NC State Wolfpack vs. UNCG Spartans Gametime: 12:00 pm TV: Fox Sports South Streaming: Watch ESPN App Location: PNC Arena (Raleigh, NC)
Get to know the UNC Greensboro Spartans… Former UNC guard Wes Miller is in his 6th year as the head coach of the Spartans and it looks like he’s finally breaking through.
After finishing 1st in the Southern Conference in Miller’s first season, UNCG kind of level off, finishing no better than 5th over the past 4 years. During that time, however, Miller has been building. This season, all that building may be paying off.
The Spartans come in 7-3, and although they don’t have any standout wins, it’s their losses that speak the loudest.
Of their 3 losses, 2 have been to ACC teams. They dropped their season opener 60-48 to UVA, they lost by 5 to Wake and their only other loss came on the road to Presbyterian, and that was decided by a single jumper.
This is a team that stresses defense and really gets at it. They are going to pick you up beyond the half court line and throw an array of traps at you. They’ve been pretty successful defensively this season. They rank 6th in scoring defense, 12th in steals per game and 15th in guarding the 3 ball.
Offensively They really rely on 6’3 junior, Francis Alonso (18ppg). He’s a dead-eye shooter from Spain who, despite taking 83 3s already this season, is still shooting 45% from downtown. It’s not some early season hot streak either. As a sophomore Alonso scored 15 ppg, shot 221 3s and knocked down 46% of them.
See him in action below.
What to watch for from NC State… Don’t get it twisted. This is a tough matchup for NC State.
They need to come out strong and hit UNCG in the mouth, because if the Spartans start believing they can win, then watch out. They have good shooters and strong bigs, they are relentless on defense and aren’t afraid to get physical. All the stats point to this being a dogfight.
Watch for NC State go really stress scoring in transition. The Spartans are going to try to speed them up, but the Pack is used to playing at breakneck speeds. Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn could thrive in this one, because of that.
Yurtseven, Freeman and Abu are also going to be key factors in this one. While this may not be a game played in the half court, it will be a game that is heavily influenced by who controls the boards. If State can hold the Spartans off the offensive glass and turn that into transition buckets, they win. If UNCG is able to win the 2nd chance points battle, then this one could be very close.
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)
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.
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.
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.
