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Wolfpack Rip #2 Duke 87-75 : The Aftermath

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9 years ago

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NC State upset unbeaten #2 Duke today 87-75 at the PNC on national TV. State used 21 points from Trevor Lacey, 14 points and 4 blocks from Beejay Anya and 16 from Ralston Turner to take down the cross-town rivals.

We talked about 3 keys for the Pack to upset Duke…here is how they checked those boxes and walked away with the huge victory.

1 | Stop Okafor
Sure, he scored 23 points on the night, but overall the Pack kept the freshman phenom off balance. State sent their opposite side big down to double and was quick on rotating down and forcing Okafor to pass out of the post. When he did State was able to rotate efficiently and force tough shots all night long. When Duke did get interior looks Anya and Washington were able to erase those with blocks (the Pack had 10 total).

2 | Protect the basketball
Duke is known for their pestering defense out top, but State was able to withstand that pressure and get into their offense. NC State’s bigger guards were a big mismatch for the Duke perimeter players, allowing them to hold off pressure and pass over the top when needed. State only turned the ball over 10 times, which was very good against a defense that rarely quits.

3 | Bigs and Bench
This Wolfpack team hadn’t put these two things together all season, but today they did. The bigs were outstanding. One reason they were able to do so much damage was thanks to their willingness to share. Duke brought doubles but State was too quick with their high-lows and interior passing, getting them wide open layups and good clean one on one opportunities in the paint. One huge factor was Kyle Washington’s first half passing. KWash is known for his ability to score in the post, but today his passing and awareness was what stood out. He was quick in his decision making and beat Duke’s rotation over and over. He had 3 assists, but countless good looks in the post.

Sure, good passing was nice to see but they were also able to finish in the paint against Okafor. Washington had 9 points, Abu had 8 and Anya (one of State’s players of the game) added 14.

The other side of this key was the bench. NC State has had trouble getting their bench going as of late, but today they had it clicking. Anya came off the bench and provided the Pack with a huge boost on both ends. He finally showed the ability to finish with his back to the basket and also did what he does best, clean up the offensive glass (3 ORebs). Anya also added 6 boards and 4 huge blocks. The other guy that played great off the bench was a Martin twin, but not the one you are used to. This time is was Cody Martin who got the majority of the minutes. He filled up the stat sheet with 6 points, 5 assists and 3 boards (in only 16 minutes of action), but it was his defense that kept him on the floor. Martin was everywhere, using his length and quickness to force tough shots, grab loose balls and really give State a lot of energy whenever they started to slow down.

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Overall, this was a huge win for the Wolfpack. It gave them their first premium win and gives them a ton of momentum heading into their Wednesday matchup with arch-rival UNC.

We’ll have more breakdown of this game with deep stats, quotes and much more…stay tuned and party on, Raleigh!

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

First of all, nice freaking win. Where was this team all season? The balanced offensive attack was refreshing. The hustle, attacking the press, defense, passing, ball control. It was all there. Let’s be honest here… Okafor is the man. 8 for 11, 12 rebs, 3 blks, and 23 pts. He scored at will and against double teams all game. If he got some help from his teammates this would have been a tighter game. Where the Wolf Pack succeeded was on ball defense, help defense against penetration, and quick double-teams on Okafor limiting his number of shot attempts. Game ball… Read more »

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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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14 hours 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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NC State Basketball

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

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19 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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Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

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1 day 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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

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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2 days 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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