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NC State 84 Abilene Christian 64: Box Score (with statistical analysis)

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6 months ago

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NC State improved to 2-0 tonight, defeating Abilene Christian 84-64 at home. Check out the Box Score below.

Notes

  • Junior Jayden Taylor led NC State in scoring with 22 points.
    • One of my critiques of the Wolfpack in their season opener was their inability to get to the free throw line, shooting only 7 free throws. Taylor himself shot 9 tonight, and made all 9.
    • He was also 3 of 4 from beyond the arch, and led NC State with 2 steals.
    • He played with evident intensity on both sides of the ball.
  • D.J. Horne didn’t shoot well in the opener, but he cleaned that up tonight, scoring 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting.
    • He was also 2 of 5 from deep.
    • Like Taylor, Horne also attacked the basket tonight. His movement within the offense tonight was fluid.
  • Casey Morsell was much more active tonight, scoring 16 points. He attacked the rim, and even showed off a midrange jumper inside the arch.
    • The Wolfpack was +26 when Morsell was on the court, which led the team.
  • D.J. Burns was efficient, scoring 12 points, making 6 of his 9 field goal attempts. He also had 7 boards, and a team high 4 assists. Burns vision as a passer is outstanding for a post player. Sometimes he forces turnovers trying to thread the needle, but he didn’t turn the ball over a single time tonight.
  • Mohamed Diarra was 1 point away from posting a double-double in his first two games at NC State. Diarra finished with 9 points and 11 boards (team high). He was 2 of 3 from the field, and 5 of 7 from the charity stripe.
  • NC State was decent from the field (46%), poor from deep (27.3%) and great from the free throw line (83.3%).
    • Defensively, they were outstanding, holding ACU to 35.1% shooting from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arch.
  • NC State had 8 turnovers tonight, making it 2 consecutive games with less than 10 turnovers to start the season.
    • They turned ACU over 11 times tonight (they turned The Citadel over 14 times).
  • On a negative note, I’m not a fan of ACU’s 16 offensive rebounds, in comparison to NC State’s 14.
    • On another negative note, ACU took 3 more free throws than the Wolfpack (27/24).
    • Offensive rebounding and free throw rate are significant keys to victories on most nights.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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thenewclass13
thenewclass13
5 months ago

Like 4 or 5 of the offensive tebounds for AcU came in the last 5 minutes of the game when walkons were on

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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3 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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NC State Basketball

Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

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16 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

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Today was the final day graduate players could enter the Portal.

This past season, O’Connell averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Wolfpack, starting 22 of the 41 games he played in.

O’Connell took over as NC State’s starting Point Guard on January 30th in a win against Miami.

He only scored in double figures in 9 of his 41 games this season, but 6 of those came in postseason play (5 in the ACC Tournament). O’Connell took things to another level in the ACC Tournament, playing aggressive on the offensive end, looking for his shot, and attacking the rim.

NC State played it’s best basketball of the season when O’Connell was running the show. He ranked 3rd in the ACC in Assist/Turnover Ratio (2.5).

Heading into next season, with a lineup filled with new faces, having the calming presence of a veteran leader like O’Connell is reassuring.

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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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1 day ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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1 day ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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