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Gameday: NC State looks to get back on track tonight vs. Notre Dame | Game Preview & How to Watch

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1 year ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCN

NC State had to work through a lot of emotions over the past 48 hours, and now they’ll have to be ready to take the court tonight vs. a struggling Notre Dame team that sits 1-8 in conference play.

NC State must feel cheated after the loss in Chapel Hill. They also must feel angry and relieved. Angry because despite the reffing on Saturday, this team still had a chance to win the game but couldn’t pull it off, and relieved because for a minute there it looked like they lost their superstar, Terquavion Smith, only to find out that he might suit up just a few days later.

The loss to UNC, while frustrating, isn’t really that bad on the resume. That was a Q1 game, and Q1 losses don’t kill you. But letting a game like tonight’s slip away might.

Notre Dame has been bad. They are 9-11 on the season and 1-8 in ACC play. Their season highlight so far is a win over #20 Michigan State at home. Other than that, they haven’t done much. Their biggest ACC win (which was their only one) was at home vs Georgia Tech by 1.

The key to holding down Notre Dame is to smother their shooters. The Irish shoot a lot of 3s. In fact, they have attempted the 4th most 3s in the ACC (816) and are 2nd in percentage made (38%). They rely on 6’10 senior Nate Laszewski who is leading their team in scoring at 14ppg and hitting 42% of this 3s. Nate can stroke it, this is the 3rd season in a row he’s over 40% from long range. Then there is senior Dane Goodwin who is averaging 12 ppg and hitting 40% of his 3s. Guards JJ Starling and Cormac Ryan are also big guards who can shoot.

This Notre Dame team is tall and they can shoot. They aren’t that quick and they aren’t going to win by banging down in the post, but if you leave them open, they’re hitting.

NC State’s Keys to the game

– Don’t take it easy. This won’t be a cakewalk
NC State can’t come off that super emotional UNC game and think they are going to walk over Notre Dame. In fact, the Pack really doesn’t match up all that well against the Irish. Their center, Laszewski likes to play on the perimeter and shoot 3s. Meanwhile, DJ Burns doesn’t like defending that far out, and if you leave Laszewski, it’s probably going to cost you 3 points. So how are the going to guard him? That’s a really good question.

– Crash the boards
Notre Dame is near the bottom in rebounding in the ACC, and State has done a pretty good job on the glass lately and are right in the middle of the pack in the ACC. They have to make sure Notre Dame is one and done. They are going to shoot a lot of 3s, so there will be a lot of long rebounds. If NC State can make sure to pounce on those, there will be the chance for quite a few run-outs.

– Good communication on D
With a lot of tall shooters, the Pack needs to be communicating on their switches. Get lost for a second and you’ll be closing out too late. These guys are tall and don’t need much room to get it off. Notre Dame isn’t beating anyone off the dribble from the guard spot, so that shouldn’t be a worry, but State can’t get sucked into the paint, leaving shooters open on the wing.

– Get Smith back and hope he doesn’t miss a beat
I know you wouldn’t believe it by looking at the records, but I think this is a game NC State would have a hard time winning without Smith. All signs are that he is going to play, but we’ll have to wait and see. ND has nobody that can guard Smith, and really don’t have rim protectors, so if he does play, and he is healthy, then I’d expect him to blow up for a big one tonight.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

Looking at our remaining 11 games, there are generally (based on both NET & KP rankings – but not trying to even guess the ever changing quad rationale) 7 opportunities for quality wins, and 4 opportunities for ugly losses. If we go 4-3 in the former, and win all of the latter, that has us at 23-8 / 13-7, Keatts’ best ACC regular season record, and before the post season, one win away from his highest win total at State. That would be one heck of a turnaround, and if we get into the NCAAT, should assure him his job… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Papajohn
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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago
Reply to  Papajohn

Mike Brey’s quitting is a sign of just how hard it is to win in the ACC. There’s no debate he’s an excellent coach, but if you don’t have the talent at key positions you are gonna get creamed. Leonard Hamilton saw this last year when he lost a couple key guys to injury and lost something like 7 in a row after being one of the top teams.

In the ACC, good coaches lose, excellent coaches survive, great coaches win and elite coaches win the season and ACCT.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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5 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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

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3 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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