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NC State Basketball

OUR TAKE: Keys in the Pack’s Loss to the Irish

Published

9 years ago

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– Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner weren’t hitting like usual. State’s two leading scorers shot 8-23 and had 24 points combined which is lower than average for they sharp shooting duo.

– Abu needs to be on the court. When he was on the court against Miami, State got up by nearly 20. When he got in foul trouble and was forced to the bench, State fell apart. Against ND he was on fire early, State led by 18, and then he got in foul trouble again. State collapsed. There is a direct correlation between Abu being on the court and NC State dominating a basketball game. The talented freshman brings a blend of power, quickness and soft touch to the Wolfpack front court. He was 3-5 and finished with only 8 points, but that was in just 11 minutes of play. He was dominant on the blocks when he was in there.

– More Martins please. These twins are game changers. Cody Martin started for Cat Barber and gave the Pack a new dimension. They can rebound, score and play with the type of energy that can push the Pack to some big leads. The duo combined for 24 points, 10 boards, 4 steals and 6 assists. They load up the stat line and one of them needs to be on the floor at all times (if not both).

– Where was Washington? With Abu out most of the second half, down the stretch Gottfried decided to go with a smaller lineup which left Kyle Washington on the bench. The problem with that is that this always leaves State without a true scorer on the blocks. They become one dimensional and give up their big leads. Washington finally did come in with 7 minutes left and hit a jumper, but he had been sitting for a big chunk of the time that State was really allowing ND back in the game. Gottfried has a lot of weapons but making sure either Washington or Abu is in the game to allow the Pack to have some sort of inside presence is huge. Washington finished with a great line at 6-8 for 12 points and 6 boards.

– Beat on the boards. The only place NC State fell short against ND (other than late game decision making) was in rebounding. The Irish owned the board battle 43-34 and had 18 offensive boards to the Pack’s 12. That was the true difference in the game.

-Always Learning. This is a young team so all of these close calls are good for them, but they need to fail forward. They need to keep their confidence after losing huge leads the last two times out. They have to push harder, dig deeper when they’re up double digits. They have to be hungry not just for a W in the win column but hungry for dominance. When they are up 15, Gottfried should be red in the face demanding 25, and when they are up 25 they should push for 35. This team HAS to get that killer’s mentality and stop allowing teams to come back to life late in games.

-Confidence and belief. You can’t blame the fans for saying “We’ve all seen this before…” when NC State loses a big lead and the other team has the ball with a chance to win or tie. You know something weird is going to happen, something you may have never seen before, and it will fall in the other teams favor. The fans blame the players and I’ve spoken to players from past Wolfpack teams who blame the fans. They say “You can feel the air come out of the arena, it’s like the fans know whats going to happen.” This to me is an excuse. Sure the air comes out of the arena, because as State fans we have seen this a thousand times. But asking the fans to be mentally tough is probably not going to work. The game is played on the floor and whether the fans are going nuts or the fans are silent and negative, the team needs to dig deeper, come together, find a leader who won’t let them lose. They have to shake this complex at some point and demand more. Start nailing coffins, stepping on throats and not letting up. It only takes true confidence and 100% belief from one leader.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I am 100% in agreement with this article when it comes to the Martin twins. I say more Martin Twins! Those kids are now my favorite Wolfpackers. They play with energy, selflessness, and determination. When they are in the game this is a different team. I just wish that the rest of the team could feed off their energy. Fans don’t score any points and they don’t play defense. The players and coaches have to own up to all these close losses. Some Wolfpack fans love to make excuses. I can deal with losing if the game is played smart… Read more »

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wormncsu
wormncsu
9 years ago

Another good article. To comment on your statement about the fans. It was hard to watch when the game was tied at the end of regulation at the number of fans or should they be called spectators who left as if they knew. we were going to lose.

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NC State Basketball

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

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4 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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18 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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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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