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Sweet 16 Coverage: State’s Keys Against Louisville

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9 years ago

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As we mentioned earlier, this isn’t the same Louisville team that NC State faced, and beat over a month ago. That Louisville team was peaking. Harrell was being looked at as one of the best bigs in the ACC and Chris Jones was one of their leading scorers. Fast forward to today and while Harrell might not be the offensive beast we once thought, and Chris Jones has been dismissed from the team, this group is creating a much more balanced attack. Let’s take a look at the keys for NC State surviving and advancing against the Cardinals…

Make it tough on Rozier and Snider
Sophomore guard Terry Rozier has been putting up some big numbers as of late. With the dismissal of Chris Jones, Rozier has taken the team on his back and took the role of team leader. He went off for 25 against Northern Iowa last round and scored 20 in the Cardinals loss to UNC just 3 games ago. In State’s win on Feb. 14th, Rozier was shut down with only 7 points. State had him in foul trouble a lot of the game before fouling out, but it was their physical defense and lane presence that really bothered him.

In their first meeting it was Chris Jones who was a handful for the Pack (20pts), but in his place is another talented guard. This time it’s Quentin Snider. Since Jones was kicked off the team Snider has slowly but surely been coming into his own. He’s combined for 26 points over his 2 tournament games and has shot the ball well (10-21). He’s a 6’2 freshman that’s pretty thin so physicality from Lacey might really bother him.

These two guys really control the pace and the flow for Louisville so bottling them up will be the difference for State.

 

Limit Turnovers
Louisville is going to try to turn State over. No doubt about it. They’ve forced 24 turnovers over the past two tournament games and will look to keep that train rolling. For the Pack, playing at their pace and handling the pressure from the Cardinals scrappy guards will be big. State turned it over 8 times against Louisville in their first matchup. That’s a pretty good number against this team, but they could even improve a bit on that.

As of late you’d have to say that handling pressure has been a plus for this team. With the emergence of Cat Barber, State all of the sudden has a very reliable backcourt who can make teams pay for pressing.
The Barber, Turner and Lacey Show
Pitino can’t stop talking about Anthony Barber. He recruited him, decided to let him get away and then was ravaged by him (21 points, 4 assits) in State’s win in mid February. Now in all of the pregame articles you’re seeing quotes from him talking about how important it is to stop Barber. They’ll be keying on him, helping off on him and really overcommitting on ball screens with him. That means someone is going to be getting less attention. That someone will likely be Ralston Turner or Trevor Lacey. Lacey’s confidence is riding high after a huge game against Villanova and Ralston Turner is still looking for a big breakout game in the tournament. This one is likely to be it. Pitino might game plan to slow down Barber, but he better have an answer for the other two scoring threats if he wants to play on Sunday.

 

Stay Physical with Harrell and the Bigs
State did a great job of making it hard on Harrell in their first matchup. He managed only 7 points, 5 of which came in the 2nd half. He’s still a beast, but most of his damage is done against teams that done have true physical bigs. State has a ton of them and will likely key on taking away position from Harrell. If he gets going, watch out, but if Gottfried game plans properly, State should be able to limit his looks like they did last time out.

This team is physical. It’s a Pitino team. So they’re going to want to win the battle of the boards. That starts with Harrell but doesn’t end there. Physicality, boxing out and being aggressive on the glass is another big time key. Abu, Freeman and Anya will likely see most of minutes in this matchup and will need to make sure the Cardinals know they aren’t getting anything easy. State dominated them 45-37 on the boards last time out and it was a huge reason why State was able to pull off that upset.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I’ve got my NC State shirt on that I wore through the first 2 wins. Hopefully it will continue to bring this team wins. 

#GoPack

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

DaPack Winning is the cure-all. Helps recruiting, helps national image, helps get calls from refs. I’m still hoping we win it all like a true Cinderella but this team has turned around what was a few weeks ago a largely forgettable season and that is an accomplishment all on its own.

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DaPack
DaPack
9 years ago

I would still prefer the survive and advance type of winning. You’re right though leave it all on the court and there’s nothing to feel bad about regardless of outcome. Go Pack!
I wonder how a few more wins will affect recruiting. As you look at this team’s progress it seems pretty clear to me that State is getting the brand back together!

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

How physical we play and how physical Louisville plays will be completely dependent on the refs. Yesterdays games were called really tight by tourney standards which hurt physical teams like WVU. I think if the refs allow physical play then it’s just a matter of who wants it more. But I’m afraid the refs will cause players like Anya to have limited minutes. I thought Anya got called for a couple a fouls in the Nova game that should have been no calls. We’ll see I guess. As for turnovers, this team has handled the pressure well enough. Aside from… Read more »

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Former NC State DT Nick Campbell Commits to App St.

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5 days ago

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April 29, 2024

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Former NC State Defensive Tackle Nick Campbell (6’4″/300) has committed to play for Appalachian St.

Campbell was a 3-Star prospect out of the state of Florida in the Wolfpack’s 2022 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #45 overall player in the state of Florida in the 2022 class.

In 2022, Campbell played 9 snaps against UCONN, redshirting the season. Last year, the only game he saw action is was against VMI.

Campbell has three years of eligibility remaining.

I’m a little surprised NC State hasn’t added a Nose Tackle out of the Portal yet. With CJ Clark and Nick Campbell transferring, the only two scholarship players at the position are Brandon Cleveland and DJ Jackson. When True Freshman Justin Terrell arrives in the Fall, there will be 3. NC State needs another depth piece at Nose Tackle.

