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Gameday: NC State Needs Focus vs Virginia Tech

Published

9 years ago

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NC State vs Virginia Tech
6pm | Raleigh, NC | ESPN2

Coming off a season saving victory over Louisville, NC State now must keep it rolling against Virginia Tech. Let’s be real here, history tells us that NC State is going to come off this big win with a lackluster performance that leaves fans scratching their heads and calculating if there is still anyway to squeak into the tournament. While any State fan knows this is still a possibility, we don’t believe it’s going to go down this way. Let us tell you why:

It’s a home game…
State hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in front of their home crowd, but against a Virginia Tech team that is 2nd to last in the ACC and the team coming off such a huge win, the fans are smelling the post season and will help them power through.

A week off…
Don’t underestimate the importance of a week off this late in the season. Small injuries have chances to heal, mental fatigue washes away, and you have a ton of time to game plan. State’s week off gives them the opportunity to realize the implications of this game. It gives them a week to plan for Virginia Tech and week for Gottfried to beat into their heads that any bad loss that this point could derail their entire season.

Lessons have been learned….
This State team is still relatively young, but they’ve learned enough lessons to last them a lifetime. They’ve blown big leads, they overcome big deficits, they’ve knocked off giants and lost to some bottom feeders. At this point this team has seen it all and that’s going to go a long way in getting them where they need to go. After the win over Louisville the locker room wasn’t a party, it seemed like a group that is used to closing. Hopefully that all business mentality can roll over to the game tonight.

Virginia Tech Reeling…
This team has problems. They don’t defend well, they don’t have any prolific scorers and they are weak on the boards. All that equates to a team that has lost 12 of their last 14 games (both at home). If State has any focus at all, they should roll.

 

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Was Kyle hurt? I don’t even recall him playing 1 minute? Anya had a solid game. Turner was hitting. Caleb played well. Defense was pretty good for most of the game but credit to VT for hitting some tough shots.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

So far so good. Had a couple of lapses on defense but otherwise good ball movement and rebounding.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

What’s scary about this Pack team is that on a given night they can beat anyone but also lose to just about anyone as well.

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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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17 hours 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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1 day 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

Published

2 days 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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2 days 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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