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NC State Flys Past Syracuse in the 2nd Round of the ACCT, Crushing the Orange 83-65

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2 months ago

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After leading by 3 at the half, 35-32, NC State exploded in the 2nd half, crushing the Orange 83-65 in the 2nd round of the ACC Tournament this evening. At one point in the 2nd half, the Wolfpack went on a 21-2 run. For crying out loud, with 2:50 left in the contest, NC State led by 24 points.

After not playing in yesterdays victory over Louisville, All-ACC Guard DJ Horne came off the bench in the first half at the 15:38 mark. Horne didn’t score a single point in the first half, missing the two shots he took. After halftime, it was a different story, with Horne scoring 16 points in the 2nd half, making 6 of 11.

The Wolfpack didn’t shoot the ball as well as the Orange (42.4%/46.6%), but there were three areas in which NC State blew Syracuse out of the water that led them to victory.

NC State scored 30 points off of Syracuse’s 19 turnovers, which is the most turnovers forced by the Pack all season (the Orange scored 9 off of 10 TO’s).

NC State scored 20 second chance points off of 17 offensive boards, which marks a season high for the Pack (the Orange scored 7 off of 8 Offensive boards).

NC State made 20 free throws (Syracuse made 5).

It’s crazy…yesterday NC State scored the most points they have scored all year, and today the recorded season highs in offensive boards and turnovers forced.

Junior Jayden Taylor led the Wolfpack in scoring for the 2nd straight game, putting 18 points in the box score, making 6 of 12 from the field, and 3 of 7 from three.

Senior Michael O’Connell scored 16 points for the 2nd straight game.

Senior D.J. Burns was solid, scoring 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while grabbing 6 boards.

Junior Mohamed Diarra, who is fasting while honoring Ramadan, didn’t look weak at all, snagging 14 rebounds (7 offensive), which is the most rebounds by a Wolfpack player in the ACC Tournament since 2012 (CJ Leslie). The big fella also led NC State with 6 assists.

NC State was a 1.5-point underdog, and they covered the spread quite handedly.

The Wolfpack will look to ride significant momentum into tomorrows quarterfinal matchup against #2 seed Duke at 7pm.

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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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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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1 day 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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2 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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2 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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NC State Basketball

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

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3 days 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.

 

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.

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