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NC State Basketball

NC State Defeats Miami 87-82 in ACC Opener, Off to Best Start Since ’74 National Championship

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5 years ago

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Fight.

This NC State Men’s Basketball team has fight.

Miami led for most of the game on their home court (56.2%), but the Wolfpack found a way to beat the Hurricanes 87-82, to start the 2018-19 season 13-1, which is the best start since the Wolfpack won the National Championship in 1974.

The Wolfpack trailed by 8 at the half, and shot a measly 36.8% from the field, compared to the Hurricane’s 50%. Junior Point Guard Markell Johnson only played 4 minutes, picking up 2 fouls. Miami ended the first period of play on a 17-2 run.

The 2nd half was a different story.

NC State started the 2nd half on a 7-0 run, but found themselves trailing by 10 points (game high) a little bit later, but they took the lead with 6:35 left, and never looked back (A 13-0 run was key to the Wolfpack surge). The Wolfpack flipped the script in the 2nd half, shooting 56.7% from the field (50% 3PT) compared to 40.7% from the Hurricanes.

Markell Johnson didn’t start the game, but that didn’t stop him from being the player of the game.

Sophomore Miami Point Guard Chris Lykes had the game of his life, scoring a career high 28 points, and Johnson couldn’t sit back and watch. It fueled him.

Johnson finished with 20 points (17 in the second half) and 5 assists, shooting a silly 6 of 8 from the field, and 4 out of 5 from deep. He entered the game averaging 20 points and 5.3 assists against four Power 5 opponents this year, shooting 61.2% from the field.

I guess he got the memo.

Redshirt Sophomore Devon Daniels was the steadiest player for the Wolfpack in both halves, finishing with 19 points (7-10 FG) and 8 rebounds.

Sophomore Braxton Beverly and Redshirt Junior CJ Bryce also finished in double figures, with 11 and 10 respectively. Beverly also led the Wolfpack with 6 assists.

Redshirt Graduate Junior Wyatt Walker snagged 11 rebounds, with 8 of those coming on the offensive end of the court (he also chipped in 9 points).

NC State found a way to win a game on the road in the ACC when they turned the ball more than their opponent (16 to 7), and were outshot as well from the field (45.9%/45.6%), and from beyond the arch (40%/36.7%).

The Wolfpack will enjoy ice cream down Coral Gables before hosting rival #15 UNC next Tuesday night at 9pm on ESPN.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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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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13 hours 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

Published

1 day 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

Published

2 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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NC State Basketball

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

Published

2 days ago

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May 1, 2024

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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.

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