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NC State may be underdogs vs. Richmond, but backcourt size and length may give the Wolfpack a leg up

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3 years ago

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Richmond comes into this game vs NC State with a 6-4 record.

The Spiders have early-season wins over Hofstra, Wofford, and Toledo, with notable losses to Maryland and Mississippi State.

They aren’t a team with great size or athleticism, but they do have shooters and a plethora of skill players. One guy who could be a matchup problem for the Wolfpack is junior forward Tyler Burton.

Burton is a 6’7 future pro. He’s got a great, physical build, weighing in at 215lbs. He is basically a big scoring guard who is shooting an elite 47% from long range. But this kid isn’t just a shooter, in fact he gets most of his buckets in other ways. Burton can face you up, put it on the floor and get to the hoop. Or he can back you down and score in the post. Here are some highlights..

NC State will likely use Jericole Hellems and Dereon Seabron to guard him. Hellems is also an undersized forward with guard skills. He’s not as athletic or versatile as Burton, but he’s close. Hellems comes in at 200lbs, so he’ll be giving up 15 pounds. However, Hellems best attribute is his ability to guard multiple types of players and he’s faced a few guys like Burton before. Meanwhile, Seabron on Burton may be a matchup Keatts likes, since Seabron is quicker and more athletic, potentially forcing Burton to try to do more of his damage inside.

Burton is averaging 18 ppg and almost 7 rebounds. He’s also shooting over 57% from the floor. Slowing him down is a key to NC State coming out with a win and NC State has options to do just that. Most teams don’t have a single guy that can slow down Burton. NC State has a physical option with Hellems or a more athletic option with Seabron. This is important to note since Richmond does not do a lot of ball screening for Burton, meaning whoever is on him, likely won’t be switching very much.

The other key will be guarding senior big man Grant Golden. Now, upon first glance, Golden shouldn’t be a problem. He’s 6’10, 255lbs, but he’s not very athletic. Guarding him will be Ebe Dowuona, who lately has come into his own and is 6’11 himself. However, Dowuona has struggled against guys like Golden. He’s one of those bigs who is crafty, knows how to use his body, and finishes well with both hands. He’s also a great passer and can shoot it if you leave him open. You can expect a lot of pump fakes and body bumps before he goes up from the block. Dowuona will have to be disciplined with his shot-blocking and his positioning against Golden. If he’s too quick to jump, he’ll find himself in foul trouble real fast.

At guard, the main guy NC State needs to key on is Jacob Gilyard. The 5’10 senior isn’t big, but he too is crafty and does a great job at setting up his teammates. Gilyard is averaging 12 points and 5.5 assists per game, all while turning the ball over less than 2 times per game.

The rest of Richmond is pretty underwhelming. They have 6’4 guard Nick Sherod who is a senior but only logs about 17 minutes per game. He can shoot it alright but isn’t going to take over a game. Then there is 6’7 senior forward Nathan Cayo. Cayo is more of a scrappy, garbage man. He’s undersized, can’t really shoot, but is very aggressive on the blocks. He’s averaging 7 points and 4.6 boards.

This is going to be a good matchup. In fact, Ken Pom has Richmond winning this one by 1 point. However, looking at the matchup, we think NC State has a slight advantage thanks to their size at guard.

Cam Hayes will have a serious height advantage, and with the way he likes to use his pull-up jumper, he should be able to find success against Gilyard. Meanwhile, Terquavion Smith will be a pivotal player for the Pack. Richmond doesn’t have a quality scoring guard and will likely use 6’0 Isaiah Wilson to guard Smith. If Smith is able to build off his performances over the past 2 weeks, he should be able to eat up Wilson both on drives and by shooting over him (Smith is 6’4).

The keys here on keeping Burton in check and not allowing Golden to catch it too deep. Dowuona struggled against Trevion Williams (Purdue) who is a better version of Golden but has the same style of play. Richmond holds the advantage inside, but NC State has done a good job at flustering opposing guards, and Richmond doesn’t have a big backcourt to throw over the top of the press. So, NC State will have the backcourt advantage.

Richmond also gets a lot of their points with back cuts, or with drive and kicks. They aren’t a ball screening team, so NC State needs to have their heads on a swivel and be aware that their guy screening could quickly be diving to the hoop if they aren’t careful.

How does this play out? We’ll have to wait and see, but Keatts will likely have the same gameplan ready that he used against Purdue. Take away the 3 ball and let them win it inside if they can. Richmond shoots a very good 38% from long range and hits about 10 3s per game. So taking that percentage down and limiting their volume from long range will likely dictate a lot. Doing that means their guards need to keep Richmond’s guards out of the paint, requiring help side to slide over.

Lastly, an area that NC State will have an advantage is with their length (everyone on the court is 6’3 or above). This is a big one. Richmond passes a lot. In fact, not much of their offense comes off dribble drives or post play. However, they haven’t faced a team as long and athletic as the Pack. Passing against a team as long as State is tough. The windows close quickly and weaving in a pass becomes a lot riskier. But State needs to make sure to not overlay, as the Spiders will be quick to expose that with a back door cut. Watch…

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NC State Women’s Basketball Releases Their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

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19 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.

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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.)

 

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NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

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2 days ago

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July 24, 2024

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NC State Legend Julius Hodge has been named the Head Coach at Lincoln University.

This marks Hodge’s first stint as a Head Coach.

Hodge has been in the Coaching world since 2015, when he served as Director of Player Development at the University of Buffalo under Bobby Hurley. Then, he spent 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant Coach under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara. From 2018-20, Hodge served as an Assistant Coach at San Jose State. Hodge has spent the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

At NC State, Hodge earned 1st Team All-ACC honors in 2003 & 2004, and 2nd Team honors in 2005. Hodge was named the ACC Player of the Year in ’04. He earned the All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Hodge is 1 of 11 players in NC State history to earn 1st Team All-ACC honors more than once.

His 2,040 career points scored rank 3rd in NC State history. Hodge also ranks 1st in Free Throws Made, 14th in Rebounds, 7th in Offensive Rebounds, 6th in Assists and 7th in Steals.

Congrats Julius! You deserve this!

 

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WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

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4 days ago

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July 23, 2024

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NC State Men’s Basketball is releasing videos helping fans get to know the new players on the 2024-25 roster.

Below is the video of Freshman Trey Parker (6’1″/178), with a transcript underneath.

“My name is Trey Parker. I’m an incoming Freshman from Fayetteville, North Carolina.” 

“I was recently playing at Overtime Elite. It was a great experience. A whole lot of development and great energy.” 

“Coach Levi (Watkins) recruited me. As soon as I got to the campus, it was a great experience. They just gave me that big inspiration to feel like I’m home, and feel like a great student outside of basketball.”

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pack back in November of 2022. I just felt like it was a great fit for me.”

“Living in North Carolina, and now playing in North Carolina, is a big opportunity. There’s a lot of people from North Carolina looking up to me, and I want to give them what they want to see.” 

“Being close, allows for them to bring the whole city out. It just feels like I’m already at home.” 

“Y’all stay tuned. Showtime is coming this year.”

_______

Parker originally signed with NC State in November of 2022, as a member of the 2023 recruiting class. He decided to reclassify, making him a member of the 2024 class.

Parker is a consensus 3-Star prospect, though 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 4-Star prospect. 247 ranks him as the #135 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #26 Shooting Guard, and the #13 player in the state of Georgia.

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Jersey Numbers for 2024-25 NC State Men’s Basketball Team Revealed

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1 week ago

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July 18, 2024

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The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.

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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. 

 

 

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