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NC State vs. Duke: 3 Keys to the Pack walking away with a win

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NC State will take on Duke this Saturday in what has quickly become a must-win for the Wolfpack. The COVID pauses and the loss of Devon Daniels has thrown this season off the rails, but the more this team starts to get comfortable in their new roles, the more dangerous they’ll become. They still have the pieces to make a run, but time is running out and a win at Duke is important if they want to have any postseason hopes. Here are the 5 things we think are the most important in making that happen…

1. TURN. THEM. OVER.

This is not your usual Duke team. They have less experience and less talent in their backcourt than we’ve seen in years. They are usually one of the best in the ACC at protecting the basketball, but not this year. They are vulnerable, they are young and they are careless at times. This is an area NC State can certainly exploit. The Pack is 2nd in the ACC in creating turnovers and Duke has been careless as of late. Against UNC they turned it over 15 times and are giving it up over 13 times per game. Not an atrocious number by any means, but when Duke is bad they are being careless and NC State is good at creating full-court pressure on opposing guards.

2. PLAY INSIDE-OUT.

This Duke team is not good defensively and it’s driving Coach K crazy. I mean, think about it. With COVID Duke’s freshmen weren’t able to get as much practice. Usually, the guys Duke gets are great offensive players who get coached up on defense in the off-season and early in the regular season before looking like lockdown defenders later in the season. Add that with the home-court advantage they always have, and you have a recipe for success. This year, however, you didn’t get that pre-season coaching, you had stops and starts early in the season and you have no fans in the stands. This hurts all teams, but especially a team like Duke who was relying on their young guys to carry them.

The Blue Devils are 12th in the ACC in points allowed, they’re 9th in creating turnovers, 13th in defensive rebounding, and 10th in blocked shots. For the Wolfpack, it’s clear. Attack, attack, attack. Duke is weak inside, so running the offense through Bates and Funderburk is important, especially when you don’t have a guy on the perimeter who is a consistent playmaker.  Playing inside out will make Duke make choices. Do they double down and leave shooters open, or do they let the Wolfpack bigs dominate in the paint. It’s time for the Pack to start playing to their advantage. With Daniels out, their strength is in the post. I know that isn’t Keatts ideal situation, but it’s the hand he’s been dealt. If they keep on allowing Beverly and Allen to run the show and attempt to create, things aren’t going to change. But if they run nearly all. possessions through their bigs, they have a shot at making a little noise.


3. TRANSITION TO YOUR YOUTH

You can tell Keatts loves Braxton Beverly. In fact, we all love the grit and determination that Beverly has shown in his NC State career. The guy has played his heart out. He’s played hurt, and he’s done everything that’s ever been asked of him. But with Daniels out and NC State lacking a perimeter playmaker, it may be time to start the transition to a more athletic, longer lineup.

It’s a hard move to make because it’s not just a question of attributes or size, it’s understanding you’d be trading off leadership and ball security for athleticism and length. Is it a trade worth making? If this was early in the season and NC State was sitting higher in the standings, I’d say no way. But with the season winding down, your best scorer out for the year, and your back against the wall, I would say leaning on Hayes, Moore, and Seabron may be the move to make. You’ll get some bonehead plays and some dumb turnovers, but you’ll also a stronger defensive team that doesn’t require as much help and recover and one that can create a lot more turnovers. Even if it doesn’t work out you are at least throwing these guys into the fire and giving them a taste of what they’ll be experiencing next year, when they’ll be relied upon to lead the backcourt. To me it’s time and it’s a low-risk move to start shifting minutes to these freshman guards.

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Rev
Rev
3 years ago

“Turn them over” sounds great. But make sure our guards understand that means the other team. Way to many turnovers against Cuse.

Afterglow
Afterglow
3 years ago

I agree with playing the freshman more this year. Plus, Moore is looking to bust out.

NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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