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NC State Basketball

4-Star Mady Traore Expected to Suit up for NC State Soon

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4-Star Center/Forward Mady Traore (6’11″/195) committed to NC State late in the recruiting process, back on July 29th, but he hasn’t put on a jersey for the Wolfpack yet.

He chose to run with the Pack over an impressive offer sheet that included Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, LSU, Pitt, Seton Hall, Tennessee, USC, Virginia Tech, Wichita State and others.

Traore is originally from France, and what has kept him from getting on the court thus far has been Visa issues and passing the English competency test.

From what I’m hearing, Traore will be able to start practicing with the team on December 8th, and should be able to play by December 17th.

The Wolfpack find themselves in a different position than they did last year, with depth in the front court. Dusan Mahorcic and DJ Burns have developed a good rotation at the Center position, logging 21.9 and 16.6 minutes per game respectively. Ernest Ross is also getting some run, averaging 9.9 minutes per game, and has also been thrown out there at the 4 with both Mahorcic and Burns. Ebe Dowuona has sparingly seen the court thus far, averaging 2.7 minutes per game. Then there is Greg Gantt, who has battled issues ever since arriving in Raleigh, and has played in only one game thus far, logging 11.5 minutes.

Where would that leave someone like Traore? From what I’m hearing, he could be a guy that could log 5-10 minutes per game.

Traore’s upside is insane. He has a pretty shot, and can shoot the 3. He has handles like a Small Forward, but stands 6’11”, and has a 7’3″ wingspan.

We’ve been excited about Traore ever since he committed, and can’t wait to see him on the court suited up in Red and White.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Rev
Rev
1 year ago

So WTF?. Now he is not coming according to Cory Smith. This is looking like a Fuster Cluck to me.

Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

I can’t imagine him getting any minutes this season. The 17th is Vanderbilt, and it’s all ACC after that.
Gantt appears to be coming back, and based on what we saw last night, I think he’ll get decent bench minutes. That’s 3 deep at PF (Clark, Ross, Gantt) and at center (Burns, Mahorcic, Dowuona). All of whom are experienced.
Traore should redshirt, but it sounds like he isn’t interested. Which likely means he doesn’t expect to use up his eligibility.

Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago

Good to know. I’ve been asking about this kid for quite some time. Thanks for the update, Pack Insider!

Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

Its hard to see a true (or should I say ‘cru’) freshman coming in as ACC play starts picking up minutes. But even if he can’t help us this year during games (a big guy in practice is always helpful), he’ll have a big head start on next year.

travelwolf
travelwolf
1 year ago

Kid has unbelievable potential. I just hope some of our players were paying attention in French class…

NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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