Over the past 10 (really 11 years), NC State has only beaten UNC 4 times. One of those wins came just about 2 weeks ago when the Pack went into the Dean Dome and beat the #10 ranked Heels 95-91.
We thought it might be worthwhile to relive those moments and examine what led to State’s success. Here are the highlights and summaries of those wins.
NC State opens Keatts era with a 95-91 OT win over #10 UNC in 2018. This was Kevin Keatts first shot at Roy Williams and boy did it go over well. The Pack shot 44% from the floor and 50% from long range in the victory. They help pre-season All-American Joel Berry to 6 points on 3-12 shooting. Al Freeman was blistering in this one, finishing with 29 points on 7-7 from 3pt range. Torin Dorn added 20, Yurtseven put up 16 and Markell Johnson took over late on his way to 20 points and 11 assists. Here are the highlights.
NC State defeated #15 UNC 58-46 in 2015.This was their last win over UNC and it was their first win in Chapel Hill in 12 years. The Pack used big games from their big trio of Cat Barber (15pts), Trevor Lacy (14pts) and Ralston Turner (14pts). They only shot 35% from the field but held UNC to 35% and only 25% from 3pt range. They also won the battle of the boards 41-38. Here are the highlights.
#18 NC State defeated then-unranked UNC 91-83 in 2013. This was the Pack’s first win over the Tar Heels in 13 tries. This was a talented Wolfpack team, and they really went-off in this one. They shot 49% from the field and a blazing 54% from long range. They also abused the Heels on the boards 42-32. Lorenzo Brown had 20, TJ Warren had 19, CJ Leslie had 17, Richard Howell had 16, and Scott Wood added 12. This team ended up winning 11 games during conference play and 24 overall. How they allowed Temple to come from behind to knock them out in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament is beyond me, and still one of the worst moments during the entire Gottfried era.
NC State defeated then#3 UNC 83-79 in 2007. This was Sidney Lowe’s first time facing the Heels and boy did it go well. This was another game where State just couldn’t miss. They shot 60% from the floor and 53% from long range. They again won the battle of the boards 31-25 and had 5 players in double figures. Courtney Fells had 21, Ben McCauley had 17, Gavin Grant (G-Greezy) finished with 16, Brandon Coster had 15pts and 11 boards, and Engin Atsur added 12.
If these three wins have any kind of running trend you can use as takeaways, it’s that if you want to beat UNC, you need to win on the boards and shoot it really, really well.
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.
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.
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.
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.