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Wolfpack guards ice cold again, dropped by Vols 67-58

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6 years ago

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NC State fell to Tennessee in what was another ugly performance, 67-58.

The trip to the Bahamas certainly had it’s highs and lows, but at the end of the day, NC State leaves with a gigantic win and a ton of lessons learned.

The Wolfpack held Tennessee to 38% shooting, out-rebounded them 43-36 and even beat them on the offensive glass 17-15. So what went wrong?

Well, just like against UNI, the NC State guards just didn’t perform. Combined they shot just 12-43 (28%) and only 3-16 (19%). The team as a whole had 21 turnovers. Those stats together are a recipe for disaster.

Meanwhile, Omer Yurtseven, Lennard Freeman and Malik Abu combined to go 9-12 (75%). Yes, you’re reading this right. The NC State bigs once again played outstanding. This is something this team is going to need to learn. The Wolfpack frontcourt it talented, big and efficient. It’s starting to become obvious that this is a strength that the Pack isn’t cashing in on.

This performance came on the heels of the UNI game where Yurtseven, Freeman, and Abu combined to go 11-19 (58%). That means over the past two games, the NC State frontcourt went 20-31 (65%) while the guards went 23-89 (26%).

NC State is going to head home and will need to evaluate who they are. They want to play at a high speed, but it can’t come at the expense of their post players. They aren’t getting touches. They are getting shots on just 22% of possessions and that just isn’t good enough when the guards are performing so poorly.

It was a sloppy, no flow game from NC State. Tennessee wasn’t necessarily playing great, but it felt like the Wolfpack just didn’t’ have what it took to mount a run. Every time they got close, they shot themselves in the foot with a poor shot or a turnover.

Maybe it was the 3 games in a row. Maybe their legs were tired. That is understandable. What isn’t however, is the fact that when the shots weren’t falling, they refused to change their gameplan and feed the guys who were making things happen.

Keatts has his work cut out for him over the next 4 days, but he has the right pieces to work with. He just needs to get them to figure out who they are before conference play begins.

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NC State Basketball

ON3’s Jamie Shaw Puts in a Prediction Georgetown SF Transfer Dontrez Styles will Land at NC State

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3 hours ago

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April 15, 2024

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ON3’s Jamie Shaw put in an RPM earlier today for Georgetown Small Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles to land at NC State. All-time, Shaw’s prediction accuracy is 87%.

I spoke with a source, and it seems like this prediction has some merit.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #66 overall prospect in the Portal.

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

With his final year of eligibility, maybe he’ll make the right choice this time.

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NC State Basketball

Tennessee Guard Freddie Dilione V is Visiting NC State Tomorrow

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15 hours ago

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April 15, 2024

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Tennessee Transfer Guard Freddie Dilone V (6’5″/195) is visiting NC State tomorrow.

Dilone V just wrapped up his Redshirt Freshman season with the Volunteers, averaging 1.7 points in 5.2 minutes of play per game (18 games).

In 2022, Dilone V was a consensus 4-Star prospect, and the #33 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals. ON3 and 247Sports both ranked Dilone V as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina, playing right down the road at Word of God Academy in Raleigh.

Currently, 247Sports ranks Dilone V as the #71 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #10 Combo Guard. He played his first three seasons of high school ball down in Fayetteville at Trinity Christian.

Dilone V has 3 more years of eligibility.

 

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PI EXCLUSIVE: 2024 4-Star Signee Paul McNeil Breaks Down His Thoughts On NC State’s Miraculous Run

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18 hours ago

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April 15, 2024

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The run the NC State Men’s Basketball team went on in March had the whole country watching, but what was it like to watch through the eyes of an incoming Freshman who will be joining the team next year? 4-Star 2024 Shooting Guard Paul McNeil shared his thoughts with me on the Wolfpack’s unforgettable run.

What was it like for you to watch NC State as the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament win 5 games in 5 days to win the Title?

What we did this year shows seeding doesn’t matter. What our guys did was just another level, and when you get between those lines, it’s a different type of static. I believe it took a lot of discipline and focus to win five games in five days. I also feel like the fan base played a huge part to the team by bringing extra energy and not making them feel alone.

What do you think happened to turn this team around?

You have to give God all the glory because without Him guiding us, we wouldn’t have made it how we made it. Also, it’s about the jersey you put on and the pride of it all. It’s like there’s no way we go out this way and they clicked at the right time. The team was just rolling and I also think the mentality of all the players changed.

As a player signed with NC State, how proud were you to see NC State go on this run, from the ACC Championship, to the Final Four?

I’m very proud of the guys. They deserved to win it all, but it just didn’t happen that way. I’ve been saying they were the best team in the ACC and I always knew we had the right pieces to be the best.

What does it mean for you to see Coach Keatts get the recognition he’s getting?

Oh man, he deserves it, especially coming from where he comes from and all the things he dealt with. With all the media attention, he still stayed focused and locked in towards the team. Coach Keatts is very blessed and very humble.

How do you think this run will help the future of NC State basketball?

It will put more eyes on us and teams know now to not overlook us and underestimate us ever again. It was never a Cinderella story — it was never ‘oh they just got lucky.’ This run will definitely help us a lot and I’m forever grateful for what the boys did.

_______

McNeil (6’7″/185) led Richmond to the semifinals of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs this season, before losing to #1 Hanover 55-53.

As a Senior at Richmond (Rockingham, NC), McNeil averaged 31.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 assists per game.

ON3 ranks McNeil as the #49 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #15 Small Forward, and the #6 player on the state of NC.

McNeil is a part of a 2-man 2024 Freshman Class that includes 4-Star Guard Trey Parker.

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NC State Has Shown Interest in Oregon Transfer Forward Grace VanSlooten

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2 days ago

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April 14, 2024

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NC State has shown interest in Oregon Transfer Forward Grace VanSlooten (6’3″).

VanSlooten is one of the top players in the Transfer Portal, averaging 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds as a Sophomore this past season for the Ducks, earning All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention. In her first year, she was a member of the Pac 12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds.

NC State is returning all three starters in their backcourt, but are losing both starters in their frontcourt in River Baldwin and Mimi Collins.

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