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NC State vs Clemson: Info, Preview & How to Watch

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6 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Clemson Tigers
Gametime: 4:00 pm
Streaming: Watch ESPN App (ACC Network Extra)
Location: Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson,SC)

Get to know Clemson…
The Tigers enter this matchup with an impressive 11-1 record. This is a group that is ranked 27th in the AP Poll and 26th in the coaches poll. They are 25th in the RPI and 22nd in the Power Index. They have beaten #22 Florida by 2, Ohio State by 14 and South Carolina by 16.

You can really dig into their stats by checking out our ‘by the numbers’ article, but the gist of it is that Clemson plays at a very slow pace, doesn’t take many bad shots, can shoot it from the outside, and have a group of bigs who play physical and aren’t afraid to mix it up in the middle.

They come in with 5 guys averaging in double figures, so there really isn’t a single scorer they can key on. However, Marcquise Reed (6’3, G) and Donte Grantham (6’8, F) are both leading this team at about 15ppg.

Marcquise Reed is more of your prototypical guard. He is super quick and loves to get into the teeth of the defense. He has a nice floater when he gets in there, but also does a great job of making the defense shift and then finding the open man. State can live with Reed shooting from 3 (as long as they have a hand in his face) , because although he’s hitting 40% of those, most have been clean, open looks. Reed does the most damage when he gets into the paint and creates havoc.

Donte Grantham is a senior, so you’ve seen him before, however this year he looks a lot better. He’s a tough matchup at 6’8 because he’s so versatile. He likes to catch is on the perimeter or on the wing and face you up. He can shoot and can score at the rim. He’s also very active on the glass and already has 3 double-doubles this season.

Elijah Thomas is probably their best true big man. He’s 6’9, 237lbs, so he’s a big boy, but he’s struggled against Clemson’s better competition. He only had 4pts vs Florida, 6 vs Temple (their only loss) and 8 vs South Carolina. He’s leading their team with 8 boards per game.

After Thomas, Clemson is real thin in the middle. This is an area that NC State can really take advantage. If Yurt, Abu and Freeman can get touches, they will make it very hard on Thomas and their other bigs. If State gets Thomas into foul trouble early, then game over.


What to watch for from NC State

Take advantage inside
State has the advantage inside for sure. They need to go down low early and often. Clemson will either get punished inside or they’ll have to double down. If they do that, then it’s up to the Pack to knock down those open 3s. Playing inside out vs Clemson is going to be the key. The Tigers have a thin frontcourt that isn’t all that talented. Get them in foul trouble and the advantage widens. They just haven’t faced a frontcourt as big or as talented as NC State’s all season long.

Speed them up
Clemson wants to play slow. They want to get into the half court and allow Reed to create havoc. They want to run their sets and play possession basketball. This is not a team that is built for speed. NC State needs to force them to increase their tempo. This is the second key to the game. Make them take quick, tough shots. Fluster them with the press and create turnovers. Temple was able to do this to them and they walked away with the win. When Clemson plays fast, they play careless, and that is what NC State needs to make happen.

Al Freeman keep it rolling
Freeman finally found his touch last game, scoring a career-high 25 points on 8-15 shooting and 7-11 from beyond the arc. He’s not going to do that from long distance every night, but the 8-15 from the floor was more in line with what he has done throughout his career at Baylor. With the bigs playing at a dominant level, all the Pack needs is one or two guys to play well on the perimeter. We are predicting Freeman has another solid outing in this one.

Batts is big
Freshman Levar Batts is starting to earn more and more minutes, and this is the type of game where NC State desperately needs him. Clemson has quick guards, but as a team, they like to play at a slow, half-court pace. Batts is one guy that really can bring the defensive pressure for the Wolfpack. his defense can really bother guys like Reed or DeVoe and make them play more uptempo then they’d like. A great game from Batts will go a long way in getting NC State a win today.

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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23 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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

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4 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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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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