NC State Basketball
LOVED IT, HATED IT | From NC State’s win over Colgate
I’m back with another installment of 3 things I loved and 3 things I hated. Today I’m getting candid on the Pack’s weekend win over what was a pretty darn good Colgate team. Let me jump right in…
3 Things I LOVED about NC State’s win over Colgate
- The emergence of Casey Morsell
Morsell’s offensive output was a ‘love’ in my last installment, but I had to add him here again, because boy, oh boy, did he bail out State in this one. He went 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from 3, finishing with a team-high 22 points. And that’s great and all, but it was his play down the stretch that had me hyped. He was hunting his shot as the game was in its most pivotal moments. His demeanor on the court and his ability to hit big shots just show you that this kid (as we predicted) is going to be not just a major contributor, but one of the leaders of this ballclub. Here’s what we at PI agreed upon publishing for our Casey Morsell prediction.
- Another Dereon Seabron double-double
After 2 games, Dereon Seabron looks like he’s going to be one of Keatts’ go-to guys this year. He once again notched a double-double, going for 21 points and 10 boards. Heck, he even added a team-high 3 assists. Keatts is putting him in positions to get the ball in spots where he can take advantage, and he’s doing that. This team needs guys who can get into the lane and attack, and it looks like Seabron is showing us all that he’s going to be that guy. Oh, and it’s not just about scoring. This team NEEDS rebounding now that Bates is lost for the year, and the big question was going to be where those come from. It looks like Seabron is giving us a hint. - Keatts moving Seabron to PG when the game was on the line
This one I didn’t see coming. Cam Hayes is going to be a big part of this team, we all know that, but early in the season, Hayes has struggled to make plays by attacking the rim. He’s been a little too passive and has been settling for jumpers in the lane. This team, without Bates, needs a guy who is going to put pressure on the defense by getting into the lane and making plays. Seabron was doing that, so Keatts moved him to the 1. This allowed them to play Smith at the 2, Morsell at the 3, Hellems at the 4 and Dowuona at the 5. This is a pretty potent lineup for State, and if you remember, he tried out Seabron at the point a few times last year, and while he wasn’t ready then, he might be ready now. This would put a new wrinkle on things, and honestly, I love it.
3 Things I HATED about NC State’s win over Colgate
- Colgate’s bigs were having their way in the paint
If Colgate is willing to clear the lane and try to get a 1 on 1 matchup in the paint, then you know you have a problem. But that’s what they were doing and no one on NC State could stop them. Dowuona and Gibson both were getting taken to task down low. Now, Jeff Woodward (their center) is 6’11 and 270, so he’s a hoss, but he’s not even half as athletic as Dowuona. That said, he was using his frame to back him down and get easy buckets. NC State has to fix this. They are young and thin in the middle, and if they are going to compete, they need their bigs to at least be able to stop lumbering opponents from getting easy buckets. - Lack of ball movement creating bad shots and a stagnant offense
NC State finished the game with only 9 assists. That’s right, the whole team, just 9. That is coming off a game where they had just 7 vs. Bucknell. These are pretty pitiful numbers, and you can trace them back to the fact that the Pack simply isn’t getting into the lane and making things happen. They are usually taking shots off the dribble or passing the ball around the perimeter until something opens up. This might win games early in the season, but in the ACC, you need to start attacking, making the defense react, and finding the open man. I believe this is why you saw him go to Seabron at the point late in the game. Cam Hayes will need to start taking on that role as the season moves forward. - Still not getting out and challenging the 3 pointers
We talked a lot about NC State’s defense and how overplaying on the ball is leading to the need for help-side defense to step up, thus leading to open shooters on the perimeter. This happened yet again and will bite NC State soon if they don’t sure it up. The guards have got to keep ball handlers out of the lane and allow help-side to stay home and challenge those outside shots. Colgate hit 12 of 26 3s (46%), but it could have been worse as they started the game pretty cold from outside.
NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s basketball program has announced its non-conference slate for the 2024-25 season, as revealed on Thursday.
The Pack will play eight of its 11 games, in addition to a preseason exhibition, at Reynolds Coliseum. Coming off a historical 2023-24 season that was highlighted by the program’s first Final Four since 1998, second in program history, head coach Wes Moore is entering his 12th season at the helm. With a strong home court advantage, the Pack has accumulated a 117-15 (.886) record at home since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum was completed in August 2016.
NC State will participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship at Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 against opponents that will be announced at a later date. As previously announced, NC State will play the defending NCAA Champion South Carolina at the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 10, as well as host Ole Miss for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 5.
The Wolfpack will host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before officially starting the season at home vs. ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Following the Ally Tipoff, NC State will return home to host Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 14.
NC State’s first true road game of the season is at TCU on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Pack will then play Coastal Carolina at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 before its trip to the Bahamas for two games (Nov. 25-27).
The Pack will close out the non-conference slate with four straight games at Reynolds Coliseum, starting with the SEC/ACC Challenge game vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Dec. 5). NC State will then host Old Dominion (Sunday, Dec. 8), Davidson (Wednesday, Dec. 11) and James Madison (Thursday, Dec. 19) to wrap up non-conference play.
With NC State’s known non-conference opponents, six are coming off postseason tournament appearances. Three received NCAA Tournament bids (Kent State, Ole Miss and NCAA Champion South Carolina), two were invited to play in the WBIT (TCU and James Madison) and one played in the WNIT (Old Dominion).
NC State’s Atlantic Coast Conference schedule will be announced by the league office at a later date. NC State will play Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home. The Pack will take on Wake Forest, Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse on the road.
Season tickets are sold out for the 2024-25 season. Tip-off times and television designations will also be released at a later date.
2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule
Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Anderson (Exh.)
Tuesday, Nov. 5 – ETSU
Sunday, Nov. 10 – South Carolina $
Thursday, Nov. 14 – Kent State
Sunday, Nov. 17 – at TCU
Thursday, Nov. 21 – Coastal Carolina
Monday, Nov. 25 – Opponent TBD &
Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Opponent TBD &
Thursday, Dec. 5 – Ole Miss +
Sunday, Dec. 8 – Old Dominion
Wednesday, Dec. 11 – Davidson
Thursday, Dec. 19 – James Madison
$ – Ally Tipoff (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)
& – Pink Flamingo Championship (Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas)
+ – SEC/ACC Challenge (Raleigh, N.C.)
The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.
Numbers that are Staying the Same
Michael O’Connell – #12
Ben Middlebrooks – #34
Dennis Parker Jr. – #11
KJ Keatts – #13
Jordan Snell – #22
Numbers that have Changed
Jayden Taylor – #1 –> #8
Breon Pass – #10 –> #4
Numbers of New Players
Mike James – #0 (He wore #0 at Louisville last year)
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – #1 (He wore #5 at Louisville last year)
Paul McNeil – #2 (He wore #2 in High School last year)
Dontrez Styles – #3 (He wore #0 at Georgetown last year)
Trey Parker – #5 (He wore #5 in High School last year)
Marcus Hill – #10 (He wore #0 at Bowling Green last year)
We don’t know what number Ismael Diouf will be wearing at NC State next year yet.
Excellent analysis. It’s still early, but KK’s got to find a formula for winning. It’s simple math. You either have to shoot better than the opposition or shoot more often. Meaning, additional possessions by forcing turnovers and/or rebounding. Defensively, teams are going to clog the interior and force us to hit outside shots since the 3PT shot hasn’t been our friend , yet, and we don’t have a strong interior game. We’ll see that until we can beat it. Offensively, we’re going to see teams go inside more and more frequently until our bigs get better at defending the post.… Read more »