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NC State Grinds Out a 86-80 Victory Over Pitt in Less Than Ideal Circumstances

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5 years ago

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It many ways, today’s game was deja vu.

Just like Tuesday’s 90-82 loss to the #12 Tar Heels, Pittsburgh shot better than #15 NC State from the field (45.5% to 42.3%), beyond the arch (46.2% to 35%), and the charity stripe (85.7% to 76%).

The difference?

The Wolfpack were able to win a ‘ugly’ game this time around, defeating the Panthers 86-80.

What makes this even more impressive, is they did it without two of their starters for most of the game.

2-minutes into the contest, Redshirt Graduate Junior big fella Wyatt Walker forgot he was playing basketball for a second, and put some wrestling moves on tape for NC State wrestling coach Pat Popolizio.

The result: Walker was given a Flagrant 1, and was ejected from the game.

Roughly 8 minutes later, Junior Point Guard Markell Johnson took to the air to block a shot, and came down scarily hard on his back.

Though Johnson eventually returned to the bench in the 2nd half, he didn’t see the court again, but reassured that he would be fine and ready to play Wake Forest on Tuesday night.

Despite losing two starters within the first 10 minutes of action, the Wolfpack led by as much as 9-points in the first half, went into halftime with a 1-point 41-40 lead.

Redshirt Sophomore Devon Daniels was the hero of the 1st half, scoring 15 points. He finished the game with 19 points (9-14 FG).

The Wolfpack couldn’t have started the 2nd half any colder. I’m talking sub zero cold.

With 7:43 left in the game, NC State was shooting a frigid 16.7% (4-24) in the 2nd half.

With 9:53 left in the game, the Wolfpack was trailing by 5-points (58-53), were without 2 starters, and couldn’t buy a bucket.

The often forgotten man, (literally…Keatts forgot to play him against UNC) Redshirt Graduate Senior Eric Lockett put the team on his back.

Lockett finished with a season-high 17 points and 7 rebounds. Twelve of his 17 points came in the second half, after entering the game with 12 minutes left in the game. He was efficient, shooting 6 of 9 from the field, and 3 of 4 from deep.

The other hero of the 2nd half was Redshirt Sophomore DJ Funderburk. With Walker out, Funderburk couldn’t afford to get in foul trouble, as he often does. For the most part, Funderburk stayed out of foul trouble, and played a career high 34 minutes (12 minutes more than his previous high). Funderburk continued to prove that he is productive whenever he’s on the court, finishing the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. In my opinion, the most impressive aspect of his stat line was making 8 of his 10 free throw attempts.

The Wolfpack took the lead with 5 minutes left, and never looked back.

Senior Torin Dorn posted his second consecutive double-double, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds, and chipped in a team-high 5 assists as well.

NC State got back to their rebounding ways, out-rebounding Pitt 44-34, with an insane 21 of them coming on the offensive glass.

The Wolfpack have now won 7-straight against the Panthers, and are 2-1 in ACC play for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

NC State will hit the road and play Wake Forest next on Tuesday night at 8pm.

 

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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1 day ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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2 days ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

Published

3 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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4 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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