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Gameday: NC State ready for big challenge at Wake Forest | Game Preview & How to Watch

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2 months ago

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NC State Wolfpack @ Wake Forest
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Winston Salem, NC
TV: ACCN

Wake Forest sits tied with NC State at 6-4 in ACC play, however, the Deacs are coming off back-to-back losses. One at the hand of #10 Virginia (at home), and the other at Pitt.  But don’t let that fool you, the Deacs are good.

Wake is going to lean on Tyree Appleby, a 6’1 transfer from Florida. He’s really been the catalyst for them this season. He’s averaging 17.7 pts and 6 assists per game. He’s shooting 45% from the floor and 39% from long range. If I’m Wake, I’m attacking Burns with the high pick and roll, early and often. Appleby can get to the rim and finish or if you don’t hedge out far enough, he can hit the 3. He’s also a very good passer off the drive. That’s dangerous because Wake has guys who can knock it down if left open.

6’6 junior, Demari Monsanto is the other guy that Wake is going to lean on for scoring. He’s averaging 12 points per game and shooting 41% from 3. That said, NC State does have the guards to matchup with these guys. Joiner vs. Appleby will be a great matchup and Smith, at 6’4, can check Monsanto. That would leave Morsell to guard 6’4 Cameron Hildreth, who is Wake’s 3rd guard. He’s not very athletic and he’s not shooting it well from 3, but he’s averaging 13 points per game and plays very physical. Hildreth is an interesting player for Wake and can cause a lot of matchup problems due to his unique style. He plays like a 6’7 wing. He attacks, uses his body well and loves contact. However, at 6’4, he’s smaller than a lot of guys that take on that roll. Because of this, he’s probably a better matchup for Morsell than he is for Smith. We’ll have to see how Keatts plays that.

In the paint, Wake has Andrew Carr, a 6’10 versatile forward who can put it on the floor, back you down or hit the 3. He’s going to be a problem for NC State in this game. Gantt is your best bet against him due to his physical nature, but State doesn’t have a guy like Carr (esp. with Clark out).

Their big man is Matthew Marsh, a 7 footer who isn’t too versatile. He’s more of that slow, lumbering big. NC State has a big advantage with Burns in this one. Marsh has the beef to keep Burns from getting him too deep, but Burns’ quick spins and multiple pump fakes are going to cause problems for Marsh. Wake is last in the ACC in blocked shots per game.

The key for NC State is to bottle up Appleby and focus on getting quality shots. State is going to be quicker than Wake at a number of positions, so they’ll need to use that to their advantage. If Smith and Joiner can get to the rim, Wake really has no rim protectors, so the Pack can take advantage there.

The one thing that has us a bit worried in this game is Wake’s offensive style. They will run the pick and roll, but if you play up too much, they’ll also alleviate pressure with back cuts, which have hurt NC State this season (due to overplaying the passing lane). Wake also is good at finding open shooters when you help off. They are an unselfish team, and while they are 11th in the ACC in assists per game, they’ve had some success against teams that have allowed them to get drives into the paint.

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Dof87
Dof87
2 months ago

Gonna come down to final minutes. Gotta keep JJ fresh enough for the home stretch. That means Breon and LJ keep giving us some good minutes. Of course DJ needs to avoid foul trouble.

We can do this.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Terquavion Smith Will Forgo His Remaining College Eligibility & Declare for NBA Draft

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10 hours ago

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March 28, 2023

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Well, it’s official. NC State Sophomore Terquavion Smith will forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility and officially declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.

Here’s what Smith had to say to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony regarding his decision.

“I’m forgoing my college eligibility and going all the way in,” Smith said. “I’m thankful for everything the NC State coaching staff and fans have done for me. This is the right decision for me to take care of my family.”

“I showed a lot of different things this year,” Smith said. “Teams wanted to see me be more of a point guard, making the right play, making the right decisions. They wanted to see me improve my finishing, and I increased that. I showed I can be a leader.”

“I improved my grades. I’m a year closer to getting my degree now. You only get one chance to be a college student and get that college vibe. There was no rush for me. I’m ready to contribute to an NBA team now.”

“I’m feeling good about everything now,” Smith said. “I came back to do what I needed to do. I feel like I did everything the right way. I know what’s coming now in the pre-draft process because I’ve been there already and know what to expect. I’ll be a lot more confident in myself now. It’s going to be a straight grind.” (ESPN)

Smith earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors this year, averaging 17.9 points and 4.1 assists per game.

He currently ranks 30th on ESPN’s Top-100 2023 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings. In most NBA Mock Drafts, Smith is projected as a late first round pick.

