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NC State vs Notre Dame: Game Info, Preview, & How to Watch

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6 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Gametime: 9:00 pm
TV: ACC Network (WRAL)
Streaming: Watch ESPN App (ACC Network Extra)
Location: South Bend, Indiana

Get to know Notre Dame…
The Fighting Irish come into this game at 11-3 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC. They have impressive wins over #6 Witchita State, LSU and Georgia Tech. They are ranked 28th in the AP Poll and 28th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They are also #21 in the College Basketball Power Index. They’ve done all of this while riding their All-American big man Bonzie Colson, who we learned last night, will miss 2 months with a broken foot.

This is a big break for NC State. They get first dibs at a Notre Dame team who need to quickly learn to play with the guy that they ran their entire offense through.

Colson was averaging an insane 21 points and 10 boards per game. Without him, it will be interesting to see how the Irish attack the Pack. They will be relying on their guards, Matt Farrell and TJ Gibbs for most of their scoring.

Matt Farrell is a senior PG who is strong, crafty and smart. He is averaging 16 points and 5 assists per game and shooting 40% from 3pt range. He’s a very good passer and doesn’t turn it over much. He is going to do all he can to make sure the Irish escape with a victory. He’s not super quick,  which is good for the Pack since they’ve had trouble keeping guards out of the lane, but he uses his body well and will be in attack mode all night.

TJ Gibbs is a sophomore guard who comes in averaging 14 points per game. He’ s 6’3, and can attack the basket, but he does most of his damage from beyond the arc. He has been off an on all season, but with Colson out, Notre Dame is going to look for him to get hot.

Martinas Geben is their best remaining big man.He’s a 6’10 senior who is strong, but not super mobile. He’s only averaging a little over 6 boards per game and Yurtseven should matchup well with him, but NC State really needs to keep him off the glass if they want to win, because after Geben, the Irish are going to be hurting for rebounding.


What to watch for from NC State

Lock down the guards
State has got to do a good job defending the 3. With Colson out, Farrell and Gibbs are going to be chucking. They are used to getting a lot of clean looks with teams doubling down on Bonzie, so if the Wolfpack guards can contest their shots and not give them any clean looks, this one could go NC State’s way.

Speed them up
Notre Dame wants to play slow. This is a team that will run a lot of high screen pick and rolls, and some sets that try to get them back door cuts, but mainly they look for ways to get the ball to Colson. Without him in there, it’s going to be tough for them to score efficiently in the half cout (that is, if NC State does what it’s supposed to do on defense). Farrell and Gibbs are both good at valuing the basketball, so I’m not expecting to see State turn them over much, but I do think, with the guards looking to score, NC State can force them into quick shots that they otherwise wouldn’t take if Colson was playing.

Al Freeman must play smart
Al Freeman can win you a game if he’s hot. We saw him do it against #2 Arizona. But too many times this season, Freeman has gotten trigger happy and has shot the Pack out of ball games.  He’s just a senior trying to help his team, we know, but he’s taken 20 more shots than the next guy on the roster and he’s coming in near last in offensive efficiency rating on this team. We’d like to see a more patient Al Freeman who plays within the offense, and looks for the open man if he’s covered.

Win on the boards
With Colson out, the Irish don’t look too strong on the boards. They allow a lot of offensive rebounds and that is one area that the Wolfpack thrives. For the Pack to win, they’ll need to dominate Notre Dame inside. This means that Yurtseven, Abu and Freeman are big in this game. They need to come out aggressive and claim the paint. If they can get Geben in foul trouble, then game over.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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12 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 Basketball

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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NC State Basketball

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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3 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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