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LOVED IT, HATED IT: From NC State’s win over Texas Southern

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2 years ago

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Here we go again! I’m back with another installment of “Loved it, Hated it” where I go off on the 3 things I loved and the 3 things that got my panties in a wad.  That said, let’s get into it.

3 Things I LOVED about NC State’s win over Texas Southern

  1. The return of Cam Hayes
    FINALLY! It took a few games of Cam getting into my hate column, but he finally turned things around. In the first half I was wondering if he had simply regressed to a point where Keatts would need to start moving him off the ball, but whatever was said at halftime must have gotten through to him. Hayes had a big 2nd half where he scored all of his 11 points, but I was most excited about his 4 assists. This is where NC State needs him! He was getting into the lane and making things happen, finding open guys and playing through contact. He also added 3 boards and didn’t have a single turnover. Let’s hope this is the Cam Hayes we have going forward.
  2. Dereon Seabron does it again!
    Seabron has been a double-double machine. He’d have double-doubles in all of NC State’s 5 games, but he was just one rebound short in the Central Connecticut game. In this one he put up another 20 point performance, finishing with 21 points and 11 boards. He also added 3 steals and 4 assists. Seabron is the reason State is 4-1 and is shouldering all the load. He’s leading NC State in points, rebounds, assists, AND steals. He’s playing through contact and looks like a budding star in the ACC.
  3. Dowuona finding his footing
    The big sophomore still isn’t a factor on offense, but he is showing a lot more aggression and physicality over the past 2 games. This is huge for State, since they are going to be forced to play all season with Dowuona and Gibson in the middle. Ebe notched 7 rebounds and had a block. He also altered quite a few shots. Now, this type of stat line usually wouldn’t make it into my LOVE column, but his play is a necessity if State wants to be a factor. Seeing this type of improvement was a welcomed sight and had me optimistic that this team could still make a little noise in the ACC.

3 Things I HATED about NC State’s win over Texas Southern

  1. Not enough support from the bench
    This was supposed to be a deep team. They were supposed to have a ton of interchangeable parts, but the past two games have seen the Pack be forced to rely on their starters. The bench just isn’t showing up. They need more from Terquavion Smith, who is adjusting to the size and speed of college athletes. Thomas Allen still hasn’t found his groove and seems a bit unsure of his role at the moment. And Ernest Ross just isn’t ready. You also have Breon Pass, who seems to be slowly acclimating to college, and Gibson who is struggling to steal minutes from Dowuona. If this team wants to have a winning record, they need this to change fast. Over the past 2 games, the NC State bench has only scored 20 points total. Not good enough.
  2. Jerricole Hellems still struggling with consistency. 
    He had a good game against OK State, but last night he once again failed to get it going. He did finish with 10 points and 4 boards, but he fouled out with 15 minutes to play (thanks to a technical foul). If there was one guy you figured you could count on day in and day out, it would have been Hellems, but as of now, it’s a crapshoot on whether the old Hellems is going to show up.
  3. Long stretches of no scoring plaguing the Pack
    NC State was in control of the OK State game until mid-way through the first half. They were in control of this one until then as well. This team is going on some stretches where they just can’t get a bucket. A big reason this is happening is because they are too one-dimensional. Aside from Seabron getting to the hoop, every bucket is coming from a jumper and when they go cold, there is nowhere to turn. Dowuona and Gibson can’t score in the post and none of the State guards are getting to the hoop consistently (meaning they also aren’t getting to the foul line). Hopefully, Keatts can make a point to change this, but based on the personnel, this might be something that this team has to deal with all season long.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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19 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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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.

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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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2 days 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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3 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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A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

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

Published

4 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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