Smith’s career scoring average of 17.1 ranks 8th in school history. He made 187 three point shots in two seasons, ranking 8th all-time in NC State history. His 96 made three-pointers last year are the most ever by a Freshman in school history, and his 91 made three-pointers made this year are the most ever by a Sophomore.

If Smith goes on to be taken in the 1st round of the 2023 NBA Draft, it will be the first person to do so from NC State since Dennis Smith Jr. was taken 9th overall in 2017. If Smith is taken in the first round, the would become the 17th player in school history to do so.

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2022-23 Season: BY THE NUMBERS

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15 hours ago

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March 28, 2023

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2022-23 season has come and gone, and I thought we should take a moment to look back on this season BY THE NUMBERS.

  • NC State finished the season with a 23-11 overall record.
    • The 23 wins are the 2nd most of the Kevin Keatts era.
      • In 2018-19, the Wolfpack had 24 wins (2 in the NIT)
  • The Wolfpack had 22 regular season wins.
    • This was the most regular season wins since 2012-13.
  • NC State had 12 ACC regular season wins.
    • This is the most conference wins since they increased the slate of conference games to 20 in 2019-20.
    • It’s the most conference wins since 1973-74, when the Wolfpack was 12-0 in ACC play. Obviously this stat is not representative of the best conference performance by NC State since 1973-74, because they played significantly more conference games than years past.
  • The Wolfpack’s winning percentage in ACC play was 60%, which is the 2nd highest winning percentage in conference play under Kevin Keatts.
    • In his first season in 2017-18, the Wolfpack’s ACC winning percentage was 61.1%.
  • NC State shot 45% from the field this season;.
    • This is the 2nd to worst shooting season under Kevin Keatts, trailing only 41.3% last year.
  • The Wolfpack shot 34.7% from three-point range.
    • That number is the 4th best in 6 seasons under Kevin Keatts.
  • NC State shot 72.2% from the free-throw line.
    • This is the 2nd best number under Kevin Keatts (72.5% last year was the best year).
  • For the first time since 2018-19, NC State won the rebounding margin over their opponents on the year.
    • It was the 2nd highest rebounding margin under Kevin Keatts, with +1.7 margin. (In 2018-19, the margin was +4.3)
  • NC State averaged 77.7 points per game, which is the third highest number under Kevin Keatts, but the highest since 2018-19.
  • The Wolfpack forced 477 turnovers, which is the 3rd highest total under Kevin Keatts, and the most since 2018-19.
    • NC State only committed 320 turnovers, which is the lowest total under Keatts (328 in 2020-21, which was a shortened season, was the lowest before.)
  • NC State held opponents to a 44.5% field goal percentage, which is the lowest since 2019-20, and the third lowest under Keatts.
  • The Wolfpack held opponents to 31.6% from three, which is tied for the 2nd lowest percentage under Keatts.
  • NC State had 434 assists, which is tied for the 3rd most in a season under Keatts.
  • The Wolfpack had 152 blocks, which is the most in a single season under Keatts.
  • NC State finished ranked 51 in KenPom’s

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NC State Basketball

UNC Transfer Dontrez Styles Expected to Visit NC State Soon

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4 days ago

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March 24, 2023

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UNC Guard/Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/210) is expected to be visiting NC State soon. According to a source, he was expected to take an unofficial visit tomorrow, but it has been rescheduled to Monday.

Styles entered the Transfer Portal on March 17th.

Over the past two seasons, Styles has seen limited action for the Tar Heels, averaging 5.9 minutes in 45 total games (15 this season).

Styles is no stranger to NC State. He played high school for Kinston (Kinston, NC), and was offered by Kevin Keatts. Styles was a consensus 4-Star prospect coming out of High School. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally in the 2021 recruiting class, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #21 player currently in the Transfer Portal.

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All-AAC Temple Transfer Damian Dunn Visiting NC State this Weekend

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4 days ago

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March 24, 2023

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According to a source, Temple All-AAC Transfer Shooting Guard Damian Dunn (6’5″/195) was expected to be at NC State today on an unofficial visit.

Dunn entered the Transfer Portal on March 20th.

Dunn averaged 15.3 points per game this season, earning 3rd Team All-AAC honors. He shot 41.1% from the field this season, and 34.8% from three-point land.

In 2021-22, he led the Owls in scoring (14.9), and earned 2nd Team All-AAC honors.

Dunn originally is from Kinston, North Carolina, but played his Senior season of High School for Meadowcreek in Georgia, finishing his high school career as a 3-star prospect.

With the almost guaranteed loss of Terquavion Smith, NC State will be in need for a dynamic scorer, and Dunn has proven that he can do just that at the collegiate level.

Currently, Dunn is the 16th ranked player in the Transfer Portal according to ON3.

Dunn is a Redshirt Sophomore this season, with 2 years of eligibility remaining.

 

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