NC State Basketball
NC State Turns Over an Opportunity on the Road, Losing to Louisville 84-77
You can’t turn the ball over 23 times on the road and expect to win a game on the road in the ACC, especially against a ranked conference opponent.
Despite turning the ball over 23 times, and Louisville shooting 22 more free throw shots (ARE YOU KIDDING ME), the Wolfpack lost 84-77 in Louisville.
The fact that it was a competitive game until the final minute is impressive.
In one sense, I feel the need to mention that this team FIGHTS. On many occasions, prior NC State teams would have crumbled, and allowed this to turn into a blowout.
That consistently doesn’t happen with this team.
In another sense, I’m disgusted by the 23 turnovers. Honestly, it wasn’t that Louisville FORCED all of them. Most of them were needless mind farts.
I miss Markell Johnson. I’m not blaming the loss on his absence, because NC State could have won this game without him, but…it would be swell to have him back, especially “2nd half Markell.”
Sophomore Braxton Beverly balled out, leading the Pack with 19 points (7-11 FG), shooting 5 of 8 from beyond the arch.
Senior Torin Dorin fought for all of his 18 points, shooting 7 of 17 from the field, accompanied by 6 rebounds.
Redshirt Junior CJ Bryce continues to impress, adding 15 points on an efficient 6 of 12 from the field, and 3 of 6 from deep. He’s honestly one of the best rebounding guards that I’ve seen, snagging 9 boards tonight.
Redshirt Sophomore Devon Daniels was the 4th Wolfpack player in double figures, with 10 points (3-7 FG). Unfortunately, Daniels led the team with 6 turnovers.
The Wolfpack out-rebounded the Cardinals 38-26.
From what I hear, the Clemson game has been circled from early on as the hopeful return date for Johnson.
The Wolfpack host the Tigers on Saturday at 2pm, beginning a 3-game homestand.
Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!
Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.
This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.
Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.
Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.
With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.
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.
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.
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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