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NC State vs Syracuse: NCAA Implications

Published

9 years ago

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Tomorrow NC State will host the Syracuse Orangemen in the final home game on the season. Syracuse received less than pleasant news today as they were hit hard for numerous infractions that will penalize their program for years to come. Will this have a bearing on tomorrow’s contest? I am not sure how Syracuse will respond but I have noticed over the years that teams usually band together and play extremely hard as their program has been run through the mud. NC State must be prepared to close the season with a win!

In my opinion Syracuse will be a great test for the Pack and help prepare them for the NCAA Tournament. It is no secret that the Orangemen will play a 2-3 match up zone, this fact should be enough for our guys to really hone in tomorrow. Throughout the season we have struggled against the zone as we have been pleased to move the ball around the perimeter and then settle for a long outside shot. We cannot fall in love with the three ball tomorrow if we want to win. Cat Barber and Trevor Lacey must attack the gaps and find our big men for easy baskets. I think this game could be a great matchup for Kyle Washington as he would give Syracuse a fit flashing the middle which is a soft spot of the zone. Kyle has the skill set to catch the ball and score it from that distance. Coach Gottfried will be able to keep him at bay by only allowing him to flash the middle and work in the focused area.

Defensively NC State must keep tabs on Trevor Cooney who has the ability to score in bunches from distance. On the season he is averaging 13.5 points per game and he attempts 7.2 three’s per contest. Although Cooney is their leader from the perimeter the engine that makes the Orangemen run is Rakeem Christmas. The 6-9 250 pound senior is averaging 17.9 points a game and is ripping down 9 boards per to sweeten the pot. Hopefully our big men are excited to play against someone who has been a nightmare underneath all season. BeeJay Anya has proven to up his game each time he squares off with a hearalded big man. Will he step up once again?

If State can take care of home court tomorrow afternoon then they will be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. There shouldn’t be any question of having to win X number of games in the ACC Tournament this coming week. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Wolfpack as a 9 seed in the West region. NC State should have their eyes set on a higher goal than a 9 seed. If the Pack can find a way to win tomorrow and find a way to rip off two more wins in the ACC Tournament it is certainly possible that they could end up as a 7 seed. This would allow them to avoid a second round matchup against a #1 seed.

State finds themselves in familiar territory as they must find a way to play their best basketball entering into post season play. Over the last 5 games they are 4-1, but I do not feel like we are operating as efficiently as we could be. Trevor Lacey has been out of sort of late but I am confident that he is about to get his act together starting tomorrow afternoon. I predict that he will break out of his funk in a big way in front of the Wolfpack faithful. Cat Barber has cooled off of late but I too think that he will be a tough matchup for teams in the NCAA Tournament. One thing that the Pack has on their side is the element of surprise. Each game it seems that someone different catches fire to save the day; however, what if a couple of guys catch fire for a couple of games together? We have proven all season that we are capable of beating any team in the country, but our guys must find it in themselves to garner the energy and focus needed to win each game. The greatest show on earth is within State’s sights but invitations are not handed out easily…now is the time to claim our spot!

 

Tip-Off is set for 12PM at the PNC. If you can’t make it out the game will be televised on CBS.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I think Lacey may be having the same problem that TJ had at the end of last season. He was playing too many minutes and it caught up with him.

Coach needs to give Lacey more breathers and have him distribute more rather than trying to score himself.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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2 days ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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4 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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5 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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