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Gameday: Wolfpack Takes On Charleston Southern

Published

9 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs Charleston Southern Buccaneers
7pm | Reynolds Coliseum | ESPN3 |

NC State comes off what seemed like a long exam week to take on a pretty gritty 5-2 Charleston Southern team.

The Buccaneers already have a quality win with their season opener buzzer-beating win over Ole Miss. They also nearly knocked off FSU (lost by 10) in Tallahassee. So as you can see, this is no team to scoff at. The good news for the Pack is that they have already played a few very competitive games thus far. Their close loss against Purdue and their recent win over Wake Forest should have this team really starting to kick into gear right now.

Players to Watch for Charleston Southern
This team is led by senior guard Saah Nimley. The diminuative guard is putting up a surprising 16 points per game. After starting the season in a slump he’s been on fire as of late, scoring over 20 in 3 of his last 4 games. At 5’8 , 160lbs, he’s super small, but also very quick, changes directions and speeds well, while also being a great shooter. Although it seems like a guy that could be bottled up easily by State’s size, this will be a task for Cat Barber. Barber will have to really focus on his on the ball defense, keeping Nimley out of the lane where he can create havoc, while also closing out on him and not allowing him to get open looks from the perimeter.

Keys to the game for NC State
Keys today will to be bottling up Nimley, but also keeping the Bucs off the glass. This team is pulling down 44 boards per game and they are gritty on the glass. State is going to have to stay out of foul trouble (Beejay!) and really fight for 50/50 balls. Charleston Southern is a senior led team that wants to make a real run in the Big South. They are going to come into the PNC with confidence that they can walk out with a win thanks to their  upset of Ole Miss. State is going to have to really focus on running their offense, staying patient and using their size and length to really bother the Bucs.

 

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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3 hours ago

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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

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16 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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