Connect with us

NC State Basketball

Johnson, Dorn lead NC State to 2nd half surge in 105-55 win over Mt St. Mary’s

Published

6 years ago

on

NC State’s season opener showcased a team full of new faces, but it was the only two returners on the floor that were the true difference makers for the Wolfpack.

Senior forward Torin Dorn led the way with a career-high 28 points and 9 rebounds, while junior Markell Johnson added 17 points and 5 assists as the Pack moved to 1-0 on the season, defeating Mt. St. Mary’s 105-55.

NC State came out of the gate a little slow and a little sloppy. They allowed Mt St Mary’s to hang around for the entire first half (State went into the break up only 10) and didn’t really pull away until midway through the 2nd half when Markell Johnson connected on his first of the three 3s he’d hit in the coming minutes.

Keatts spent most of the night tinkering with the rotation and trying to find out which combination would finally pull away from the Mountaineers. With only 3 returners on the roster, the new guys got their first minutes in red and white.

CJ Bryce, the junior transfer from Wilmington looked good, finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds. His ability to defend and score it in transition was a welcomed site for NC State. Devon Daniels finished with 10 points, but never really seemed to get into a good rhythm in this one. Meanwhile, DJ Funderburk went a perfect 4-4 from the floor and finished with 9.

The story of the night, however, was the play of senior Torin Dorn. He was as you’d expect a senior leader to be; the most physical, the most controlled and the most focused player on the court. Dorn led the way throughout, but really stepped it up in the 2nd half, dropping 16 points and went 3-4 from 3pt range.

Overall, State shot 55% from the floor and held MT ST Mary’s to just 33%. They dominated the battle of the boards 52-30 and 12 steals

The Mountaineers bright spot came in the form of sophomore transfer Jalen Giggs who dropped an impressive 24 points on the Pack, scoring both around the hoop and beyond the arc.

Keatts will certainly have a lot to work on. His team was a little too eager and antsy on offense and they overplayed and gambled a little too much on defense. But hey, this was the first game of the season and we think he’ll be happy that his team opened things up with a 5o point victory.

Stay tuned as we’ll have the full stats and OUR TAKE, coming up soon.

 

Related Topics:
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

Published

4 days ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

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

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

Published

5 days ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

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

Published

5 days ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

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:

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

Published

5 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

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.

Continue Reading