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Final Thoughts: On NC State’s 96-89 Loss to UNC

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6 years ago

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  • You can’t win when you let a team shoot 78% in a half. Carolina didn’t miss, leading to State getting just 3 defensive rebounds in the 2nd half. You can point to the defense all you want, and you’re right, it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t 78% bad. Maye was unreal. He made a bunch of bunnies, but the also hit a number of very difficult shots with hands in his face. I thought State’s biggest mistake was that after it became apparent that Maye wasn’t going to miss, that they didn’t start getting very physical with him on drives. I don’t mean hurting the guy, I mean making it clear that if he’s going to attack the rim with that much aggressiveness, he’s going to feel it. Maye’s inability to knock down FTs in the first meeting helped the Pack close out that game. They didn’t give him the chance to blow this one. Also of note is that the 78% in the second half was a UNC record.

  • Yurtseven didn’t deliver. You can’t pin a game like this on one guy and we won’t, but Omer Yurtseven should have been State’s X-factor today. Instead, he only played 19 minutes, scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Meanwhile, his counterpart Maye had a career day with 33 pts and 17 boards. Toughness and physicality is one area where Yurtseven needs improvement and Carolina exploited that yesterday. It’s likely this is Yurt’s last year in Raleigh, but an off-season of serious weight training would likely make him a lottery pick. UNC’s game plan was to bump, push and body him, and it worked, he wasn’t on his game.
  • Torin Dorn has become State’s most consistent player. Dorn had another great game, scoring 21 points and leading NC State with 3 steals. His aggressiveness and ability to move without the ball are huge. He also did a good job keeping Theo Pinson quiet. Dorn has been the team MVP so far in our eyes thanks to both his production and his consistency in every aspect of the game.
  • Where did Beverly go? Braxton Beverly came out red-hot. He hit his first three 3s and looked like he was in for a career day. But that was it. He hit a runner in the lane late in the 2nd half but it would have been nice to see State figure out how to get him more touches. But, it’s hard to really point a figure at anything offensively in this one. State shot nearly 55% from the floor and 54% from 3.
  • Turnovers good, Turnovers bad. State forced 19 turnovers and had 12 steals against a UNC team that only turned it over twice vs Duke a few days earlier. That’s why they were in this game. So, those of you who are talking about how bad the defense was, you can’t go by shooting percentages alone. This Wolfpack team played very aggressive and rattled the Tar Heels. In fact, the NC State guards did a pretty good job of limiting the drives from the UNC guards. Now for the bad. Markell Johnson, whose play won the game for the Pack in their first meeting, was a little careless with the basketball. I mean, his line was good and he actually scored it really well, finishing with 12 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. However, the 6 turnovers he had really stung. They allowed UNC to get out in transition and get some really easy baskets. Against a team like Carolina, you can’t give it away that many times.
  • Where’s the ‘want-to’ on the boards? Against UNC, the one thing you know they are going to do and that is rebound. They aren’t a huge team, but they are one of the best in the nation on the boards. Luke Maye is a 6’8 former walk-on and isn’t all that athletic, so when you see him get 17 rebounds against you there is only one answer. He out-worked you. Plain and simple, NC State’s bigs got out-worked. Yurtseven, Freeman and Abu were punished by someone who just wanted it more. That’s sad to see. Not trying to take anything away from Maye, but if Abu or Yurtseven matched his intensity and physicality, there would be no way he even comes close to 17 rebounds. This has been a big problem all year for NC State that get’s masked by Yurt’s size. They are soft in the middle and expect their size to win rebounding battles. Boxing out is a true lost art in today’s game.
  • Intensity and fight were there. This team will be ok. One thing you can say bout Keatts teams is that they don’t give up or give in. Just like in the first meeting, Carolina made their runs but NC State always answered. The team as a whole has played gutsy basketball, but you really need to call out 2 guys. When opponents make a run more times than not it’s Torin Dorn or Braxton Beverly who are hunting for the basketball and wanting to take the shot that gets their team back on track. Very good to see. This group has been playing extremely good basketball when the bright lights of a big game come on. Makes us believe they’ll be a very tough team down the stretch and one that will be a hard out in the ACC Tournament.
  • Tough ones out of the way. Coming off the win over UNC two weeks ago and examining the remaining games, Ken Pom (statistical analyst) had the game at Virginia Tech and this home game vs UNC as NC State’s toughest remaning games. Every ACC game is tough, but NC State has winnable games from here on out. They need to come up big over this next week.

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NC State Falls Out of the Top-10 After Losses to UNC & Duke

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2 months ago

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February 26, 2024

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After losing to rivals UNC and Duke last week, the NC State Women’s Basketball team fell out of the Top-10 in the Week 17 AP Poll, landing at #12. NC State started the 2023-24 season unranked, but jumped to #14 in the first Poll after the Preseason Poll. The Wolfpack have been ranked in the Top-10 since November 20th, which equals 14 straight polls.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

5. Virginia Tech
12. NC State
17. Notre Dame
19. Syracuse
22. Louisville
27. Duke
29. UNC
30. FSU

The Wolfpack will host #19 Syracuse on Thursday night at 7pm.

