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NC State travels to Louisville to try and gain back to back road wins aginst ranked opponents. Game time is Sunday at 1 o’clock with coverage on the ACC Network. What do you need to know about Louisville before tipoff?

Louisville’s defense is relentless at applying pressure.

Rick Pitino likes to force teams into turnovers by having his team press full court from start to finish. They use this tactic to speed their opponents up, forcing them to turn the ball over. Louisville is plus 3.3 in turnover margin thus far. Another characteristic of the Cards defense is rim protection. Louisville averages 6.2 BPG which ranks 6th in the NCAA. The Cards ability to erase and alter shots allows them to be aggressive on the perimeter. 62.2 PPG is all opponents are averaging when playing aginst Louisville.

The Cards are 4-1 in their last five games.

Despite injuries to Quentin Snider and most recently Tony Hicks Louisville has held things together. Their lone loss was a five-point defeat at FSU. Rick Pitino has used his team’s depth and do it all guard Donovan Mitchell to keep them on track. Last game Mitchell had a big game scoring 29 points on 9-13 shooting. He also knocked down 6-8 three-pointers.

Rebounding is a strength for the Cards.

Rick Pitino’s team excel at effort statistics. This season they are averaging 41.8 RPG good enough to be ranked 5th in the NCAA. Team’s struggle to keep pace with the Cards on the glass as Louisville sports a plus 7.3 rebounding margin on the season. The Cards find extra possessions because they attack the offensive glass averaging 14 offensive rebounds per game. Opposing teams are forced to execute and shoot high percentages to beat the Cards as they cut off second chance points. In two of their three ACC losses, they have lost the rebounding battle.

Louisville is having a solid season as they are 17-4, 5-3 in ACC play. Rick Pitino’s teams play hard and excel at outworking teams. They fight hard defensively and are as tough as any team on the glass. Adversity has struck this team as they have had to play without leader Quentin Snider; however, each player has stepped up to keep winning. Offensively Louisville likes to play fast as they use their defensive pressure to force quick offense. Out rebounding and creating turnovers are a great recipe for winning and Louisville is great at both. They will try and force their style of play on NC State in hopes they can create lots of turnovers and easy baskets. Game time is Sunday at 1 o’clock with coverage on The ACC Network.

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RizDolla
RizDolla
7 years ago

I haven’t posted in awhile because there really isn’t a reason to. But I do want to ask Packinsider this. Is this comedy show (like the rest of the games) still the players fault, lack of leadership on the court etc etc. Or is Mark just a bad coach and not ACC ready? Lets be honest.. If you have in past post I apologize I haven’t been back to your site in awhile.

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RizDolla
RizDolla
7 years ago
Reply to  RizDolla

List of ACC coaches Mike K. , Roy W., Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, Jim Larrañaga, Leonard Hamilton, Danny Manning,Mike Brey, Tony Bennett (Va.) just in case you didn’t know and this is to name a few. We lost to other programs with less “notable” coaches if Im not mistaken. If we want to win be able to compete and not lose players. FIRE GOTT HE GOTT TO GO. This will be my last post waste of time!

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Tyler White
Tyler White
7 years ago
Reply to  RizDolla

@rizdolla I think it is a combination of a lot of factors. There is no consistency across the board. The players haven’t played with the needed energy and focus on getting stops. Offensively there is not much movement at all which can be attributed to the scheme. Defensively they are dead last giving up 84.4 PPG any team will struggle to win allowing 84.4 points a game.

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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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13 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 Basketball

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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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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