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NC State Basketball

Kevin Keatts Post Game Press Conference After Exhibition vs. Lees-McRae: BULLETED

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2 years ago

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NC State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kevin Keatts met with the media in his postgame press conference, after the Wolfpack defeated Lees-McRae 107-59 in an exhibition game. You can watch it here, or check out a BULLETED breakdown below.

  • We did some really good things tonight.
    • 1 of the things that was really good is that we had 22 assists on 40 field goals.
      • I don’t think that all of last year we had 22 in a game.
      • We shared the ball and we played with great energy.
  • Guys like Jarkel Joiner did a great job setting the tone on a defensive end.
  • We were able to play a lot of guys and see different combinations.
  • We had 4 games leading up to when we played tonight and I’m counting the 2 games in the Bahamas and the scrimmage and I am proud of our guys.
  • I will look at the tape and see what we need to clean up.
  • Our guys will be off tomorrow and ready to see Austin Peay on Monday.
  • We had 25 [deflections] at the half and I didn’t find out after the game.
    • 40 is our goal and we are trying to get 20 per half.
    • We were +5 at the start of the 2nd half, and I am going to guess and say 42 [deflections for the game].
  • You look at Terquavion Smith and 1 of the things that I wanted him to become, was more of a 2-way player.
    • He leads us with steals with 4
  • Jarkel Joiner can really dog the basketball and turn his guy over.
  • Being able to be play in the rotation of 9-10 guys can help us wear teams down.
  • It was great [watching Ernest Ross and Greg Gantt play together].
    • I didn’t play Gregg in the scrimmage because I wanted him to get an extra few days in before I put him out there.
    • It shows that Ernest and Gregg have the ability to switch 1 through 5 and play different positions.
    • It shows that we can be good with all the players we have. I was proud.
  • When any coach plays exhibitions you are crossing your fingers that nobody gets hurt and we accomplished that.
  • I wanted to go out and find some experienced guys.
    • When you look at us last year, our 4 guards were Freshman and Sophomores.
    • At our Center position, 2 guys had to play who really did not play as Freshmen, so they really were Freshmen even though they were Sophomores by the books.
    • We went out to try to get older guys and try to surround Terquavion Smith with some older guys.
  • I like our team. I like our energy, versatility, and experience.
  • The 1 thing that we ask from every player, even through recruiting, is 100% buy-in.
    • We are in a new age of basketball where there is always going to be a lot of transfers and we have to be selective with the guys that we bring in.
    • I am looking for guys that will play for NC State. If we can play for NC State, we will be fine.
  • When you look at it, because of the way we play there will be a lot of shots to go around.
    • We got 79 shots tonight and it’s enough for everybody to be successful if you share the ball and play together.
  • Give a lot of credit to Jarkel.
    • Here you are talking about a guy who has transferred from the SEC and he has kind of taken Terquavion under his wing as an older guy and embraced him and is excited about playing with him.
    • They feed off of each other.
      • You should see them in practice everyday. They are really excited about it.
      • They compete against each other in practice sometimes.
      • But, when they are on the same team, they just love playing together. I think that has helped our team.
      • Both of them are very unselfish.
        • I want to say in our scrimmage Terquavion led us in assists.
        • He had 6 in that one, you look at tonight he had 7.
        • Jarkel had 5 assists and then 6 tonight.
        • Those guys, we are seeing a path where they know they can score the basketball, but in order for us to be successful we have to get other people involved.
  • It was great to be able to throw the ball into DJ Burns to get some baskets.
  • Obviously, we are going to play a lot bigger teams where they are going to play more post guys, but I just wanted to see a sample size of Dusan Mahorcic, but also DJ where we can score the ball inside.
    • We didn’t have that dimension last year.
      • I feel like we were more perimeter than anything.
    • But those 2 guys [Dusan and DJ] are very unselfish.
  • I think every team is [worried about rebounding], unless you’ve got that 1 dominant rebounder and most teams don’t.
    • There’s a few teams that have that 1 dominant rebounder.
    • I think you have to rebound by committee now because more of basketball has become more positionless.
    • People are more all over the place doing different stuff.
    • We will be a committee rebounding team.
    • Jack Clark has been our best rebounder so far in the 4 games.
      • What did he have tonight…9… and he didn’t play like Jack Clark has played, which is a good sign for us.
      • He has been our leading rebounder.
      • Then we have got guys who get 6, guys who get 4, and guys who get 3.
      • Similar to the way we were last year, I thought we were a really good offensive rebounding team (last season).
        • Where we want to show improvement is on the defensive end.
  • You know he [KJ Keatts] is the smallest guy on our team…I wish I looked like him at times…but I think the and-1 finish…he will be talking about that.
    • But now, his younger brother, Kaden, won’t think it is impressive.
      • He will be like, “it was a weak move” or something like that.
    • I was proud. I was happy. I am happy for all of our guys.
    • Alex Nunnally goes in and bangs a 3 that sends us over 100.
    • Then you see KJ driving. It was a great moment for a Dad.
  • I don’t have to say anything to Chase Graham about his layup.
    • The team is killing him right now just so you know.
    • He tried to tell them he was euro-stepping, but I don’t know. I never thought he got to that part of it.

