Lou: All right, hey Wolfpack fans. NC State’s dancing, but they just got handed an 11th seed, first four playing game, and it’s going to be a rematch with Texas. We thought we’d bring on someone who knows a lot about the NCAA tournament. It’s a guy you guys know really well: Casey Morsell, ACC champion, Final Four veteran. Casey, how are you doing? Thanks for joining me.
Casey Morsell: I’m good, man. Thanks for having me. How are you?
Lou: I’m doing good. I thought they were going to have a 9th seed. A couple of the bracketologists said that. Most said 10, but now they ended up with an 11 here—and not just an 11, a play-in game. You’ve been an 11th seed two times, in ’23 and ’24. You played Creighton the first time, and then obviously the big run. Being part of a tournament team as an 11th seed, what do you think is going through the guys’ heads right now?
Casey Morsell: There’s three different types of 11th seeds. That 2023 season, we were 11th seed and really didn’t know if we were in the tournament or not. We went into Selection Sunday not knowing. That season we lost to Clemson three times, and they didn’t make it. Luckily, they announced it early, so it was good to get that off our chest. That’s a completely different vibe than the following season where you know you’re in after winning the ACC. This year’s team has pretty much known they’ve been in. It’s just about where they were going to be seeded. That last stretch of games, every game matters. It truly comes down to the full body of work, but every game—how much you won by—all that stuff is taken into account in the seeding process. That playing game could have had other factors, but I think State kind of did it to themselves.
Lou: I agree. I don’t know if you saw Wade last night—he came on and said kind of the same thing: we did this to ourselves. Someone asked what the locker room was like when they were watching it, and he said it was real quiet, not a word. This team made the tournament this year after not even making the ACC tournament last year, so they’ve improved. But with all the hype—this is the first time State’s won this many road games—they’re probably feeling disappointed. Hopefully it puts a chip on their shoulder.
Casey Morsell: For sure. That’s what you hope for. At the end of the day, this time of year is the test. Think of the regular season like homework—it’s important, but who are you when the exam is put in front of you? It’s all about the habits you’ve built. We’ve all watched the games. Have they improved on some of these habits as time has gone on—not necessarily focusing on wins and losses, but those details? If they’re showing improvement from game to game, they could be really dangerous. But if it’s the same mistakes over and over, you can’t expect a lot in March.
Lou: Coaches always say you can’t flip a switch in the postseason—you have to do everything right throughout the regular season. What’s interesting is I always believed that, then I watched 2024. It seemed like you guys flipped the switch and became one of the top teams in the nation. The talent was always there. What do you think flipped the switch? Did you start believing more or come together?
Casey Morsell: A few things. We’ve always believed—that’s why the season was so tough, because we knew we were at the top of the league in skill set. But we made a huge change in our scheme. We played a lot slower, which is how we were able to play at such a high level throughout that stretch—eliminating full court pressure and using a very reduced lineup. Once we tried out a certain scheme, it helped form a strong identity. What we did offensively always worked for us all year. It was never an offensive thing. It was about reducing the points the other team could score. We were top in the country in defense, holding teams to one shot.
Lou: That makes sense. This offseason we looked at that run using Bart Torvik and KenPom metrics. The pace slowed down, Diarra came in and gave a huge boost rebounding and protecting the rim. Down the stretch you had six or seven of the best defensive efficiency ratings of the season, in line with top-five national averages. You had an elite offense, and with the right scheme, one of the top defenses. You have to have that to reach the Final Four. From what I’m seeing with this team, that’s a challenge on their end—the defensive end. The offensive numbers are high; everyone’s shooting at a high clip, getting good looks. It’s more about can they guard and stop teams? At this point, teams aren’t beating themselves. You can’t give up open threes—guys hit them efficiently in March. You can’t be your own worst enemy.
Casey Morsell: Yeah, it’s a different game.
Lou: You’re known as one of the best defenders in my generation of Wolfpack basketball, especially on the ball. Whoever you were guarding felt taken care of. You guys switched a lot under Keatts. Now under Wade, we see some switching, and parts of the fan base get critical—maybe not understanding what you’re trying to achieve or the flaws you’re covering. Can you talk about that defensive strategy? Early on people criticized it, but with frontcourt guys who are slower, once switched onto, teams got to the rim easy against Darian and Lubin. Why do you think Wade is doing that, and is it the right defense?
