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Pack back from Atlantis, looks to keep momentum vs. William & Mary | Game Preview and How to Watch

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6 months ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. William & Mary Tribe
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCNX (& ESPN+)

NC State is coming off an eye-opening 3 games in the Bahamas.

The Pack went 2-1 with wins over Dayton and Butler, and a down-to-the-wire 6 points loss to #3 Kansas. The tournament gave NC State fans a taste of what is to come, with elite guard play, versatility on the wing and an option to slow it down and beat you with some back to the basket post play.

This team has proven that they can beat you in multiple ways and have the pieces to be very competitive in the ACC this season, but they’ll have to weather some trap games. This William & Mary game being one of them.

The Tribe is 3-4 on the season, with blowout losses to Pitt and VT (their only two quality opponents), but they can’t be overlooked. State will be riding high off their big wins in the Bahamas and they could be looking forward to their ACC opener against Pitt this Friday. Focusing in and taking care of W&M is going to be a task.

William & Mary’s leading scorer is Ben Wight a 6’9, 220lb junior. He’s your basic mid-major big. He’s got solid fundamentals in the post, uses a lot of pump fakes, but that’s it. He’s not super mobile, or athletic, and can’t stretch you out to the 3-point line. He is averaging 13 points per game, but should really struggle against the NC State bigs who are stronger and more physical.

Their guards are decent at 6’6, 6’3 and 6’1, but none should really worry the Wolfpack. They can shoot it from outside, hitting 40% of their 3s on the season, but without much of a postgame and without guard mismatch that would allow them to get into the lane, State can stay home on shooters and defenders go one on one without much fear.

Things we are watching for…

  • Breon Pass started to come on a little bit at the end of the Battle 4 Atlantis, slowing his game down and not forcing the issue. We’re hoping to see more of that before ACC play starts, and this might be a good chance to get him some big-time minutes.
  • The same goes for LJ Thomas who has been solid but has yet to really showcase all he can do. He’s trying to just play his role right now and earn minutes, but he’s capable of becoming a pretty good scorer.
  • Get Terquavion Smith back on track. He had a decent tournament, but too often he was settling for quick shots and making unnecessary turnovers. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that State was on a big stage and his shot just wasn’t falling. We’re hoping to see Smith get back in rhythm in this one.
  • Speaking of rhythm, DJ Burns is starting to get comfortable and that spells big trouble for opponents. You saw against Butler that NC State can run their entire offense through Burns when the guards need a rest (or aren’t hitting) and he can carry you. We want to see him continue this because having an elite scoring post presence is vital if you want to be an ACC contender.
  • High energy! State played with great energy in every game this season, but tonight is a trap game with Pitt on the horizon. If they come out with the same energy they’ve had, they will be fine. But let these wins go to you head and you risk getting sniped but a team that shouldn’t even come close to taking you out.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
6 months ago

This one could be ugly. Classic trap game.
Can’t believe Traore is actually coming, and actually might contribute

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Dof87
Dof87
6 months ago

We’ll be playing in what likely will be a nearly empty PNC arena, so some lack of focus and energy would be understandable.

I’m already looking ahead to start of ACC play on Friday. I hope team is not.

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NC State Basketball

D.J. Burns is OFFICIALLY BACK!

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1 month ago

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April 27, 2023

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Well, it’s OFFICIAL. D.J Burns will be returning to NC State for his final year of collegiate eligibility!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DJ Burns / BIG 30♨️ (@dj.b30)

This confirms everything I’d been hearing about the return of Burns. Burns was the key to the Wolfpack offense running effectively this past year. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23, but he elevated his game in ACC play, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference games.

Burns is celebrating his return to run with the Wolfpack by dropping his own Big 30 merch. Go over and snag something.

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NC State Basketball

Isaiah Miranda is an Early Entry Candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft

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1 month ago

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April 26, 2023

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The NBA released the names of the 242 players that have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2023 last night, and NC State’s Isaiah Miranda’s name was on the list.

Miranda (7’1″/225) joined the Wolfpack back in December, deciding to forgo the remainder of his prep season. Miranda didn’t see the court for NC State, resulting in a redshirt season.

ON3 ranked Miranda as the #16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

It makes perfect sense for a player like Miranda, with his height and athleticism, to go through the draft process to be evaluated on what he needs to continue to work on. As an early entrant, Miranda has the ability to pull his name out of the draft and remain a collegiate athlete.

I don’t expect Miranda to keep his name in the hat when the time comes. From what I hear his game has tons of potential, but he still needs to fine tune his craft. Also, Miranda shared this on social media, implying he will be back in the Red and White next year.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra Commits to NC State

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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NC State picked up their 5th transfer today. Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) committed to run with the Wolfpack today while in Raleigh on an Official Visit.

Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

With news breaking today that Dusan Mahorcic entered the Transfer Portal, the Wolfpack found his replacement. NC State’s frontcourt in 2023-24 currently will be made up of D.J. Burns, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra and Ernest Ross.

Check out these highlights of Diarra.

There is a lot to like in Diarra’s game. He is athletic, can hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor, can play defense on the perimeter, block shots, and is an aggressive rebounder.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra is On an Official Visit to NC State Today

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) is on an Official Visit to NC State today. Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Diarra entered the Transfer Portal on March 28th.

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