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NC State Basketball

SCOUTING PURDUE: You have to guard us too, pal!

Published

4 weeks ago

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Look, this entire game is about dealing with Zach Edey.

We’ve already talked a little bit about how you might try to defend him. All of those options are less than ideal for NC State. However, offensively they might have a clear advantage.

Lure Edey out of the paint

Edey likes to sit in the middle of the lane and block shots. He helps forgive a lot of sins from the Purdue guards. NC State has an athletic advantage at every position 1 through 4. But even if they get into the lane, Edey is there to alter or block anything around the rim. So what do you do?

Well, Edey can’t block shots if he’s not in the paint.

It’s not like others teams haven’t tried this. They have. Purdue has faced teams with more versatile centers, and smaller teams with 5’s who can shoot and extend the defense. But that puts Edey into a position where he has to sit down and guard face to face. He’s actually pretty good at that. He’s not super quick, but he’s quick enough to cut off a driver. This is because he doesn’t have to press up to pressure a jumper. He’s 7’4, he can play 2 steps off and still have length to contest.

DJ Burns, however, poses a challenge on defense that we haven’t seen Edey deal with yet. There is no way Purdue is going to double Burns with the 7’4 Edey guarding him. Because of this Burns is going to have time to operate, and when Burns has time to operate, good things happen.

NC State likes to get the ball to Burns just inside the 3 point line on the wing, and from there he starts backing down. Now, it will be interesting to see how Edey defends this. If he, like every other big that has defended Burns this season, presses up and allows Burns to start his back down from the 3 point line, the middle of the floor becomes wide open. Edey is now out of the picture for protecting the rim. Edey isn’t that quick, he needs space to allow his height to make up for that fact, so Burns quick spins, out of the back-down, will be a problem for him.

But any time Burns gets around Edey he’s still tall enough to come over the top and block the shot from behind. Every time Burns gets a step on Edey he’ll need to purposely hesitate, create contact to create space, and then finish.

Guards need to capitalize

Meanwhile, the NC State guards are going to need to capitalize on their opportunities. Purdue has high IQ guards on the perimeter, but they don’t have athletes. NC State’s guards are going to have the quickness advantage and this is going to lead to them getting open looks. This is certainly a DJ Horne game. he’s going to need to play well if the Pack is going to pull off this upset and keep this miracle run alive.

Purdue isn’t like a lot of teams that work to take away your 3 pointer off the pick and roll. They won’t be hedging up and cutting off the ball handler, instead they like to drop back into the paint and stop the roll. This creates a window for Horne to either get off a 3 ball (if they go under) or turn the corner for a pull-up jumper.

I’ll go as far as to say that DJ Horne is the x-factor in today’s game. A big game from Horne and NC State will be in position to beat Purdue. If Horne struggles with his shot and can’t get going, this could be a long one for NC State.

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A pasta eatin', Wolfpack lovin' loudmouth from Raleigh by way of New Jersey. Jimmy V and Chuck Amato fanboy. All opinions are my own and you're gonna hear'em.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
26 days ago

Purdue fans are obnoxious. What a waste of time and money. KK needs to get a big than can score. It changes the entire game

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
26 days ago

Couldn’t throw it in the ocean tonight.

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Dof87
Dof87
26 days ago

Let’s go Pack!

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travelwolf
travelwolf
26 days ago

Right on… If he is hitting his push shots, we have a chance.

1

NC State Basketball

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

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10 hours 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

Published

15 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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1 day 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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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2 days 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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