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NC State Basketball

Common Denominators in Purdue’s 4 Losses

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4 weeks ago

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#11 seed NC State will look to pull of yet another upset in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow night, as the Wolfpack look to take down #1 seed Purdue.

Purdue is 33-4 on the year. What have been common denominators in the Boilermakers’ 4 losses?

Limit Purdue’s Guards

More than likely Zach Edey is going to get his points. In the Boilermakers’ 4 losses, Edey averaged 25 points per game. Your best bet is to keep him off the free throw line. In two of their losses, he shot less than 10 free throws.

If you shutting down Edey isn’t the key to victory, then stopping the Boilermakers’ trio of guards is.

Purdue has 3 guards that average double figures: Braden Smith (12.2), Lance Jones (11.8) and Fletcher Loyer (10.6). These guys get most of their points shooting from three. Loyer shoots 44.1% from three, and 47.1% of his shots have been from beyond the arc. Smith shoots 43.9% from three, and 33.2% of his shots have been from beyond the arc. Jones shoots 35.5% from deep, but shoots more long balls than anyone else, shooting 59.8% from three.

In the Wolfpack’s 4 victories in the NCAA Tournament, they have done an incredible job playing on-the-ball defense, aren’t gambling in the passing lanes, and are switching well. Their opponents have been gunning it from three, but are shooting a miserable 23.9% from deep.

On the year, Purdue is shooting an incredible 40.8% from three. In their 4 losses, they shot 33.8%.

Prevent the guard trio from lighting it up from deep, and this game is winnable.

Opponents Turnovers

In the Boilermakers’ 4 losses, they weren’t able to force their opponents to turn the ball over, averaging only 5.5 forced turnovers.

NC State ranks 12th in college basketball in turnovers committed, turning the ball over only 9.5 times per game.

Turnovers

Purdue averaged 14.75 turnovers in their 4 losses. On the year, the Boilermakers average 11.3.

 

 

 

 

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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

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

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5 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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17 hours 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 Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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18 hours 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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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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