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VIDEO: Kevin Keatts’ Postgame Presser After NC State Beat Syracuse 73-58

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5 years ago

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NC State grabbed it’s most convincing ACC win of the year last night, taking down Syracuse 73-58. Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts talked with the media after the game in his postgame press conference. The videos are BELOW, and a bulleted breakdown is UNDERNEATH.

  • Please bear with me, somehow through that victory I lost my voice. I might sound like Prince and Michael Jackson at some points, but just bear with me.
  • I thought that was our best defensive effort, especially in the ACC. I thought we did a tremendous job.
    • I thought Devon Daniels was great. When you look at the numbers of Tyus Battle, who Devon guarded all night, I thought he did a great job.
  • We got out in transition and found some gaps in the zone.
  • The 1st half I thought we had too many turnovers in the zone.
    • When you look at the guys I had in the middle, which were Torin Dorn and Jericole Hellems, they had nine turnovers at the half.
    • We talked about being able to make the right play, being patient, and getting out in transition.
  • For the 2nd game in a row, I talked to my team about winning the free throw battle.
    • We were going to stop putting guys on the free throw line, where we were giving up so many points. We wanted to turn it around to where we were getting points on the free throw line. We were great there.
    • I think we went 13-13 in the second half.
  • It’s a great win and I’m excited about it.
  • Torin made the shots that most people can’t make and that’s a lost art in today’s game…the ten-foot jump shots and getting the ball at the free throw line.
    • He struggled in the 1st half and to come out in the second half and play the way he played, with composure and leadership, was tremendous and says a lot about him.
  • We lost our energy. I remember looking at the score and it was 28-18, and then we lost our energy.
  • At halftime, our adjustment was to be patient when we got the ball in the middle. We were trying to force it to the short corner.
    • We needed to be patient and if we don’t have the short corner, we might have the corner for the shot, or we could just bring it back out.
    • Another adjustment was to play with energy and passion, and I thought we came out with that in the second half. Before the game, we talked about we have to protect our house when we are at home and play with lots of energy and passion. I wanted them to fight, and I thought we were great defensively.
  • We moved the ball around. Boeheim has been doing this way longer than I have, and he does a tremendous job with the zone. They are a great basketball team.
  • We were able to find some gaps, but that being said, we did it on the defensive end. Obviously, I know we scored 73 points, but our defense is what won the game for us. They couldn’t get going and we defended the 3-point line.
  • That’s the guy that I believe in (Braxton Beverly). He could come out and go 0-of-20, and I know the next time he comes, he’s going to play. I’ve never questioned his ability to make shots. I love the kid. He works hard. I wish every kid at NC State who I recruit could be Braxton Beverly. He works hard, he’s a great student, and he’s low maintenance. That’s what he is. I knew that he was going to make some shots, and he’s shooting the ball very well right now.
  • (Sacha) Killeya-Jones is currently not a member of our program and that’s all I can say right now.
  • I won’t comment on (Eric) Lockett or (Blake) Harris further than what we’ve released.
  • Every game is huge. I literally try to lock in to the next opponent, and after we beat Pittsburgh on the road, my whole focus has been nothing but Syracuse. If you allow yourself to look ahead or you allow your team to look ahead in this league, it’s not going to be good for you.
    • I told you guys about three or four weeks ago that I made a mistake and looked at our schedule, and it scared the heck out of me. We lost those games too, and I think I jinxed them because I looked at the schedule. I’m locked in to the next opponent.
    • This league is so good that everybody has a stretch that is so tough. You start looking around and it’s crazy. When you look at our losses…I hate to say this…we’ve got great losses. At the end of the day, everybody goes through a stretch where they’ve got three or four teams that are really good. That being said, that’s what you’re going to get in a good conference.

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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20 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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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.

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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.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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2 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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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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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. 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 #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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