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Quick Hits from NC State’s 103-71 win over SC State

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  • Final score was NC State 103-71. NC State moves to 7-2 on the season.
  • On a play midway through the first half, SC State player Tyvoris Solomon collapsed near his team’s bench, suffering from what seems to have been a heart attack. First responders administered CPR but things weren’t looking good for a bit. The defibulator was used and likely saved his life. He is stable and at Rex Hospital.
  • Torin Dorn, Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven combined to go 23-24 (96%) from the floor for 52 points. This is the 4th game in a row that the NC State frontcourt was nearly unstoppable. You can see the guards beginning to trust and understand just how good these bigs are.
  • For the second game in a row, NC State shot it well from 3pt range. They hit 9-21 (43%) from downtown. Freeman led the way going 3-5, Beverly was 3-7, Hunt was 2-6 and Markell knocked down his one and only attempt.
  • NC State turned SC State over 18 times but did turn it over 16 times themselves. Defensively, as a whole, this team was great. They were in passing lanes, the energy was up and there was rarely an east shot while the main rotation guys were still in there.
  • Dorn had another big night on the boards. He actually finished with a double-double. 16 points and 10 boards.
  • Yurtseven followed his great performance vs Penn State with another confidence builder in this one. He had 17 points to go along with 8 boards.
  • State finished with 29 assists on 37 field goals today. That’s the most assists ever at the PNC. The single-game record for NC State is 35. That was against Wake Forest in 1983.
  • I’m not sure how much you can learn from this game. SC State was severely undersized and really didn’t have the talent to hang with State. They also saw one of their friends nearly pass away in the first half. I don’t know how you can come back and really compete at a high level after that. You have to tip their cap to them for voting to come back on the floor and finish the game.
  • If there are any takeaways it should be that this team shot it well from outside and really came out of the gate with intensity (especially for it being a noon start).
  • Abu sat again with a sore knee. I don’t believe we’ll see him back out there for another 2 weeks. That’s just our guess.
  • Next up for the Pack is a home game vs. UMKC on Sat. Dec 9th at 2pm. They have a week off to rest up and get healthy.

NC State Basketball

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

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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

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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

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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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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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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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