NC State Basketball
NC State throttles Maryland Eastern Shore 95-49 (Game story & Stats)
NC State fans needed something to cheer about after a string of bad news that included their deflating football loss to Wake Forest and the news we broke of Ian Steere’s potential transfer. Today, they got just that.
Not only did sophomore guard Braxton Beverly return to the lineup from a broken hand, but they also turned in an amazingly gritty and efficient performance in their 95-49 win over Maryland Eastern Shore.
Torin Dorn turned in another big game, going 8-11 for 22 points and added 10 boards. Dorn has now tallied 50 points over his first two games this season and has shown that an off-season of work on his 3 ball is starting to pay off. Dorn was 4-7 in game 1 and went 3-4 in this one.
It has been talked about all off-season that the strength of this NC State team is going to be their depth and versatility. That was on display today as all 10 players who entered the game got on the scoreboard. Dorn led the way with 22, but 3 other guys joined him in double-digits. Surprisingly, those 3 guys came off the bench.
DJ Funderburk turned in his 3rd consecutive perfect outing, going 5-5 from the floor for 13 points. He went 7-7 in the exhibition game and then 4-4 in the season opener. Funderburk has showcased a versatility that NC State fans haven’t seen in a long time. The 6’9 sophomore started the night off the scoring on a beautiful post move where the help side collapsed and he was able to adjust his shot and still get the bucket. He added a few clean-up buckets and even hit a 3 pointer. And he wasn’t only impressive in the scoring column. DJ had a nice penetrate and kick for a 3 to Braxton Beverly, right after rejecting a transition layup on the other end just moments prior.
Speaking of Braxton Beverly, the sophomore guard came back 3 weeks early and reminded Pack fans the impact he can have when he’s on the floor.
We commented last week that while the Wolfpack looked good in their season-opener, Braxton Beverly would be the perfect compliment for this stable of high-motor athletes. That proved to be true in today’s win.
This team has so many guys who can play fast and make plays off the dribble, that a spot up shooter like Beverly is going to get a lot of open looks on the perimeter. Today’s game showed you that. Beverly went 4-10 from 3pt range and finished with 12 points.
The third guy in double figures was freshman Jericole Hellems. The 6’7 wing looked really good in NC State exhibition win but blended in a bit in their season-opener. He redeemed himself in this one, showing off some great defense, the ability to mix it up on the boards, and a pretty stroke from outside. Hellems finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds. He went 5-9 from the floor and 3-6 from long range.
Overall, NC State once again played with a ton of effort showcased disciplined, high-energy defense and kept their eyes off the scoreboard. With less than 5 minutes to play and already up 40, the Pack was still battling for loose balls and attempting to take charges. They finished the game shooting 56.5% from the floor and 40.7% from long range. They won the battle of the boards 47-24. They turned the Hawks over 15 times, but turned it over 14 times themselves.
If there were any areas to improve upon it would likely be the turnovers. Devon Daniels, Wyatt Walker and Blake Harris all had 4 TOs in this one.
Speaking of Devon Daniels, he once again looked like he was forcing the issue a bit. With all the talk of possibly leading the team in scoring, and him dropping 20+ in the opening scrimmage, it seems like he’s hunting for his shot a little too much. He went 2-7 in this one and only finished with 4 points. That is scary to think about. The kid who many predicted would be the teams top scorer hasn’t even kicked it into gear yet. Once that happens, who knows what this team’s celing might be.
Next up is UNC-Asheville on Tuesday night at 7pm
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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