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VIDEO: Kevin Keatts’ Postgame Presser After NC State Beat Syracuse 73-58

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5 years ago

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NC State grabbed it’s most convincing ACC win of the year last night, taking down Syracuse 73-58. Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts talked with the media after the game in his postgame press conference. The videos are BELOW, and a bulleted breakdown is UNDERNEATH.

  • Please bear with me, somehow through that victory I lost my voice. I might sound like Prince and Michael Jackson at some points, but just bear with me.
  • I thought that was our best defensive effort, especially in the ACC. I thought we did a tremendous job.
    • I thought Devon Daniels was great. When you look at the numbers of Tyus Battle, who Devon guarded all night, I thought he did a great job.
  • We got out in transition and found some gaps in the zone.
  • The 1st half I thought we had too many turnovers in the zone.
    • When you look at the guys I had in the middle, which were Torin Dorn and Jericole Hellems, they had nine turnovers at the half.
    • We talked about being able to make the right play, being patient, and getting out in transition.
  • For the 2nd game in a row, I talked to my team about winning the free throw battle.
    • We were going to stop putting guys on the free throw line, where we were giving up so many points. We wanted to turn it around to where we were getting points on the free throw line. We were great there.
    • I think we went 13-13 in the second half.
  • It’s a great win and I’m excited about it.
  • Torin made the shots that most people can’t make and that’s a lost art in today’s game…the ten-foot jump shots and getting the ball at the free throw line.
    • He struggled in the 1st half and to come out in the second half and play the way he played, with composure and leadership, was tremendous and says a lot about him.
  • We lost our energy. I remember looking at the score and it was 28-18, and then we lost our energy.
  • At halftime, our adjustment was to be patient when we got the ball in the middle. We were trying to force it to the short corner.
    • We needed to be patient and if we don’t have the short corner, we might have the corner for the shot, or we could just bring it back out.
    • Another adjustment was to play with energy and passion, and I thought we came out with that in the second half. Before the game, we talked about we have to protect our house when we are at home and play with lots of energy and passion. I wanted them to fight, and I thought we were great defensively.
  • We moved the ball around. Boeheim has been doing this way longer than I have, and he does a tremendous job with the zone. They are a great basketball team.
  • We were able to find some gaps, but that being said, we did it on the defensive end. Obviously, I know we scored 73 points, but our defense is what won the game for us. They couldn’t get going and we defended the 3-point line.
  • That’s the guy that I believe in (Braxton Beverly). He could come out and go 0-of-20, and I know the next time he comes, he’s going to play. I’ve never questioned his ability to make shots. I love the kid. He works hard. I wish every kid at NC State who I recruit could be Braxton Beverly. He works hard, he’s a great student, and he’s low maintenance. That’s what he is. I knew that he was going to make some shots, and he’s shooting the ball very well right now.
  • (Sacha) Killeya-Jones is currently not a member of our program and that’s all I can say right now.
  • I won’t comment on (Eric) Lockett or (Blake) Harris further than what we’ve released.
  • Every game is huge. I literally try to lock in to the next opponent, and after we beat Pittsburgh on the road, my whole focus has been nothing but Syracuse. If you allow yourself to look ahead or you allow your team to look ahead in this league, it’s not going to be good for you.
    • I told you guys about three or four weeks ago that I made a mistake and looked at our schedule, and it scared the heck out of me. We lost those games too, and I think I jinxed them because I looked at the schedule. I’m locked in to the next opponent.
    • This league is so good that everybody has a stretch that is so tough. You start looking around and it’s crazy. When you look at our losses…I hate to say this…we’ve got great losses. At the end of the day, everybody goes through a stretch where they’ve got three or four teams that are really good. That being said, that’s what you’re going to get in a good conference.

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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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2 days 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

3 days 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

3 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

4 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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