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NC State takes on Louisville Sunday at 1 o’clock with coverage on the ACC Network. Louisville has been tough to beat at home with an 11-1 record. What are the keys to the game for NC State to gain another big ACC road victory?

The Pack must handle Louisville’s full-court press with patience and look to attack.

The Cardinals are among the best defensive teams in the country as they look to force teams out of their comfort zone with full-court hard-nosed defense. NC State will need to attack the press looking to score at the rim. Ball fakes can be helpful in beating a press because defenders gamble to make steals to create turnovers. The Wolfpack must capitalize when Louisville over commits on defense by attacking the rim. NC State needs a team effort to beat the pressure and cannot just look to Smith to do it all. The Pack’s chances of beating Louisville will come down to their ability to handle the press; if they control turnovers and attack they have an opportunity notch another road win.

Rebounds will be a huge factor for NC State if they are going to win.

Louisville is one of the premier rebounding teams in the NCAA. They average 41.8 RPG and are plus 7.3 in rebounding margin. NC State has got to find a way to compete on the glass if they are going to upset the Cards at home. It will be interesting to see if the pairing of Malik Abu and Ted Kapita can yield another strong effort as it did aginst Duke. Ted Kapita is willing to do all the dirty work underneath and that will be needed to combat Louisville’s length. NC State has to limit Louisville on the offensive glass to prevent easy second chance baskets. The Pack will need to be physical by putting a body on a player at all times because the Cardinals are too long and athletic to out jump.

Defensively NC State will need to force Donovan Mitchell into contested jump shots.

Dennis Smith will have the challenge of stopping Mitchell as Gottfried has used him to defend opposing teams best players. Mitchell is best at getting into the lane and finishing near the rim; however, he is less efficient shooting off the bounce. Smith needs to be physical with Mitchell taking away dribble penetration forcing him into contested two-pointers. With second-leading scorer, Quentin Snider out due to injury the Cards has relied heavily on Mitchell. NC State can cause Louisville to struggle offensively if they take away Mitchell.

NC State has a great opportunity to improve their resume for the NCAA tournament by beating another ranked foe on the road. The Pack must have toughness and desire to win. Malik Abu’s cannot get into foul trouble because NC State needs his rebounding and scoring. The Pack will need everyone pulling in the same direction to knock off a tough Louisville team at home. Game time is Sunday at 1 o’clock with coverage on The ACC Network.

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Ballerman4452
Ballerman4452
7 years ago

Here’s some things I’ve noticed.

1. Lack of leadership: Dennis smith has done his best, but realistically you can only expect so much from an 18 year old freshman.
2. Torin Dorn’s Devolution: This one is partially not Dorn’s fault as his minutes have fallen drastically since Yurtseven and rowan were inserted in the mix, even getting a season low of 9 minutes in the Pittsburgh game.

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Ballerman4452
Ballerman4452
7 years ago
Reply to  Ballerman4452

Continued from above.

3. Yurtseven (unfortunately) being overrated: This is not saying he’s bad, not by any means. But his transition from the European style of play has been more turbulent than we as fans envisioned.
4. Strength of Acc : This may sound like a cop-out, but the ACC is slowly becoming like the NBA in the sense that if your team has a bad night, standings go out the door.

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RizDolla
RizDolla
7 years ago

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!

2
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.

0
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!

0

NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

Published

11 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

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

Published

1 day ago

on

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

1 day ago

on

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

Published

2 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

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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