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NC State vs. Davidson | NIT Gameday Preview and How to Watch

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3 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack (#3) vs. Davidson (#2)
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Denton, TX
TV: ESPN
Line: Davidson -1.5

Preview of Davidson:

Davidson finished the year 13-8 overall and 7-4 in a relatively tough A-10 conference. This was good enough to land them in 3rd place behind a very good St. Bonaventure team and another NCAA-bound team in VCU.

Though Davidson lacks any trademark wins (which is probably what kept them out of the NCAA Tournament) they have played teams like Texas and St Bonaventure close during the season, with their biggest win of the season coming at home versus VCU.

For the most part, Davidson has taken care of the teams they should have beat during the season and then struggled to pull off wins against stronger competition.  This, in no way, means Davidson will be an easy game for the Wolfpack.

Scouting Davidson

Davidson uses a rotation of 9 guys, with the starting 5 doing a majority of their offensive damage.

Leading the way for Davidson is Kellan Grady, a 6’5 senior guard who can attack the basket with his strength and size and can also step back and knock down a three (almost 40% from beyond the arc).  Grady is also one of Davidson’s leading rebounders, pulling down 4.7 boards a game.  Next, you have Hyunjung Lee at the foward position.  Lee is 6’7 and he’s no dominant force in the post, his strength is his length and ability to shoot, averaging 13 points a game and shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. The guy can fill it up in a hurry. Lee, however, isn’t great at creating his own shot from outside. He’s much better as a catch and shoot guy, so whoever is guarding him can’t sink off too much on the helpside.

Davidson isn’t going to throw out the longest or most athletic team, but they do really like to spread the court out and force you to defend. They like to use their guards to break you down, get in the paint, and kick it out. They rely on having 4 or 5 guys on the court that can shoot.  This is why they lead their conference in threes, averaging over 10 a game.

They are effective and efficient on offense (17th overall in Offensive efficiency), they don’t turn the ball over much, and will punish you for over helping and leaving shooters open.  This is why Grady is tough to guard. He can get to the basket and finish over most defenders, so you need your rim protector to help. However, show too much on the helpside and he has no problem kicking it out to the shooters

Fortunately, as good as they are on offense, they struggle to get stops against stronger opponents.  Like I stated earlier, Davidson is not the most athletic of teams and does not have any kind of true rim protector.  This allows quicker guards to attack their man, get to the basket and either score over their bigs or kick it out if they help down.

What the Pack Needs to Win:

NC State will need to play smart basketball, and Keatts switching all ball screens defensive style should help here as they don’t have too many advantages on most switches.  However, this may be a tough one though for Bates, who will have to pay a lot more perimeter D at times.

Guys like Funderburk and Seabron will be playing bigger minutes with their size and agility to guard both big and smaller opponents. Funderburk may also be able to have a big game in the post, scoring around and over the Davidson post defenders.

It will also be imperative for Hayes to come out hungry and willing to attack the basket for some easy buckets or opening up some open looks on the perimeter.  The same goes for Shakeel Moore and Hellems. NC State will be able to get in the paint vs the slower, bigger guards of Davidson. What they do with it then will decide the game.

Overall, I believe the Pack matchup pretty nicely against Davidson and if they can contain Grady, and limit looks for Lee, they should survive and advance.

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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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1 hour 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.

 

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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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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13 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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14 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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24 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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