NC State Basketball
A Look at NC State’s 78-66 Win Over GT BY THE NUMBERS
NC State defeated Georgia Tech 78-66 tonight, improving to 15-4 and 5-3 in ACC play. You can check out the Box Score here. Below is a breakdown of the game…BY THE NUMBERS.
It’s hard to beat NC State when the tandem of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner are clicking. Smith led all scorers with 25 points, and he also led the way with 5 assists. Joiner had 19 points and 8 rebounds, and was a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line.
This was probably one of my favorite Smith performances. He shot over 50% from the field, making 9 of 17 from the field. Yes, he made 4 three pointers, but he also attacked the basket.
Casey Morsell’s impact on a given game always goes way beyond his point total. He finished with 12 points, but this dude had a team high 9 rebounds, with 4 of them being on the offensive glass. He also had a team high 3 blocks. He played way bigger than his height, and he continually proves to be one of the best defensive guards in the ACC.
DJ Burns was the other Wolfpack player in double figures, scoring 10 points, while grabbing 6 rebounds.
Ernest Ross followed up his breakout game against Miami with another solid performance, scoring 8 points on a perfect 3 of 3 shooting from the field. Prior to his 17-point performance against the Hurricane’s, tonights performance would have been a career high.
As a team, NC State shot ball better than Georgia Tech from the field (50.9%/39.4) and from the charity stripe (85%/42.1%). That was the difference in the game. I say that because the Wolfpack had more turnovers than the Yellow Jackets (15/10), and the home team grabbed more offensive rebounds (18/8). Georgia Tech scored 17 second chance points to NC State’s 4.
After starting off the game lackluster on defense, the Wolfpack turned things around, and didn’t look back.
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!
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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.
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.
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.
NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.
Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.
The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.
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What’s the word on Ebe being out? We really need the extra fouls for the UNC game.
We’ve officially dug ourselves out of the hole. Now, if we only win half the remaining games we have a winning record in conference, and 20+ win season.
While this wasn’t a mammoth win it was an important one. It still showed a lot of grit coming after a game against Miami. And this being a road game and trap game will for sure build toughness. This team played relentless the whole game. They really seem to be rounding into form as a team that likes to not only win but do so in an authoritative fashion while stomping said foot on said throat. Right up until the last second I did not see this team relent. I am really liking what I’m seeing. Carolina is going to… Read more »
Winning on the road in the ACC is always tough (at least for the Pack). Don’t remember the last time UNC needed to beat us in order to right the ship. I personally think they are not being rewarded for their Strength of Schedule. The Dean Dome is the toughest venue we have played in yet. Go Pack! Go to Hell Carolina!
I think this is going to be one of the toughest games for us.