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NC State Advances to the Elite 8 for the First Time Since 1986 with a 67-58 Win Over Marquette

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1 month ago

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#11 seed NC State dominated #2 seed Marquette to the tune of 67-58 this evening in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1986.

The Wolfpack have now won 8 games in a row, with that streak beginning on Tuesday, the first day of the ACC Tournament.

At the 15:51 mark in the 1st half, NC State took the lead, and they never let go of it.

The Wolfpack led by 13 at halftime, and led by as much as 16 in the 2nd half.

Senior DJ Horne was unflappable. Marquette’s defense was swarming him, but Horne’s pure determination led him to finish with 19 points, hitting 4 of his 7 three pointers.

Senior Casey Morsell put together one the best games of the season when it mattered most, scoring 15 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field. The point total doesn’t tell it all. It was when he made the baskets as well. Morsell’s defense was once again integral to an NC State win.

Junior Mohamed Diarra posted a double-double for the 4th straight game, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds. He has now grabbed 10+ rebounds in 7 straight games.

Senior DJ Burns might have only had 4 points, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t stop him from impacting the game. Burns led NC State with 7 assists.

In the final 4 minutes of the game, with Marquette chipping away at the lead, Horne and Senior Michael O’Connell both hit three’s, and Morsell made a clutch acrobatic layup.

The Wolfpack Guards weren’t about to allow Marquette to take away what had been in their hands nearly all game long.

NC State’s defense was outstanding, holding the Golden Eagles to 33.3% shooting from the field, which was their 3rd worst shooting performance of the year. The Wolfpack’s physicality on defense was rattling, and they switched and communicated to perfection when the Golden Eagles brought screens.

NC State will play the winner of Houston (#1 seed) and Duke (#4 seed).

The Wolfpack doesn’t look like a Cinderella team. They are playing with as much poise and confidence as any team in this tournament.

NC State doesn’t look like they are trying to prove they belong. They are playing like they know they do.

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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

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

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4 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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18 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 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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