 

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

#9 NC State Defeats ETSU 80-55 in Season Opener (notes, box score & highlights)

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14 hours ago

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November 6, 2024

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The 9th ranked NC State Women’s Basketball team kicked off their 2024-25 season with a 80-55 win over ETSU last night.

As a team, the Wolfpack shot the ball better, (47.7%/34.4%), outrebounded ETSU (49-30), got to the charity stripe more (15 FTs/2 FTs), and turned the ball over less (14/17).

NC State scored more points off of turnovers (15/13) and had more second chance points (23/12).

The Wolfpack ran out a starting lineup of 4 Guards and 1 Center.

Sophomore Guard Zoe Brooks

Senior Guard Saniya Rivers

Senior Guard Aziaha James

Senior Guard Madison Hayes

Senior Center Lizzy Williamson

Despite starting 4 Guards, NC State scored over half of their points in the paint (42 out of 80).

Zoe Brooks led the Pack in scoring and assists, with 21 points ( 8-14 FG) and 4 assists. Aziaha James, who led NC State in scoring last season, looked like she was back to 100% after dealing with an injury in the preseason, scoring 17 points (7-14 FG), and grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds.

Madison Hayes and Saniya Rivers both chipped in 11 points apiece. Hayes was 5 of 7 from the field, and had 2 steals. Rivers was 4 of 12 from the field, but did hit 2 of her 5 three-point attempts. She also had 7 rebounds and a team-high 3 steals.

The 9th ranked Wolfpack has a massive challenge in Game 2 this Sunday, playing #1 South Carolina in Charlotte.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: NC State Unveils Two New Banners in the Rafters in their Season Opener

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1 day ago

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November 5, 2024

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In case you missed it, NC State unveiled two new banners in the rafters of the Lenovo Center last night at the Wolfpack’s 2024-25 season opener against USC Upstate. It’s a beautiful thing to see the banners representing last years ACC Championship and Final Four hanging ever so gloriously in the home of the Wolfpack.

 

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NC State Basketball

Who Will Be NC State’s Leading Scorer in 2024-25?

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2 days ago

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November 5, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team is heading into its 8th season with Kevin Keatts at the helm. It’s kind of hard to believe, but Keatts’ has had a different leading scorer each season, and is guaranteed to have a new leading scorer this season as well.

Eight seasons…Eight different leading scorers.

That’s pretty wild.

(Side Note: The last time NC State has had the same leading scorer in back-to-back seasons was when CJ Leslie led the Wolfpack in scoring in 2011-12 and 2012-13.)

If you look at Keatts’ previous leading scorers, and the balanced make-up of the current squad, I personally don’t envision anyone on this team averaging 15+ points per game at seasons end.

