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NC State vs #2 Duke: Game Info, Preview, & How to Watch

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6 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. #2 Duke Blue Devils
Gametime: 8:00 pm
TV: ESPN
Location: Raleigh, NC

Get to know Duke…
Duke come into this game ranked #2 at 13-1 on the season. Their only loss came against BC at their place. Their quality wins are over then #2 Michigan State, #7 Florida, and #24 FSU.

This is not a deep Duke team. They are going to rely on their 5 starters for almost all of their production. Gary Trent Jr (PG), Grayson Allen (G), Trevon Duval (G), Marvin Bagley III (F) and Wendell Carter Jr (C) will start and play about 90% of Dukes minutes.

Duke is a team that shoots it well and puts a ton of pressure on your defense. Allen and Bagley are the stars and they are always in attack mode. Bagley is putting up insane numbers (22 pts and 12 boards), while Allen is averaging 17 points and 4 assists per game.

Offensively, they use Allen to create on the high screen. He likes to turn the corner get into the teeth of the defense and find the open man. Obviously, he’s a big threat to score as well.

Defensively, Duke isn’t all that great. They rely on their size in the middle to bother teams, but their perimeter defense is decent at best.

Keys to the game for NC State…

  • Don’t let Bagley catch it too deep. This kid is elite, and allowing him to catch the ball too deep on the block is going to end in a dunk. They need to invite him to shoot it. They also need to not help off of him on drives. This is how Duke scores. They get Allen or Duval in the lane, draw the D and dump it to the bigs for a dunk. NC State’s guards NEED to stop penetration.
  • Let Trevon Duval shoot it. He’s really good at getting in the lane and getting to the rim, but isn’t a very good shooter (yet), so NC State needs to play off of him and invite him to shoot. If you lose because Duval is hitting 3s, then you live with that.
  • Stop Allen, you stop Duke. But that’s not that easy of a task. The kid isn’t the quickest, but his ability to knock down the 3 at a super high clip (43%) makes teams have to contest his shots. That’s why his pump fake is so devastating. He gets you in the air, then attacks the rim. This shifts the defense, and Duke then shares the ball so well that they find an easy shot. Does the Pack have anyone good enough to bother Allen? I don’t know.
  • Share the basketball. This team is going to get blown of the water if they play 1 on 1 basketball. They need to create to pass and move the ball with some intent. I’d rather see this team over-pass then continue to go one and one and fire up contested shots all night long.
  • Take advantage of Duke’s youth. They need to keep the ball out of Allen’s hands if they can. Make Duval and Trent Jr. handle it against the press and hope they get flustered. One problem, however, will be Bagley’s ability to be a solid outlet in the press. He’s huge and can handle it.
  • Abu needs to get his act together. Not to be harsh here, because he’s been out with an injury and is still getting back to being comfortable on the court, but he is a senior. This is it for him. He has a body and a skill set that can make him some money after his run in Raleigh is over, but he better start turning it on. This is a guy who is a physical specimen. He’s explosive, strong and a great motor, but it’s all be wasted by a desire to be a jump shooter. Abu needs to punish teams inside if the Pack is going to make any noise in this conference. He can take a few jumpers here and there, but why do you think he’s always open from 15 feet out? Teams don’t want Abu taking it at the rim, they’d love for him to keep his athletic 6’8 frame as far away from the basket as possible.
  • Batts needs to be a PG. We ran an entire piece, statistically breaking down the play of freshman Lavar Batts Jr and the diagnosis was clear. For Batts to really help this team, he needs to create for others, not himself. He’s shooting the worst percentage on the team, and while we understand he feels he can put points on the board for the Pack, they need his role to be a disruptor and distributor first and scorer 2nd. It’s what the team is missing big time right now. Batts could carve out some major minutes on thei basketball team if he would just quit shooting so much and dedicate his game on driving, probing and shifting the defense, in order to find easy shots for his teammates.

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

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19 hours 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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2 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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What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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