Connect with us

NC State Basketball

NC State 78 Virginia Tech 84: BY THE NUMBERS

Published

3 months ago

on

NC State fell to 13-5 (5-2) overall today, falling to Virginia Tech (11-7/3-4) 78-84 at home. Here’s a look at the loss BY THE NUMBERS.

  • Virginia Tech shot right at 10% better than NC State.
    • The Hokies shot 53.1% and the Wolfpack shot 43.3%.
    • This marks only the 3rd time this season that NC State has allowed their opponent to shoot 50%+ from the field.
      • The Wolfpack has lost 2 of those 3 games (Lost to BYU/Beat Saint Louis).
    • I don’t have the exact numbers on this, but NC State got beat off the dribble all game long, giving up easy baskets at the rim.
      • The Hokies scored 32 points in the paint (so did NC State).
  • NC State turned the ball over 18 times, which is the most in a single game this season.
    • One of the Wolfpack’s strengths this season has been taking care of the basketball, but after further analysis, against good competition, that strength has waned.
      • Against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents, NC State is averaging 11.5 turnovers per game.
    • DJ Horned had 4, and DJ Burns and Ben Middlebrooks both had 3 each.
  • The Hokies scored 51 points in the 2nd half, which is the most points scored by an opponent in the 2nd half all season.
    • VT shot 63% from the field in the 2nd, and 50% from three.
    • In my opinion, and I mean no disrespect to the Hokies, this was a result of poor defense by the Wolfpack.
      • I don’t have the numbers, but way too many of VT’s shots were blow bys or wide open threes.
  • Casey Morsell led the Wolfpack in scoring with 19 points, shooting 4 of 7 from the field, 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, and 9 of 10 from the free throw line.
  • DJ Horne had 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field, and 3 of 7 from three.
  • Jayden Taylor was the only other player in double digits, scoring 15 points, but his 4 of 12 shooting leaves something to be desired.
    • NC State was -10 with Taylor on the court, which was the worst on the team.
    • The half-court offense didn’t move well with Taylor on the court today, and that had to do with his over dribbling, and his poor shot selection.
  • Michael O’Connell had 5 assists and 1 turnover.
  • Kevin Keatts continues to keep me curious when it comes to player rotation.
    • Breon Pass played 2 minutes at the end of the 1st half today, which was his first time seeing the court since December 23rd.
    • On the other hand, MJ Rice hasn’t played in the past two games, and only played 2 minutes against Louisville.
    • LJ Thomas hasn’t played since December 23rd.

Related Topics:

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

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Basketball

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

Published

1 day ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

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

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

2 days ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

2 days ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

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:

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

3 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

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

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

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.

Continue Reading