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NC State’s Week 1 Depth Chart Against UCONN (with Notes)

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8 months ago

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August 25, 2023

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NC State will kick off their 2023 Football season next Thursday night against UCONN at 7:30pm. The Wolfpack released their Depth Chart for the game today.

Image

Notes

  • Redshirt Sophomore Anthony Carter Jr. is listed as the starting Left Guard. If Redshirt Sophomore Lyndon Cooper wasn’t missing the first game due to injury, I wonder if Carter would be starting. Doeren did praise Carter in his press conference today. Also, he stated that Cooper should be back for the Notre Dame game.
  • Noticeably, Graduate Transfer Offensive Lineman Dawson Jaramillo is also missing from the Depth Chart. Unfortunately, Jaramillo has suffered an injury, and will miss the entirety of the 2023 season. This is a huge blow for Jaramillo, and a huge blow for the depth of the Wolfpack Offensive Line. Jaramillo was a Swiss Army knife, having the ability to play in numerous positions.
  • Very often, Doeren has stated that the “Or” in between two names means that the coaching staff sees both players as starters. There is an “Or” in between Chris Toudle and Trent Pennix at Tight End, with the former being listed first. Maybe it doesn’t matter whose name is listed first, but I’m shocked Pennix’s name wasn’t the one at the top.
  • I’m not shocked that Julian Gray and Keyon Lesane are listed as the starters at the X and Y Wide Receiver positions. They both have had a lot of buzz surrounding them in Fall Camp, and Lesane was named a captain. Obviously, with Gray’s speed, Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae is going to want to find a way to get the ball in his hands. With that being said, and this is no disrespect to the two of them, but both of them are 5’11”, which isn’t exactly the way you would sculpt your prototypical outside receivers. I expect Terrell Timmons and Bradley Rozner to both be heavily in rotation at the X and Y, to give the outside receivers a good dose of speed as well as height.
  • True Freshman Running Back Kendrick Raphael might be buried at the bottom of the Depth Chart at his position, but I bet he sees a carry before Mimms or Jones. Doeren mentioned that we would see Raphael against UCONN, but didn’t mention Jones or Mimms. Anae likes to run 2 Running Back sets, with one of them almost functioning like a Full Back. As a result, I’m not shocked to see Jones and Mimms where they are in the Depth Chart.
  • Props to True Freshman Kevin Concepcion for earning the starting job at the Inside Wide Receiver position. Get ready to hear his name a lot this year. KC is backed up by Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit, who Doeren spoke highly of today.
  • Junior Porter Rooks is no longer sitting behind Thayer Thomas on the Depth Chart. Doeren said that Rooks has had a great camp. The former 4-Star prospect has an opportunity to show that those stars meant something by his name. With that being said, he will be pushed by True Freshman Javonte “Juice” Vereen, who even has national media buzzing about him heading into the season.
  • Three True Freshman are on the Offensive Depth Chart: Left Guard Kamen Smith, IWR Kevin Concepcion and FLEXY Juice Vereen.
  • True Freshman Kamal Bonner is 2nd on the Depth Chart at the Will Linebacker spot, backing up Payton Wilson. What’s noteworthy, is that he’s ahead of former 4-Star prospect Jordan Poole in the Depth Chart. Bonner must have made a heck of a first impression.
  • As expected, ODU Graduate Transfer Robert Kennedy is starting at Nickel.
  • True Freshman Brandon Cisse is backing up Aydan White at Right Corner, and Doeren said we should expect him to contribute.
  • Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit will be filling in the shoes of Thayer Thomas at Punt Returner.

 

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Elliot Avent is interviewed on MLB Network about rule changes and Wolfpack Alums

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1 year ago

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March 10, 2023

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Elliot Avent gave a great interview on MLB Network.

Avent talks about the rules changes in baseball and doesn’t seem too pleaseed about them, while also breaking some news that they might be naming the hitting facility after Trea Turner and the Pitching lab after Carlos Rodon.

Give it a watch.

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NC State Basketball

Mady Traore Will No Longer Enroll at NC State

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1 year ago

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December 15, 2022

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This unfortunately seemed inevitable.

According to 247Sports’ Travis Branham, 3-Star Mady Traore is no longer planning on enrolling at NC State.

Traore was a member of the Wolfpack’s 2022 recruiting class, but wasn’t able to enroll in the Fall because of Visa issues and the English Competency Test.

Back on November 29th, I posted the following article, saying that Traore was set to join the team for the 2nd semester. Traore himself told me when I posted it, that he was expecting to join the team in December.

I received the intel 2 weeks prior to posting, and prior to things beginning to brew between NC State and Isaiah Miranda. In hindsight, I wish I would have posted it when I got the intel (haha).

4-Star Mady Traore Expected to Suit up for NC State Soon

Obviously, that didn’t happen, and isn’t happening.

When I posted the article, things were in flux, because there was one scholarship available. If Miranda came, he was going to get the scholarship, and the staff was hoping Traore would be willing to wait and enroll in April. If Miranda didn’t come, then the expectation was for Traore to join the team in December, in the way that Miranda just did.

I still believe my source’s info was solid, and there are always a lot of moving pieces in play that can change scenarios quickly.

From what I hear, the staff was genuinely hopeful they could add Miranda in December, and Traore in April, but it didn’t work out that way, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.

We wish you the best Mady! You’ve got a special future in basketball.

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