Last night, Senior Guards Breon Pass and Marcus Hill tied for the team lead with 14 points.

Senior Guard Jayden Taylor is the leading returning scorer from last years squad. Last season, Taylor averaged 11.2 points per game.

Here’s a look at what players averaged last season in college basketball:

Marcus Hill – 20.5 (Bowling Green)
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – 12.9 (Louisville)
Dontrez Styles – 12.8 (Georgetown)
Mike James – 12.6 (Louisville)
Ismael Diouf – 10.1 (Laval/Canada)
Ben Middlebrooks – 5.7
Michael O’Connell – 5.7
Dennis Parker Jr. 4.7
Breon Pass – 1.3

Who do you think will lead NC State in scoring this season?

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NC State Basketball

A Breakdown of the Numbers of NC State’s 97-66 Season Opening Win Over USC Upstate

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2 days ago

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November 5, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team kicked off the 2024-25 season with a 97-66 win over USC Upstate this evening. Here’s a statistical breakdown of the game.

The Wolfpack shot better than the Spartans, won the battle of the boards and won the turnover battle.

NC State shot 55.9% from the field, while USC Upstate shot 33.3%. The Wolfpack shot 33.3% from three, and the Spartans shot 14.3%.

NC State had 44 rebounds, and USC Upstate had 37.

The Wolfpack forced 17 turnovers, while the Spartans forced 11.

NC State did lose the battle on the offensive glass and the free throw line. USC Upstate had 18 offensive boards, compared to the Wolfpack’s 15. NC State was a little foul-happy, allowing the Spartans to shoot 27 free throws (making 21). The Wolfpack shot 21, and only made 12, making 57.1%. NC State will need to be more disciplined in the future when it comes to fouling their opponent, and will absolutely need to shoot at a better clip from the charity stripe.

With that being said, NC State won in two significant statistical categories. The Wolfpack had 14 second chance points compared to the Spartan’s 10. Also, NC State scored 27 points off of turnovers, while USC Upstate scored 4.

The Wolfpack was extremely unselfish, dishing out 20 assists on 38 field goals. For perspective, NC State didn’t have 20 assists in a single game last season.

47 of the Wolfpack’s 97 points came from the bench: Breon Pass (14), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (13), Bryce Heard (8), Trey Parker (6), Paul McNeil (4), Dennis Parker Jr. (2).

NC State’s scoring was extremely balanced, with 4 players scoring in double figures:

Senior Guard Breon Pass – 14
Senior Guard Marcus Hill – 14
Senior Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – 13
Senior Forward Ben Middlebrooks – 10

Middlebrooks led the squad with 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Senior Guard Michael O’Connell led the Wolfpack with 6 assists, with only 1 turnover.

All three Wolfpack True Freshman saw playing time. Guards Bryce Heard and Trey Parker were impressive. Heard had 8 points (2-3 FG) and 4 boards in 15 minutes, while Parker had 6 points (2-5 FG/2-4 3PT) and 4 assists (0 TO’s) in 18 minutes. Paul McNeil didn’t shoot as well, making 1 of his 5 shots from the field, but it was good to see him sink a three in the final moments of the game. He also had 5 boards.

The Wolfpack’s starting lineup in Game 1 was:

Senior Guard Michael O’Connell
Senior Guard Marcus Hill
Senior Guard Jayden Taylor
Senior Guard/Forward Dontrez Styles
Senior Forward Ben Middlebrooks

From the way that Keatts spoke after the game, Middlebrooks started the game over Brandon Huntley-Hatfield because he wanted to have the players that led the team to the ACC Championship and Final Four to start the game. Huntley-Hatfield started the 2nd half, and it seems like he is expected to be the starting ‘5’ heading into Game 2. Keatts did allude to the fact that we might see a starting lineup with BHH and Middlebrooks in the future, depending on the lineup they are facing.

All in all, this was a very encouraging start to the 2024-25 season by the Wolfpack. They shot well, took care of the ball, shared the ball, and locked down their opponent on defense.

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