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NC State Basketball

What does Markell Johnson’s Reinstatement Mean for NC State?

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NC State has done a pretty remarkable job of reinventing themselves since the Markell Johnson suspension began.

Remember, the Pack dropped a home game to UNCG on their first game without Johnson. They went on to beat Robert Morris and Jacksonville (two of their weakest opponents to date) but fell to Clemson and Notre Dame to open ACC play. What happened after that is pretty remarkable.

Kevin Keatts was able to get his group to adjust on the fly. Whatever he’s been saying to Lavar Batts Jr, it got through. Batts stepped up huge in NC State’s wins over Duke and Clemson and has become a reliable PG and the team’s best on-ball defender. He’s also gotten through to Al Freeman, who over the past two games has 10 assists and suddenly is playing team basketball. Throw in the fact that Torin Dorn is playing as aggressive as he ever has and Yurtseven suddenly looks like the sure-fire pro he was advertised as.

Without Johnson, Keatts has gotten his guys to step up. To take pride in defense and to play as a team. Before Johnson was suspended, he was the main facilitator and he was doing a great job at it (His assist rate was top-10 in the nation). But without him, they’ve had to take a team approach to creating for each other. Batts, Beverly, Al Freeman and Torin Dorn have all increased their assist rate since Johnson has been out.

It’s not just passing either. NC State went through a stretch after Markell was out, where they couldn’t create any turnovers. Over the past two games, they’ve figured it out. They turned Duke over 16 times and Clemson 17 times in those wins.

Was this team using Markell Johnson as a crutch? In some areas, it appears so. Without Johnson, this team didn’t just accept the fact that they’d be lacking in the areas he was excellent. Instead, they put their heads down and figured out how to collectively fill those gaps. After beating the #2 and #19 team in consecutive outings, it might be safe to say they accomplished that.

So what happens now that Markell is back? 

Well, suddenly NC State seems a lot deeper and seems to have a lot more experience. Before Johnson’s suspension, Lavar Batts Jr wasn’t getting many minutes. Even though he was quick, he still made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball. That’s not the case anymore. It seems to have clicked for Batts over the past two games. With his recent surge in play and Markell’s return, NC State could have a backcourt that no guard in the ACC would want to have to face. The havoc that these two could create in Keatts’ press could boost what are already some pretty impressive turnover numbers for the Pack.

Offensively, Johnson was doing a ton. He was leading the team in assists, but he was also their best 3 point shooter (39%). He was the guy who could get into the lane, draw the defense and find the open shooters. He made the offense go for the first 10 games of the season.

Whenever you add a player into the rotation, dynamics change. This team has really played well together recently, and any change small change has the opportunity to disrupt, adding a player like Johnson will almost always be a net positive.

Look at this way, if Johnson was a ball-dominating scorer, then yes, we believe chemistry could initially be an issue, but that’s not Markell. In fact, he was leading the team in assists while also being the team’s most efficient scorer, shooting 45% from the field, 39% from 3 and shooting less-frequently than anyone on the team (.24 shots per minute). Anytime you add a guy with stats like that, you’ll likely be ok.

We still are not sure if Johnson will play in the team’s matchup with #3 Virginia on Sunday, but Keatts said that he would see how he looks in practice and decide from there.  We’ll keep you updated.

NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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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 Basketball

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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NC State Basketball

#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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