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The Starting 5 – The Top 5 NC State vs. Tennessee Storylines

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9 years ago

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1. ‘GOTT’ HISTORY WITH TENNESSEE
Mark Gottfried is certainly familiar with the Tennessee Volunteers, having fashioned a 16-6 combined record against Tennessee as both a player and head coach. He was 9-5 against UT as coach at Alabama after winning six of seven vs. Tennessee as an Alabama player (1984-87). Gottfried captured two important wins over Tennessee when UT was highly-ranked. His Bama squad beat No. 7 Tennessee 80-75 on Feb. 26, 2000. When Bruce Pearl had Tennessee ranked No. 8, Gottfried defeated the Vols 92-79 in Tuscaloosa. Gottfried had a 6-0 record vs. Tennessee when UT was coached by Buzz Peterson. Last season, Gottfried’s team won 65-58 in Knoxville,
a key road win that bolstered NC State’s tournament profile in March.

2. #TLACEY BOUNCED BACK
NC State’s leading scorer, Trevor Lacey, missed last Friday’s game vs. Charleston Southern with an ankle injury. He returned two days later vs. Wofford and scored 18
points on 8-for-12 shooting, with many of those shots being contested. He came less than a tenth of a second from finishing with 21 points and a game-winning buzzer
beater in the wild finish last Sunday vs. Wofford.

3. ACC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Caleb Martin, a 6-6 freshman from Mocksville, N.C., was voted ACC Freshman of the Week after a career-best outing last Friday night. Martin posted career highs of
17 points and seven rebounds in NC State’s 86-50 win over Charleston Southern. For the week, Martin averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games.

4. OPPONENTS FEELING REJECTED
NC State is among the national leaders in blocked shots. The Wolfpack is currently first in the ACC and sixth in the nation with 6.90 blocked shots per game. NCSU
is led in this area by BeeJay Anya, who stands fourth in the country with 3.7 blocks per game. Earlier this season, Anya set a school record with 10 rejections in the
Pack’s win over Jacksonville. The Pack blocked 14 shots in that game and have six additional outings with six or more blocks.

5. TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
NC State is fifth in the ACC committing just 10.9 turnovers per contest. What’s more is that the Wolfpack ranks 23rd in the nation in turnover percentage (16.2%).
That means NC State turns the ball over roughly once in every six possessions. That 16.2 percent mark ranks third in the ACC (behind Duke and Notre Dame).

 

 

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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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22 mins 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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12 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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13 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’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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23 hours 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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