Connect with us

NC State Basketball

NC State is a heavy favorite vs. Elon today | Gameday Preview and How to Watch

Published

2 years ago

on

NC State Wolfpack vs. Elon Phoenix
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCNX
Line: NC State by 23.5

NC State has had just about as good a start to the season as one could have hoped.

The Pack comes into this game 3-0 on the season with huge wins against FIU and Austin-Peay, with a close 6-point win vs. Campbell sandwiched in the middle. Elon on the other hand, comes in at 1-3 with losses to ETSU, Harvard and North Dakota.

The Phoenix are led by 6’0 senior guard Sean Halloran and 6’5 senior Torrence Watson, both of whom are averaging close to 12 points per game. Meanwhile, NC State has been getting points from all over the place. Most of it comes from Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith who both are averaging 20. However, Casey Morsell is now averaging 15 and big man Dusan Mahorcic is putting up 10 per game.

They are still waiting for DJ Burns to get going. The reigning Big South player of the year is only averaging 6 points per game, however we expect him to have a big game against a very soft Elon front line.

The truth is, NC State is going to outmatch Elon at every position in this game. The Phoenix don’t have any interesting gimmicks or personnel that might throw the Pack for a loop, so I expect this one to be won handily by the Pack.

What we’d like to see is for Breon Pass to have a better game. NC State needs some depth at guard and Pass is a guy who can provide that. With Joiner and Smith giving you high octane athleticism and scoring from the position, it would be nice to see Pass play at a speed more comfortable to skill set and size. For him to find a solid role with this team, I think he’s going to have to play a little more methodically and focus on not turning over the basketball. He can score, but he’s a guy who really needs to pick his spots at this point. They don’t need him to overreach and push himself to score or up the tempo, when really that’s no the heart of his game.

Then there is LJ Thomas. We didn’t think we’d see much of Thomas, but with the depth needed at guard and Pass struggling, Thomas has gotten a chance and played well. He scored 12 in limited minutes last time out. Thomas played the calm backup guard role, not turning it over and knocking down shots when he got the chance. We’d like to see him get some more looks today vs. Elon.

We mentioned that we’d like to see Burns get going and get his confidence up, but we’d also like to see more minutes for Ernest Ross and Greg Gantt. Gantt might have limited minutes because he’s working his way back, but Ross is 100% and needs minutes to get comfortable out there. This team will have games where they need athleticism up front, and Ross is going to be that guy. They need him getting comfortable with the speed of the game. Once things slow down for him we think he’ll be a big difference-maker up front, especially with his rim protection.

 

On that same note, we are getting closer to the addition of 7-foot wing, Mady Traore. As reported above, the staff expects him to be cleared in December, giving the Pack another versatile option in the front court. We’re told that Traore is not envisioned as a guy who is going to redshirt or ride the pine. They are expecting him to log minutes right away. We assume it will be in the backup role (around 10-12 minutes per game). But more depth is always welcome.

How to watch
This game is on both ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.
For ACC Network Extra, you’ll have to have the ESPN app on a streaming device and a cable log-in to get access to the game.
For ESPN +, you’ll also have to have the ESPN app, but you can just have a subscription to ESPN+ (which you can sign up for when you get there).
* Beware, if you are a cable subscriber and you find the game on the app, make sure you choose the ACCNX version. If you choose the ESPN+ stream, then it will ask you to pay for that service. Don’t be fooled.

Related Topics:
1 Comment
Subscribe
Notify of
1 Comment
newest
oldest most Upvoted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

Mady Traore will play this season? I am really surprised.

0

NC State Basketball

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

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 26, 2024

By

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

Image

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.)

 

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

Published

2 days ago

on

July 24, 2024

By

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!

 

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

Published

4 days ago

on

July 23, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

1 week ago

on

July 18, 2024

By

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

Image

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. 

 

 

Continue Reading