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NC State Basketball

Bearcats romp Pack 76-60

Published

9 years ago

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The Cincinnati Bearcats took advantage of a sluggish and sloppy NC State team today. This is one of the most disappointing losses under Coach Gottfried since his arrival in 2010. You could tell how frustrated Gottfried was from his post game court-side interview with Tony Haynes and Gary Hahn. He started his interview by apologizing to the Wolfpack faithful and wished he could give them their money back to ease the pain of such an awful performance. He was consistent in his comments on how the team lacked enthusiasm, energy, and pride. These comments are unfortunately true! Some 17,000 Wolfpack fans were in attendance despite the awkward start time only to leave disappointed. Coach Gottfried took part of the blame but I will pin this loss on the players. I find it puzzling how Coach Gottfried can display so much desire and energy on the sidelines yet our players show up lethargic as well as emotionless. College basketball is too competitive of a landscape to not show up with energy. NC State will have the same result every game if they do not play with energy…a loss, it’s that simple.

Today NC State allowed the Bearcats to force them into 13 turnovers which resulted in an early hole for the Pack. To compound the problem State was out-rebounded 31-26 by the Bearcats. Defensively the Wolfpack could not string together any stops as the Bearcats shot 53 % from the field. State found some energy as they were able to claw their way back late in the second half. Twice the Pack cut the lead to 10 but once again couldn’t get enough stops to get within single digits.

Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner both turned in their worst performances of the season. The duo combined for a total of 11 points and 5 turnovers. It was a strange outing for both players as they looked unsure for most of the night. Ralston only attempted 4 shots while Lacey went 1-8 from the field. NC State will not be successful if these two players do not play up to their ability. I will chalk up the outing by Lacey as a fluke. No one is immune to an off-night, sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go down. I believe in Trevor and know he will bounce back against Pittsburgh this coming Saturday. Also look for Gottfried to run some plays early for Ralston in an attempt to get him going. State is a completely different team when his shots are falling.

There really isn’t much to be gained from a performance like this. It is what it is…A bad loss. The season can go one of two ways from this point on. Either the team will rally together and play with heart, enthusiasm, and energy that is needed to compete and be successful, or they can continue to go through the motions and get their tails whipped. There really isn’t any middle ground. Saturday will be a great barometer for the rest of the season. I have faith the Pack will come out and play inspired basketball and will display great energy and positive attitudes in order to beat Pitt.

Tip-Off is slated for 12PM at the PNC, if you cannot make it out be sure to catch the action on Raycom/Acc Network.

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kjefferson776
kjefferson776
9 years ago

How can you win in college basketball on a high level without playing players that can attack the rim off the dribble…Desmond Lee needs more playing time!

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miscophi
miscophi
9 years ago

I remember thinking that Wofford was quicker, hungrier, more athletic, more skilled, more prepared. Guess what? EVERYONE is quicker, hungrier, more athletic, more skilled, more prepared than us. Want proof? Down 20 in the first half of the last three games.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Nothing surprising about this loss. You live by the perimeter shot, you die by the perimeter shot. This sorry excuse of a one dimensional offense is predicated on dribbling and passing on the perimeter for 25 seconds and then jacking up a contested jump shot. All Cincy did was lock down on the perimeter because they knew we had no inside game.  When Turner and Lacey go cold it is almost impossible for this team to win. Barber and Lacey had way too many turnovers and just lacked toughness. What bothers me most is that we have played against similar… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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35 mins ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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1 day ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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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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5 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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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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6 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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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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