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Gameday Cheatsheet: How does NC State match up against undefeated Ole Miss?

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5 months ago

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The Game:
NC State (4-1) is in Mississippi to take on the Rebels of Ole Miss, who are currently undefeated at 5-0.

How to Watch:
Tip-off is at 9 pm EST and the game is televised on EPSN2.

The Odds:
Ole Miss may be slight Vegas favorites (-1.5) against the Pack, but KenPom’s data says NC State wins this one by 3.

The Records Coming In:
The Rebels might be 5-0 but that record might be a little deceiving, seeing as their largest margin of victory is only 10 points, and that was at home against Alabama St. They then beat Eastern Washington by 9, Detroit Mercy by 1, and Same Houston State by 3 (All 3 at home). They then traveled to Temple (who had just lost to Columbia), and beat them by only 1.

So, yeah, Ole Miss is winning games, but none of those wins are all that convincing, and their Strength of Schedule currently sits at 215 out of 362. Meanwhile, the Pack is 4-1 with their strength of schedule sitting at 68th.

Getting to know Ole Miss:
If you want to get a good idea of the type of game the Rebels like to play, check out these highlights from their 1 point win over Temple just a week ago.

They are an experienced, guard-oriented team led by 6’6″ Senior Allen Flanigan, 6’4″ Senior Matthew Murrell and 5’11” Junior Jaylen Murray. They also rely on 6’4″ Sophomore TJ Caldwell coming off the bench for outside shooting.

The guys you need to worry about from beyond the arc are Murray and Cladwell, and while Flanigan is leading the team at 50% from long range, he’s only 4-8 on the season, meaning he doesn’t like to rely on the 3 for his points. Flanigan is going to put pressure on the defense by driving to the rim and finishing in traffic.

Inside, the Rebels rely on 6’8″ Senior Jaemyn Brakefield and 7’5″ (yes, you read that right) Senior Jamarion Sharp. Neither guy is really a banger, and despite being super tall, Sharp is pretty frail and easily moved around under the hoop.

How NC State matches up:
This is a pretty good matchup for NC State. There really isn’t a true mismatch anywhere on the court. While a lot of teams may have trouble with the 3 guard lineup that Ole Miss will put out there, Keatts is also going to be running 3 guards out there. Brakefield is going to play a majority of the minutes at the 4, but the combo of Diarra and Parker should be able to handle him just fine. Meanwhile, at the 5, Sharpe will likely play most of the minutes, but he’s going to struggle against Burns, who has 40 pounds on him.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
5 months ago

Fire KK. He is useless. His style will not win.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
5 months ago

Looks like, not at all.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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5 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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4 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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5 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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NC State Basketball

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

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5 days 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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