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NC State Basketball

OUR TAKE: On NC State’s well-balanced 84-78 win over Vanderbilt

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8 months ago

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NC State came into the Vegas Showdown undefeated. But let’s be real. They were blowing out a bunch of nobodies up until this point so it was pretty hard to guage how good this team would actually be. Last night’s matchup with Vanderbilt was their first real test, and I gotta say, they passed with flying colors.

The Pack used a balanced attack and a few times extended their lead to 14, before finally winning by 6 over Commodores.

I think there are a few major differences with this year’s team that really make it unique from any other Keatts-led team we’ve seen in the past. 

1) They play great team defense. 
We’ve seen them give effort on defense year after year, but they have always had a problem with our guards keeping guys in front of them, gambling too often on point-to-point passes, or biting on pass fakes/ball fakes. This year is different, though. Jayden Taylor is an absolute ball-hawk on defense. DJ Horne as a feisty defender, we’ve always known Casey Morsell to be an elite, physical, on-ball defender, and now you have the freshman, Dennis Parker Jr, coming on as both a great on-ball defender, but also a help-side shot-blocking presence. This team has all the right pieces to be a Top-3 defensive team in the ACC this season and they showed it last night.

Vanderbilt did shoot 45% from the floor, but if you watched the game, you’d understand why I’m hyping up this defense so much. Vandy stayed in the game by knocking down mid-range jumpers at an outstanding clip. But those are the shots that you want them taking. Contested, long 2’s. Most nights, that’s going to be a winning formula.

State did have 12 steals and forced 19 turnover in this one.

2) A well-balanced offensive attack
I’m excited about this team, and this is one of the main reasons why. I’m an old-school basketball head. I like ball movement. I like smart shots. I like a balanced attack. And this NC State team, more than any others is built for that style of basketball.  They are running their offense through DJ Burns, which I love because he’s the kind of high-percentage shots. That’s a far cry from the past teams that relied on one-on-one isolation from the likes of Al Freeman, CJ Bryce, Torin Dorn, Jarkell Joiner, or T. Smith.

This offense can beat you in so many different ways. Obviously Burns, but Jayden Taylor is elite on the drive (and can shoot it), DJ Horne hasn’t even gotten hot yet, but he’s a shifty guard with an outside shot. Morsell is starting to hit his 3s again, and Dennis Parker Jr is already showing you that he’s going to be a force in this league, dropping 18 in his second consecutive double-digit scoring performance.

As you can tell, I’m excited about where this team is going. But let’s get back to last night’s win over Vandy.

– Won with Burns having an off-game. 
Not sure what it was, but the usually reliable touch from DJ Burns wasn’t there. Sure, he still ended up with 13 points, but it took him 18 shots to get there. In the past, our best player going cold spelled disaster, but not with this team. Everyone else stepped up and picked up the big man.

– Freshman Dennis Parker Jr. is showing he’ll eventually be a star
I keep saying it, but Parker Jr is Jericole Hellems with athleticism. Hellems was pretty good at NC State. He had all the tools, but he just didn’t have the burst, and the bounce needed to be that undersized mismatch at the 4. Parker has that. He’s able to take you off the dribble, finish at the rim, or even knock down the 3. All of that, and he’s extremely physical and disciplined on the floor. He came off the bench, played 33 minutes, went 7-10 (2-3 from 3pt range), and finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Diarra just played 7 minutes in this one, but this is a luxury for Keatts. When he needs size, he’s got Diarrah. When he needs quickness and aggressiveness he has Parker Jr.

– Jayden Taylor is State’s #1 breakout candidate
Sure, Taylor is averaging 14 ppg and shooting 42% from the floor, but I don’t think we’ve even seen him scratch the surface offensively. This guy has it all. He’s shifty, he’s physical, he’s got bounce, he is a crafty finisher around the rim and he can shoot it. He put up a team-high 18 points on just 12 shots. He knows how to get to the line (5-7 from the FT line) and he can knock down 3s. He really was the 2nd half spark for NC State. His finishes on the break, steals, and overall hustle were just contagious during a few times when State looked like their focus was starting to wane.

– Overall versatility and depth will be key
Over the course of a season, you face a bunch of different teams, put together in a bunch of different ways. College basketball is a game of matchups and mismatches. Can you create them? Can you capitalize on them? The more one dimensional your team is, the more you’ll run into teams who you can’t matchup with.

This NC State may not have that problem.

If they need to go small and fast, they go with Horne, Taylor, Morsell, Parker and Burns.

If they. need to go big, the go with Horne (or O’Connell), Taylor, Morsell, Diarra and Burns.

If they need to protect the ball and run the offense, they can go with O’Connell at the point.

If they. need to up the pace and have shooters everywhere, they can go with Horne.

Parker Jr can slot in at the 3 if they need him to.

And we aren’t even talking about MJ Rice yet, who is the highest-ranked transfer State landed last year. The former Kansas forward is working his way back after being away from the team during the preseason.

Next up BYU…
The next test is going to be tonight against the offensive powerhouse that is BYU. The Cougars ae 5-0 with a win over #17 ranked San Diego State. They are averaging over 90 points per game, shooting 48% from the floor and 38% from 3pt range as a team. NC State is picked to lose by almost 7 in this one, but if the defense is a good as I think it is, it’s going to be closer than that for sure.

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A pasta eatin', Wolfpack lovin' loudmouth from Raleigh by way of New Jersey. Jimmy V and Chuck Amato fanboy. All opinions are my own and you're gonna hear'em.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Releases Their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

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12 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s basketball program has announced its non-conference slate for the 2024-25 season, as revealed on Thursday.

