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LOVED IT, HATED IT: From NC State’s loss to FSU

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3 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 loss to FSU

1. Keatts changing up the lineup and going with Seabron as PG
Does Keatts read my columns? This was exactly what I proposed prior to the game and some of you took to Twitter to criticize my take. That group since has gone pretty silent. Cam Hayes played 14 minutes in this one, and Seabron spent a majority of the game at point. How did that play out? Well, Seabron did exactly what I told you he’d do. He dominated the ball, got into the lane, and made plays, finishing with 32 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. You can argue that NC State wins this game if Keatts didn’t switch back to Cam at point about 7 minutes into the game. Seabron took back over at point later in the first half and never looked back. The changing of the guard has literally taken place, and NC State suddenly looks a lot more dangerous because of it.

 

2. Terquavion Smith continues scoring at an insane rate
The freshman was at it again, this time scoring 23 points on 8-15 shooting and 7-13 from 3 point range. Smith is now averaging 19 ppg over the past 7 contests. He’s shooting 41% from 3 over that span (note that Scott Wood shot 41% for his career.) In this one, he set a new record for himself with those 7 3s. A lot of that was thanks to getting open looks due to Seabron driving, drawing and dishing to Smith who was spotting up on the corners and from the wing all night long. Smith continues his pace to become the top freshman scorer for NC State over the past 20 years.

 

3. Thomas Allen carving out minutes + Pass getting it going
Allen was MIA for the first portion of the season. Maybe it was because he was passed over by the freshman Smith for minutes. Who knows, but with Hayes and Morsell struggling and Seabron moving to the point, Allen now is going to get his chance. In this one, he showed that he’s ready for the moment. Allen looked good, scoring 9 points in 32 minutes and only turned the ball over once.

Meanwhile, the same situation has also opened up minutes for the freshman Breon Pass. Pass was an elite scorer in high school, but hasn’t been able to showcase that ability at this level. Slowly but surely, he’s coming around. Pass played just 9 minutes, but he maximized that time with 5 points, 1 assist and 4 rebounds (with just 1 turnover).

 

 

3 Things I HATED about NC State’s loss to FSU

1. Kevin Keatts taking a timeout with 8 seconds left and Seabron streaking
C’mon Keatts! I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt and the rest of the guys at PI have unanimously backed you up over the past few seasons, but we can’t overlook this blunder.

State was down by 2 with 11 seconds left. FSU’s Matthew Cleveland was shooting his second free throw. I turned to my buddy and said, if he misses this, you get it to Seabron and you let him fly down the court and get to the rim. Look, it doesn’t take a genius to see that was your best chance to tie the game up. But for some reason, Keatts wasn’t on the same page.

Cleveland missed the FT and State got the ball to Seabron. He took off and had a full head of steam as he approached halfcourt. Florida State was scrambling on defense, and it looked like we had the situation we wanted. Then Keatts calls a timeout.

What? Why? First off, State has been piss poor at inbounding the basketball this season in pressure situations. They also have had a trend of coming out of timeouts with subpar results. So why in the world is Keatts going to walk us right into this situation?

I mean, what play are you going to call? You’re going to get it to Seabron, clear it out and let him make a play? But, we already had that happening. I could understand if someone else had the ball and Keatts wanted to make sure the final shot was taken by Seabron, but Seabron already HAD THE BALL and the defense wasn’t set.

This was just a blunder and a mistake. Hindsight is 20/20, so you had to bet Keatts was going to admit to the mistake in the post-game. No way he’d stand by that decision, right?

Wrong.

I know some people believe Florida State was back, and if you freeze-frame it you can make that argument, but watch it in real-time.

Seabron has a guy on his hip and the defender waiting is back peddling. But regardless, the timeout was being called well before he hit half-court. I don’t care how you spin it, the guy is 12-14, has 32 points, and you only have 8 seconds left. Trust your guy. Don’tt try to over-coach in this situation. You won’t convince me otherwise. This was a big-time coaching blunder.

 

2. Defense is active, but poor
This team plays hard, no doubt. They are always giving effort on the defensive end. The problem is, they aren’t very smart defensively. The guards, outside of Morsell, are constantly getting beat off the bounce, and the interior defense just doesn’t exist.

I know, I know. Bates would change everything. But he’s not here and we have who we have. You can not let guys get into the lane. Dowuona is a decent shot blocker, but against a team as big and long as FSU, he can’t do much. He doesn’t have elite timing like Bates, and he has no one backing him up, so he can’t get into foul trouble.

FSU shot 50% from the floor. That comes on the heels of Miami shooting 55% against us. You just aren’t going to win many games when your opponent is shooting at or over 50%. This is on the guards who need to stop reaching, get down in a stance and stay between their man and the rim. Go back and watch Casey Morsell’s on the ball defense. That’s how it’s done. He’s not quicker or faster than the rest of the guards, he just is more disciplined on the defensive end and understands positioning. It’s fixable, so when will it be fixed?

3. Hellems still not himself. 
What happened to Jericole? The guy was such a dependable scorer last year, and he’s had games where he’s shown glimpses of that player this year, but it’s a crap shoot with him this year. He looked great vs. Miami, scoring 24 points. But vs. FSU, he played 24 minutes and only scored 8 points. Heck, he only shot 4 shots. I know Seabron was dominating the ball and was super efficient in doing so, but Hellems had his opportunities. He just doesn’t seem like himself in 1/2 the games. This has to change. Hellems has got to be State’s 2nd or 3rd best scoring option. If he’s not, this team is sunk.

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A pasta eatin', Wolfpack lovin' loudmouth from Raleigh by way of New Jersey. Jimmy V and Chuck Amato fanboy. All opinions are my own and you're gonna hear'em.

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Rev
Rev
2 years ago

Rebounding and fouls are killing us. This was true all game, not just the last few minutes or seconds.

0
Afterglow
Afterglow
2 years ago

Agree. Also felt like offensive rebounds were abysmal as well. How many times would FSU’s ball rim, only to be rebounded by FSU, only to rim out again, be rebounded by FSU yet again, and finally on the third shot, FSU makes a basket.

0
Rev
Rev
2 years ago
Reply to  Afterglow

Great to hear from you buddy! Ok you too Joey.
I am gonna have to move to Colorado or another state with legal weed if I am going to watch much more Bball this year. Anyone know why Ross got zero minutes?

1
Pack Insider Staff
Admin
Pack Insider Staff
2 years ago
Reply to  Rev

No answer on Ross. At this point, we feel it’s time to move on from Gibson. Ross has big upside and it’s hard to understand why he’s not first off the bench behind Dowuona.

0
Afterglow
Afterglow
2 years ago
Reply to  Rev

Good to hear from you too. Both of you.

0

NC State Basketball

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

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1 day 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 Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

Published

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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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

Published

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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NC State Basketball

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

Published

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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