NC State has had 23 players enter the Transfer Portal

NT Nick Campbell – App St.
WR Julian Gray – Liberty
RB Delbert Mimms III – Eastern Michigan
TE Fred Seabrough
Nickel Cecil Powell – Troy
WR Christopher Scott – Austin Peay
OL Jaleel Davis – Florida International
WR Josh Crabtree – Murray St. 
OL Lyndon Cooper – Pitt
WR Terrell Timmons – Colorado
LB Torren Wright – Temple
NT C.J. Clark – Miami
QB MJ Morris – Maryland
S Jakeen Harris – UNC
TE Cedd Seabrough – West Georgia
WR Porter Rooks – Eastern Michigan
DB Nate Evans – Delaware
LB Daejuan Thompson
RB Jordan Houston – Marshall
RB Michael Allen – UNLV
DB Darius Edmundson – UNC-Pembroke
WR Anthony Smith – East Carolina
TE Christopher Toudle – Western Michigan 

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NC State Falls Out of the Top-10 After Losses to UNC & Duke

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2 months ago

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February 26, 2024

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After losing to rivals UNC and Duke last week, the NC State Women’s Basketball team fell out of the Top-10 in the Week 17 AP Poll, landing at #12. NC State started the 2023-24 season unranked, but jumped to #14 in the first Poll after the Preseason Poll. The Wolfpack have been ranked in the Top-10 since November 20th, which equals 14 straight polls.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

5. Virginia Tech
12. NC State
17. Notre Dame
19. Syracuse
22. Louisville
27. Duke
29. UNC
30. FSU

The Wolfpack will host #19 Syracuse on Thursday night at 7pm.

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NC State’s Week 1 Depth Chart Against UCONN (with Notes)

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8 months ago

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August 25, 2023

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NC State will kick off their 2023 Football season next Thursday night against UCONN at 7:30pm. The Wolfpack released their Depth Chart for the game today.

Image

Notes

  • Redshirt Sophomore Anthony Carter Jr. is listed as the starting Left Guard. If Redshirt Sophomore Lyndon Cooper wasn’t missing the first game due to injury, I wonder if Carter would be starting. Doeren did praise Carter in his press conference today. Also, he stated that Cooper should be back for the Notre Dame game.
  • Noticeably, Graduate Transfer Offensive Lineman Dawson Jaramillo is also missing from the Depth Chart. Unfortunately, Jaramillo has suffered an injury, and will miss the entirety of the 2023 season. This is a huge blow for Jaramillo, and a huge blow for the depth of the Wolfpack Offensive Line. Jaramillo was a Swiss Army knife, having the ability to play in numerous positions.
  • Very often, Doeren has stated that the “Or” in between two names means that the coaching staff sees both players as starters. There is an “Or” in between Chris Toudle and Trent Pennix at Tight End, with the former being listed first. Maybe it doesn’t matter whose name is listed first, but I’m shocked Pennix’s name wasn’t the one at the top.
  • I’m not shocked that Julian Gray and Keyon Lesane are listed as the starters at the X and Y Wide Receiver positions. They both have had a lot of buzz surrounding them in Fall Camp, and Lesane was named a captain. Obviously, with Gray’s speed, Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae is going to want to find a way to get the ball in his hands. With that being said, and this is no disrespect to the two of them, but both of them are 5’11”, which isn’t exactly the way you would sculpt your prototypical outside receivers. I expect Terrell Timmons and Bradley Rozner to both be heavily in rotation at the X and Y, to give the outside receivers a good dose of speed as well as height.
  • True Freshman Running Back Kendrick Raphael might be buried at the bottom of the Depth Chart at his position, but I bet he sees a carry before Mimms or Jones. Doeren mentioned that we would see Raphael against UCONN, but didn’t mention Jones or Mimms. Anae likes to run 2 Running Back sets, with one of them almost functioning like a Full Back. As a result, I’m not shocked to see Jones and Mimms where they are in the Depth Chart.
  • Props to True Freshman Kevin Concepcion for earning the starting job at the Inside Wide Receiver position. Get ready to hear his name a lot this year. KC is backed up by Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit, who Doeren spoke highly of today.
  • Junior Porter Rooks is no longer sitting behind Thayer Thomas on the Depth Chart. Doeren said that Rooks has had a great camp. The former 4-Star prospect has an opportunity to show that those stars meant something by his name. With that being said, he will be pushed by True Freshman Javonte “Juice” Vereen, who even has national media buzzing about him heading into the season.
  • Three True Freshman are on the Offensive Depth Chart: Left Guard Kamen Smith, IWR Kevin Concepcion and FLEXY Juice Vereen.
  • True Freshman Kamal Bonner is 2nd on the Depth Chart at the Will Linebacker spot, backing up Payton Wilson. What’s noteworthy, is that he’s ahead of former 4-Star prospect Jordan Poole in the Depth Chart. Bonner must have made a heck of a first impression.
  • As expected, ODU Graduate Transfer Robert Kennedy is starting at Nickel.
  • True Freshman Brandon Cisse is backing up Aydan White at Right Corner, and Doeren said we should expect him to contribute.
  • Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Coit will be filling in the shoes of Thayer Thomas at Punt Returner.

 

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Elliot Avent is interviewed on MLB Network about rule changes and Wolfpack Alums

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1 year ago

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March 10, 2023

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Elliot Avent gave a great interview on MLB Network.

Avent talks about the rules changes in baseball and doesn’t seem too pleaseed about them, while also breaking some news that they might be naming the hitting facility after Trea Turner and the Pitching lab after Carlos Rodon.

Give it a watch.

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