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NC State Basketball

IN-DEPTH PREVIEW: NC State vs. #6 Louisville

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4 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. #6 Louisville Cardinals
Time: 2pm (2/1)
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ESPN
Line: Louisville -3.5

What to expect from Lousiville:
The Cardinals are sitting in 1st place in the ACC. They are 18-3 and winners of their last 7 games. Aside from their loss to Texas Tech earlier this season, Louisville has only dropped games to teams ranked in the Top 25. They lost back to back games to #19 Kentucky . and #18 Florida State.

This is a Louisville team that really relies on their frontcourt. They are anchored by junior Jordan Nwora. He is a 6’7 versatile wing that leads the team in scoring at 19.7ppg. And it’s not just about scoring for this kid. He’s also averaging 7.4 rebounds and 1 steal per game. He shoots 47% from the floor and an amazing 43..9% from 3pt range.

After Nwora, it’s 6’10 big man Steven Enoch who averages 10ppg and  6’5 forward Dwayne Sutton who averages 9.

From the guard position, Louisville doesn’t get much scoring, but 6’0 senior Ryan McMahon does average 8ppg while shooting 42.9% from 3pt range. Their guards are really more about pacing, distribution and knocking down open looks when defenses collapse.

What to expect from NC State
Anyone who told you they know what to expect from the Wolfpack would probably be lying. This NC State team has been very inconsistent, not just because of injuries and shooting woes,  but also because this team has had some strange energy lapses (most notably last Monday against UNC).

At the same time, you have to believe that the Pack is going to come out extremely focused and energized. They certainly have a bad taste in their mouth from Monday’s loss to rival UNC, but they are also welcoming the #6 team in the nation.

The hope is that Manny Bates has had 5 more days to recover and practice since his comeback against Carolina, and CJ Bryce has had a lot more time to rework whatever was wrong with him these past two games. If NC State is clicking on full power, then they are a tough team to beat, but as you’ll be able to see below, they’ll need to our-perform their averages in nearly every aspect of the game if they want to beat the Cardinals.

By the numbers…

PPG
Louisville; 75.3
NC State: 74.8

FG %
Louisville; 46.2
NC State: 44.8

3-pt%
Louisville; 39.1
NC State: 32

Rebounds
Louisville; 39.8
NC State: 36.3

Assists:
Louisville; 14.5
NC State: 13.5

Turnovers
Louisville: 12.4
NC State: 11.3

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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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1 day 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

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2 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

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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

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3 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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