the Golden Eagles picked up their first win against the Wolfpack, winning 66-42 in Milwaukee.

It would be over 15 years before NC State and Marquette would play one another again, and this time it would once again be a home-and-home series in back-to-back years.

On December 22nd, 2008, the Wolfpack lost a close one at home, falling 65-68. Wolfpack Forward Brandon Costner hit all five 3-Point attempts in that game, which still stands as the best 3-Point Percentage in a single game in school history.

The following year, on December 5th, 2009, the Wolfpack would claim the lead in the series again, defeating the Golden Eagles 77-73 on the road. NC State big man Tracy Smith had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Point Guard Javier Gonzalez had 15 points and 7 assists, and Wing Scott Wood knocked down 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

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