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Gameday: NC State opens ACC play tonight vs. Pitt | Game Preview & How to Watch

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6 months ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Pitt Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCN

NC State opens ACC play tonight, at home, against the 5-3 Pitt Panthers.

I’ll spare you the long recap of NC State’s season, since if you’re a reader here you’ve likely been following along. Basically, State is 7-1 on the season and knocked off 2 quality opponents in Dayton and Butler, after taking #3 Kansas to the wire. This prompted Ken Pom to make the Pack the highest-rising ACC team in his latest rankings. All of this from a team that was picked to finish 10th in the ACC.

Now the real challenge begins. Can they keep up this level of play vs. ACC opponents. Tonight we find out.

Pitt is 5-3 with losses to West Virginia, #20 Michigan and VCU. Their 5 wins all against smaller conference teams except for their 29-point blowout of Northwestern. They are also on a 4 game-winning streak, however in the current Ken Pom rankings, NC State slots in as the 2nd best team that Pitt has faced (West Virginia is #25, NC State is #49). The Panthers lost to West Virginia by 25 at home.

So what can we expect…

6’7, 235lb junior Blake Hinson is leading Pitt with almost 17 pts and 7 boards per game. He’ll be an interesting matchup for State. He’s going to match up with Clark at the 4, but he’s 35 lbs heavier. He’s also shooting 60% from 3-point range over his last 5 games.  This is going to be a big test for Jack Clark.

Meanwhile, the Pitt guards are good at pressuring you. Jamarious Burton (6’4) is averaging almost 15 points, 4 assists per game and is shooting 40% from downtown. Greg Elliot (6’3) is averaging 9 points and while only shooting 34% from 3, he’s had seasons where he’s been in the 40% range.  Then you have senior Nelly Cummings who is averaging 9 points but isn’t shooting it well. Cummings, however, is pretty physical for a small guy (6ft).

Their lone true post guy is 6’9, 265lb John Hugley who averaged almost 15ppg last season and was a key guy for Pitt. This year he’s averaging 10 points and 5 boards and isn’t as featured thanks to the addition of Hinson (from Ole Miss). However, he’s still a quality big who can score a little in the post and rebound the basketball.

I know this is Pitt and it’s at home, but this is not going to be a walk in the park for NC State. Pitt has good size and strength up front and has guards who can make things happen. The key for the Pack is to limit drives into the lane. Joiner, Smith and Morsell have done a good job doing that so far, and if it keeps up here, then you’ll force Pitt to shoot over top, which won’t work out well for them (they are shooting 33% on the season from 3). However, let these guards slice and dice you up and you could get yourself in trouble.

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Dof87
Dof87
6 months ago

It will be very interesting to see how deep KK goes into the bench in this game.

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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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