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Game Day: Wolfpack Opens Season Vs. Jackson St.

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9 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Jackson St Tigers
7pm – PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC
ESPN3 / WatchESPN App

NC State opens the season against Jackson State tonight at 7pm at the PNC Arena. Jackson State is coming off of an 11-20 season from a year ago in which they really didn’t have any quality wins. Their player to watch is junior guard and Arkensas transfer, Julysses Nobles who averaged 15ppg last season.

For the Pack, this should be your usual early season tune-up, however there is certainly a lot to watch for. Recently in practice Gottfried has been preaching unselfishness and togetherness. I think that is a key early this season. While this team may not have any true elite scorers, they do have a lot of very interesting pieces that could fit together rather nicely if the chemistry works.

Here are 3 things we’ll be watching for today:

1. Rotation- This is something we were watching closely in the scrimmage, but in the first real game tonight I think we’ll get to see a clearer picture of what Gottfried is planning to do. Will Lennard Freeman continue to start or will Anya move into that role. And if Caleb Martin continues to flash the type of talent he did last weekend, who’ s minutes will he be stealing.

2. Defense- I think this team has the chance to be a very special defensive team. They have the depth, they have the quickness at every position and they definitely have the length. The 30 turnovers they forced in the scrimmage was an eye-popping state, but that was against a D2 team. Tonight I really would like to see the same type of intensity and focus on the defensive end. This team is going to have to embrace that identity if they want to be in the ACC picture this season.

3. Barber and Washington– These two guys are our X-factors this season. Sure, Lacey and Turner may lead the team in scoring but if State wants to win they need Cat and Kyle to grow up fast. For Barber it’s just about finding his style of play. He’s played his whole life as a scorer, but if he wants to be a next level player he’ll need to become a floor general and distributor first and a scorer only when his team needs him. This means moving the ball faster and not having so many end of the shot clock situations where he just drives into the trees and forces a shot. I think and hope we’ll see the maturation of Barber early this season. Hopefully it starts tonight.

For Washington it’s not about ‘want-to’, this kid has that by the boatload. What Washington has to work on is shot selection and game flow. He’s the motor that’s going to keep this team going and when he’s hitting he’s going to be able to put up points, but he’ll need to pick and choose when to pull up and when to attack the glass.

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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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3 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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15 hours 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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16 hours 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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