Casey Morsell: A big reason is he believes they can really guard the ball. When we played, we never switched with Burns—we did everything to keep him in the paint. We were 50-50 on switching with Mo depending on foul trouble, but for the most part kept a guard or quicker defender on the ball. With this team, they’re switching one through five. It’s mainly because he sees their ability. Darren Williams and Van Allen Lubin are quicker on their feet for their size—they can move. It might be a technique thing or defensive rotation/help defense. Maybe Will Wade doesn’t see it as them not being able to do it.
Lou: They’ve tried everything—switching one through four and dropping Lubin, zone, pressing, not pressing. Can you take fans through switching? You’re guarding your guy, a screen comes—walk us through what’s going on, how you decide.
Casey Morsell: That’s what you work on in practice—who’s getting switched on whom in all situations. When it comes to switches, a common thing is the ghost screen—a fake screen. It’s very common, especially guard-to-guard or with a four who can shoot. Most of the time it’s a call—you have to know that person’s voice. Moe was easy because he didn’t speak much English, so you knew it was him. You just know who it is and communicate. If a guard gets switched onto a big, the big is most of the time trying to post up or seal to take that role so the guard doesn’t stay on the bigger offensive player.
Lou: A lot of times talk about this is general, but people want the intricacies. There’ve been stretches where this team has defended at top-15 level, then turns around and looks porous against Notre Dame or a team you should smother. To me, a lot is communication—ghost screens where both go and leave someone open, or Lubin on a guard, throw down low, double, slow rotation or no communication. Is it less physical and more communication?
Casey Morsell: It’s a mix of both—you have to acknowledge it. Communication is definitely important and lacking. You can tell they haven’t spent much time around each other on or off the court—they’re still learning each other. With this NIL era, some teams pick it up quick, others don’t. Physically matters too—you need guys who can deflect shots, make them tough around the rim. Mo was huge for us as a shot blocker, making shots uncomfortable for guards. Having a group that finishes possessions—gang rebound, holding teams to one and done—matters. Multiple possessions add up in close games against Georgia Techs and Notre Dames. They don’t have a true shot blocker. It makes a huge difference—someone who can send stuff to the bleachers. They hoped Sonya would give rim protection, but with a 6’6″ four and 6’8″ five, neither anchors the floor. If you added that, this team would be very hard to score on. It changes the game. A lot of guys on this team drive, like to get to the basket. With a shot blocker lurking—like UVA’s—you have to have a plan B. You have to make shots because drives get deflected.
Lou: Have you filled out a bracket yet?
Casey Morsell: I need to. I was going to wait until after a few games tomorrow. I always do two brackets—one where I put State all the way because if they don’t win and I didn’t pick them, I’ll regret it.
Lou: Let’s close with what you’re doing now. You’re still in the area, which is awesome. Tell everyone what you’re up to, and talk about your camp.
Casey Morsell: I’m still in the Raleigh area. My day-to-day is commercial real estate. I call games here and there at night, so I stay around the game and know a lot that’s going on in the league. For the camp: I have a basketball camp August 3rd through the 7th this year. I started it when I was a player at State. It began as a way for kids to connect with players beyond a typical meet-and-greet. It grew organically—success on the court helped—and we’ve sold out all four years. We do it right on campus at Carmichael, so it’s 100% authentic NC State basketball.
Lou: What ages?
Casey Morsell: Eight to 14. We cut it off at 14 because after that you’re considered a recruit.
Lou: It sounds cool—you give them the real college experience: film room, weight training.
Casey Morsell: We wanted a full college experience as a student-athlete. We also want them to know there are other components in basketball. The chances of making Division I are slim, so we put them in film sessions, have former State players teach fundamentals and coach them all week—they build relationships. They meet athletic trainers, nutritionists, team doctors, strength coaches, media from WRAL and ABC 11. They’re exposed to all these in one week. We want them to see there’s more to be around the game.
Lou: People want to sign up—is it sold out?
Casey Morsell: We’re close, so sign up fast. It’s at morsellaccess.com.
Lou: We’ll put the link in the post. Last thing: State-Texas game. We’ve seen it once—what’s your thoughts? How do you think it’ll play out?
Casey Morsell: I’m going with State getting out of Dayton. They’ve had some time—good practices heading in. If Snell feels good about it, I feel good about it.
Lou: Hey Casey, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck with the camp. Hopefully we’ll see you back here soon after the next round. Good luck and we’ll get that thing filled up.
Casey Morsell: Appreciate that, Lou. All right.
