NC State Basketball
Wolfpack rides Freeman, Yurt and Dorn in win over Wake Forest 90-84
NC State traveled to Winston-Salem and notched another road win, beating the Deacs 90-84 and completing the season sweep for the first time in 6 years.
Final: Pack 90, Wake Forest 84
Allerik Freeman leads the Pack with 24 points, @OmerYurtseven5 adds 21 points. @kells_2017 finishes with a double-double with 10 points & 10 assists pic.twitter.com/wYo0zyS4uu
— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) February 17, 2018
For the third game in a row, NC State shot over 50% (50.8%). Al Freeman led the way with 24 points on 6-10 shooting. He also added a team-high 8 rebounds.Omer Yurtseven also had another big game against Wake, putting up 21 on 9-17 shooting.
NC State set the tone with one of their most physical and intense halves of the season. They rattled the Demon Deacon guards and caused turnover after turnover, which led to run-outs and easy buckets. But all wasn’t perfect. State was beaten on the boards 44-36 and massacred on the offensive glass 16-9. They also allowed career days for both Bryant Crawford (29 points) and Doral Moore (21 points). However, the forced turnovers, the hot-shooting, and the 3pt defense saved the day.
One guy whose stats aren’t going to wow you, but played a big-time role in this game, was Torin Dorn. He does it all for this team. He scored 14 points and pitched in 6 boards on the night, but it was his hustle, physicality and relentless motor that had the biggest impact.
Markell Johnson also had a nice game, putting up another double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
This moves NC State to 18-9 and 8-6 in the conference. They are now tied for 6th in the conference, with the possibility of ending the night tied for 5th if Louisville loses. Don’t look now, but with the remaining schedule, NC State could be poised for a pretty nice stretch run and there is a possibility of this team ending up 4th in the conference if they do that. Remember, this team was picked pre-season to finish 12th in the conference.
Kevin Keatts has done wonders with this basketball team and it seems as if they’re only getting stronger. Next up is Boston College at home on Tuesday night. But for now…it’s ice cream time.
— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) February 17, 2018
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.
NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)
Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)
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.
NC State Basketball
Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State
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)
Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.