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One Word: NC State Men’s Basketball Thoughts

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The time is now for State’s men’s team and Coach Keatts. With the season about to tip-off, Vonwolf and Wolferetti break down what they think will happen.

 

Who is your breakout candidate of the year?

Vonwolf: Cam Hayes

Was going to say Hellems, but I think he’s more on people’s radars than Hayes. Cam has the opportunity to really take a massive step forward this season. He showed glimpses last year of being special, particularly towards the end of the season against Notre Dame and UVA. The problem was inconsistent scoring. Part cold streaks of shooting, part just the physical toll that it takes to play a season in the ACC.

Hayes has added muscle and a different mindset this year. I’d expect for him to elevate not only his shooting percentage but his assists per game. If we can get 10 pts | 8 ast | 8 boards out of our true point guard, we’ll be in a good spot.

 

Wolferetti: Terquavion Smith

When I’m projecting players, I’m always heavy on the intangibles and that’s why I’m going with the freshman shooting guard on this one. I know it’s risky to go with a freshman as a breakout candidate, but this kid is just built differently. He’s got elite-level confidence and feels like he’s ACC-ready. With his ability to score it, NC State’s need for scoring, I think Keatts has found the match made in heaven. I’m looking for Smith to average around 12 ppg this season

Who is going to struggle this year?

Vonwolf: Dereon Seabron

I don’t think he’ll play bad this year, but there are going to be too many “fine” games from a guy we need big minutes from. He’s rebounding vastly improved as the season went on, and without Fundy, he’ll be leaned on even more. But if he ends up floating around 7 pts | 7 boards a game, it’s just not going to cut it. Especially with more guys on this roster that fit into the “athletic length” category, need for him to be a solid player.

 

Wolferetti: Ernest Ross & Greg Gantt

I know this is a bummer, since these guys struggling means NC State has zero front-court depth, but I’m just calling it like I see it. Both of these guys are new to the ACC and both are long, versatile bigs who have good stretch skills but are unproven in the ACC. Look, if you watch enough ACC basketball you know that you either are an elite shooter, or you struggle to transition to the ACC. What that means is that if your shot is good enough that you don’t have to deal with physical play of the ACC, then you can skirt by. But if you are forced to mix it up in the middle, it almost always takes guys a while to get used to the physical play that the refs allow in this conference. Both Ross and Gantt have decent shots, but neither are good enough to live off of them. They’ll be forced to mix it up in the middle and I think there is going to be some growing pains there for sure.

 

Biggest game(s) this year?

Vonwolf: Back-to-back road games versus Louisville (1/12) and Duke (1/15)

By this point in the season, we’ll know if this team has what it takes or not. We’ll also either be on our 15th article about the future of Keatts or praising the swagger of this young squad. If they play well and consistent that first two months, these games become the springboard to make a run at securing tickets to the big dance. If the first two months are a struggle? These games become make or break for resume purposes. Even without a tip-off of the season, feels as though State needs to grab at least one of these.

Plus it’s our last game, maybe…who knows, against Coach K…would like to send him home with a nice L.

 

Wolferetti: Purdue (12/12 @ Brooklyn, NY)

Go ahead, hate me for not picking an ACC game, but this Purdue game, to me, will decide a lot. It’s going to NC State’s first matchup vs a ranked opponent most likely (they are #7 to start the season) and it’s going to dictate their season outlook. See, young teams aren’t really sure who they are. They only really are able to gauge themselves by what they are able to accomplish. That could be a good or a bad thing.

For NC state, I think it’ll be a good thing. They have some leadership to guide them (Hellems, Bates) but they also have a slew of confident freshmen who probably think they are going to be able to walk right into this conference and win every game they play, and guess what, early on in the season they probably will. But Purdue is that buzzsaw game. If State can beat upset Purdue, it will do all sorts of things for the confidence of this team rolling into ACC play. If they lose, then you have to hope the veterans are able to patch up the wound quickly, before they take on Miami just a week and a half later. Another loss to Miami, then this will be a team of shaken confidence early in the ACC schedule.

A lot rides on this Purdue game whether you like it or not.

 

What does State end up doing this season?

Vonwolf: 8th in ACC, Second Round NCAA

If this same team were competing against the ACC of last season, I’d have a lot more confidence. There are going to be games that are absolutely fun to watch, with speed, strength and energy. There are also going to be games where nobody is hitting, there’s zero inside presence and they get blown out. The reliance on Bates to stay health is scary, but it’s offset a bit by just how awesomely athletic this forward and guard group is. They’ll be a bubble team this year, sneak in and then survive a weird first round NCAAT game before closing out the season.

 

Wolferetti: 5th place ACC, Second Round NCAA

This team will figure it out. I think they have enough talent, depth, and size to really cause problems in the conference. I also think they’ll be able to shoot the ball a lot better than most think. With that and their length on defense, I think they really surprise some people. For this to happen, they’ll need someone to step up behind Manny Bates. It’s really important since the one area I do think this team has trouble is with rebounding.

That said, I think they shock people, finish 5th and then get hot in the first round of the NCAAs before being ousted by a big, physical group of veterans in round 2.

 

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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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