The Pack will play eight of its 11 games, in addition to a preseason exhibition, at Reynolds Coliseum. Coming off a historical 2023-24 season that was highlighted by the program’s first Final Four since 1998, second in program history, head coach Wes Moore is entering his 12th season at the helm. With a strong home court advantage, the Pack has accumulated a 117-15 (.886) record at home since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum was completed in August 2016.

NC State will participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship at Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 against opponents that will be announced at a later date. As previously announced, NC State will play the defending NCAA Champion South Carolina at the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 10, as well as host Ole Miss for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The Wolfpack will host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before officially starting the season at home vs. ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Following the Ally Tipoff, NC State will return home to host Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 14.

NC State’s first true road game of the season is at TCU on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Pack will then play Coastal Carolina at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 before its trip to the Bahamas for two games (Nov. 25-27).

The Pack will close out the non-conference slate with four straight games at Reynolds Coliseum, starting with the SEC/ACC Challenge game vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Dec. 5). NC State will then host Old Dominion (Sunday, Dec. 8), Davidson (Wednesday, Dec. 11) and James Madison (Thursday, Dec. 19) to wrap up non-conference play.

With NC State’s known non-conference opponents, six are coming off postseason tournament appearances. Three received NCAA Tournament bids (Kent State, Ole Miss and NCAA Champion South Carolina), two were invited to play in the WBIT (TCU and James Madison) and one played in the WNIT (Old Dominion).

NC State’s Atlantic Coast Conference schedule will be announced by the league office at a later date. NC State will play Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home. The Pack will take on Wake Forest, Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse on the road.

Season tickets are sold out for the 2024-25 season. Tip-off times and television designations will also be released at a later date.

2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Anderson (Exh.)

Tuesday, Nov. 5 – ETSU

Sunday, Nov. 10 – South Carolina $

Thursday, Nov. 14 – Kent State

Sunday, Nov. 17 – at TCU

Thursday, Nov. 21 – Coastal Carolina

Monday, Nov. 25 – Opponent TBD &

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Opponent TBD &

Thursday, Dec. 5 – Ole Miss +

Sunday, Dec. 8 – Old Dominion

Wednesday, Dec. 11 – Davidson

Thursday, Dec. 19 – James Madison

$ – Ally Tipoff (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)

& – Pink Flamingo Championship (Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas)

+ – SEC/ACC Challenge (Raleigh, N.C.)

 

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NC State Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

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2 days ago

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July 24, 2024

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NC State Legend Julius Hodge has been named the Head Coach at Lincoln University.

This marks Hodge’s first stint as a Head Coach.

Hodge has been in the Coaching world since 2015, when he served as Director of Player Development at the University of Buffalo under Bobby Hurley. Then, he spent 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant Coach under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara. From 2018-20, Hodge served as an Assistant Coach at San Jose State. Hodge has spent the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

At NC State, Hodge earned 1st Team All-ACC honors in 2003 & 2004, and 2nd Team honors in 2005. Hodge was named the ACC Player of the Year in ’04. He earned the All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Hodge is 1 of 11 players in NC State history to earn 1st Team All-ACC honors more than once.

His 2,040 career points scored rank 3rd in NC State history. Hodge also ranks 1st in Free Throws Made, 14th in Rebounds, 7th in Offensive Rebounds, 6th in Assists and 7th in Steals.

Congrats Julius! You deserve this!

 

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

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3 days ago

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July 23, 2024

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NC State Men’s Basketball is releasing videos helping fans get to know the new players on the 2024-25 roster.

Below is the video of Freshman Trey Parker (6’1″/178), with a transcript underneath.

“My name is Trey Parker. I’m an incoming Freshman from Fayetteville, North Carolina.” 

“I was recently playing at Overtime Elite. It was a great experience. A whole lot of development and great energy.” 

“Coach Levi (Watkins) recruited me. As soon as I got to the campus, it was a great experience. They just gave me that big inspiration to feel like I’m home, and feel like a great student outside of basketball.”

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pack back in November of 2022. I just felt like it was a great fit for me.”

“Living in North Carolina, and now playing in North Carolina, is a big opportunity. There’s a lot of people from North Carolina looking up to me, and I want to give them what they want to see.” 

“Being close, allows for them to bring the whole city out. It just feels like I’m already at home.” 

“Y’all stay tuned. Showtime is coming this year.”

_______

Parker originally signed with NC State in November of 2022, as a member of the 2023 recruiting class. He decided to reclassify, making him a member of the 2024 class.

Parker is a consensus 3-Star prospect, though 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 4-Star prospect. 247 ranks him as the #135 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #26 Shooting Guard, and the #13 player in the state of Georgia.

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Jersey Numbers for 2024-25 NC State Men’s Basketball Team Revealed

Published

1 week ago

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July 18, 2024

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The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.

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Numbers that are Staying the Same

Michael O’Connell – #12

Ben Middlebrooks – #34

Dennis Parker Jr. – #11

KJ Keatts – #13

Jordan Snell – #22

Numbers that have Changed

Jayden Taylor – #1 –> #8

Breon Pass – #10 –> #4

Numbers of New Players

Mike James – #0 (He wore #0 at Louisville last year)

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – #1 (He wore #5 at Louisville last year)

Paul McNeil – #2 (He wore #2 in High School last year)

Dontrez Styles – #3 (He wore #0 at Georgetown last year)

Trey Parker – #5 (He wore #5 in High School last year)

Marcus Hill – #10 (He wore #0 at Bowling Green last year)

We don’t know what number Ismael Diouf will be wearing at NC State next year yet. 

 

 

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