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Wolfpack rides Freeman, Yurt and Dorn in win over Wake Forest 90-84

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NC State traveled to Winston-Salem and notched another road win, beating the Deacs 90-84 and completing the season sweep for the first time in 6 years.

For the third game in a row, NC State shot over 50% (50.8%). Al Freeman led the way with 24 points on 6-10 shooting. He also added a team-high 8 rebounds.Omer Yurtseven also had another big game against Wake, putting up 21 on 9-17 shooting.

NC State set the tone with one of their most physical and intense halves of the season. They rattled the Demon Deacon guards and caused turnover after turnover, which led to run-outs and easy buckets. But all wasn’t perfect. State was beaten on the boards 44-36 and massacred on the offensive glass 16-9. They also allowed career days for both Bryant Crawford (29 points) and Doral Moore (21 points). However, the forced turnovers, the hot-shooting, and the 3pt defense saved the day.

One guy whose stats aren’t going to wow you, but played a big-time role in this game, was Torin Dorn. He does it all for this team. He scored 14 points and pitched in 6 boards on the night, but it was his hustle, physicality and relentless motor that had the biggest impact.

Markell Johnson also had a nice game, putting up another double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

This moves NC State to 18-9 and 8-6 in the conference. They are now tied for 6th in the conference, with the possibility of ending the night tied for 5th if Louisville loses. Don’t look now, but with the remaining schedule, NC State could be poised for a pretty nice stretch run and there is a possibility of this team ending up 4th in the conference if they do that. Remember, this team was picked pre-season to finish 12th in the conference.

Kevin Keatts has done wonders with this basketball team and it seems as if they’re only getting stronger. Next up is Boston College at home on Tuesday night. But for now…it’s ice cream time.

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is on a visit to NC State currently, according to a source.

Indiana State Transfer Ryan Conwell was on campus last week, but he just committed to Xavier.

From what I hear, the staff preferred James over Connell anyway. A plus with James is he has 2 years of eligibility, whereas Conwell has 1.

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.

Rivals ranked James as the #71 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the #7 prospect in the state of Florida.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years. This year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds.

For a more extensive look at James’ game, click here.

Rivals ranks James as the #77 overall player in the Transfer Portal.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.

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.

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.

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

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.

Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.

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Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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