NC State Basketball
Ernest Ross surgery update and outlook
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.
Keatts also said that Ross contacted him the day of the surgery and asked if it was okay for him to attend the game. Great to hear that commitment.
If Manny really does come back, next year we’d have a nice combination of experience and youth at the 4 & 5.
If Manny comes back, Ross, Ebe and Gantt are still here, then we go from being devoid of big man skill and experience to having serious depth.
The opposite might happen with our big guards, but we should still have Smith, Morsell. and Pass at an absolute minimum (plus any freshman). Hayes should figure things out, and Seabron will likely hear very positive love calls from the league.
On the down side, Seabron has watched several of his teammates succumb to injuries. A good reason the listen to those NBA sirens. However, personal achievements aside, maybe he will decide to return so that he can be part of a successful team and finish unfinished business.