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Final Thoughts: On NC State’s 72-63 win over Wake Forest

Published

6 years ago

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  • NC State played pretty bad basketball all around in the first half. Offensively, they were shooting a ton 3s for no good reason. When those aren’t falling, you really need to settle down and start looking for more high percentage shots. Wake has a pretty good 7 footer in there (Doral Moore), but after him, they have nothing. Also, Moore has had trouble staying out of foul trouble as of late, so why didn’t the Pack try to pound it inside early and see if they could get him off the floor?
  • Markell Johnson set the tone. When he entered in the first half, the Pack quickly went up 9. When he came out, they lost the lead again. What Johnson brings to this team isn’t always going to show up in the box scores. Yes he does rack up assists and he did have 13 points, but he uses his quickness and athleticism to create for others. We’ve said this over and over, but this is probably the one guy that can hide a lot of the Pack’s offensive flaws. He forces the defense to move and shift, giving his teammates open looks and easy buckets. Johnson was the difference maker in this one.
  • Yurtseven is a pro. To anyone who thought he might come back next year, sorry. The kid is showing why everyone thought he’d be one and done in the first place. He was NC State’s entire offense for a good portion of the 2nd half. His ability to pick and pop turns NC State’s high-screen and roll into imminent danger for defenses whenever they run it. He finished with 22 points and 8 boards.
  • Defensively, State looked bad in the first half. But this is kind of who they are. Beverly brings so many positives to this team, but his size and quickness, coupled with State having slower bigs, allows teams to really ravage the Pack with the pick and roll. Yurtseven, Abu, and Freeman all have problems hedging and recovering on that high screen, and Beverly doesn’t have the quickness or size to make up for that. With Yurtseven, it’s usually not as big a problem because of his size and the fact that the guys he’s guarding are usually immobile as well. But for Freeman and Abu, guarding a versatile 4 has been a struggle, and with most teams going with the versatile 4, it’s made Keatts limit their minutes.
  • Enter Torin Dorn. Dorn played a great game once again. Sure, you have to look past his out-of-control drives, and you’ll have to just deal with the possessions when he goes ‘coast-to-coast’ and in your head, you’re screaming “Give it to a guard, give it to a guard!” only to watch him turn it over. But all joking aside, what Dorn brings to the table, makes you able to stomach those things. He is bringing to this team what many thought Abu would. An athletic slasher who is fearless around the rim and rebounds like an animal. Dorn’s 11 points and 6 boards were big, and again, he hit a huge shot down the stretch for the Pack.
  • Al Freeman is starting to get his minutes eaten into. I don’t know what to say here. Freeman seems to have lost all confidence in his game. He’s turning it over more on the dribble, his shot is off and he’s tentative with everything he does. I don’t believe that is the real Al Freeman, however. This guy has the size, the handle and has proven over his 3 years at Baylor that he has the shot to really be a dangerous scorer. But for some reason, things are a struggle right now. With Johnson back and Batts starting to come along,  Freeman is losing minutes. He’s going to have to build himself back up and re-work his approach if he wants to earn those back. That said, they need Freeman if they want to make a real run at this thing. He has a high ceiling and right now he’s playing nowhere near it.
  • Keatts mentioned Beverly benefitting a lot from Johnson’s return and I really agree with that. Braxton brings a lot of poise and headiness to the floor for this team, but he does lack size and quickness. That makes bringing the ball up against elite defenders quite the task. It takes him a lot of effort to get to where he wants to go on the floor. He eventually gets there, but with a lot of overall consumption. Johnson, on the other hand, gets where he wants to go fast. These two guys are really complimenting each other right now, and I think you’ll see a lot more of them on the court together in the future.
  • This win was huge. NC State is now 3-3 with a home game against #25 Miami on the horizon. That too is a winnable game. They need a big performance there, because after that is @ Pitt (who is 0-6 in the ACC and just lost their leading scorer.) If State can come out of this stretch 3-0, then they put themselves in a very good spot for an NCAA tournament berth.
  • Lastly, just a note. That game last night is one NC State loses over the past 10 years. That game needed the right mix of coaching, defense, and mental toughness. Those are 3 things that this program has really lacked. Sure, they’ve had high-end talent, but they didn’t have grit or true ‘want-to.’ Keatts has made these guys work hard in practice and that has given them confidence in their approach. When the minutes wind down, knowing you’ve worked harder for this than your opponent gives you the mental edge. It gives you the feeling that you deserve it, and when you deserve it, it’s easier to go and take it. NC State did it all right down the stretch. The coaches, the players and the fans were all in on it. This is what ‘building a program’ really looks like.

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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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13 hours 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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4 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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5 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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NC State Basketball

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

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5 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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