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

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1 year ago

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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.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

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

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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9 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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2 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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2 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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