NC State Wolfpack vs Colgate Time: 2:00pm Location: Raleigh, NC TV: ACCN Extra Line: NC State – 25
Preview of The Colgate Raiders
Colgate is coming in at 1-0 after a 7 point win over Northeastern. They are led by senior guard Nelly Cummings, who dropped 25 in their first game, while hitting 5 of his 6 3-pointers. They also have 6’3 senior guard Jack Ferguson, who was second on the team in scoring last season with 13 points but struggled in the opener this season.
The Raiders were an NCAA Tourny team just a year ago, and they haven’t lost that much from a season ago. They went 14-2 last year and won their final 13 games before losing to #10 Arkansas in the Big Dance.
This team is bringing back 4 of their 5 starters from a season ago and 7 of their top 8 scorers. They also shot an outstanding 50% from 3 last season to lead the conference and rebounded the ball pretty well last season, outrebounding opponents by over 4 per game.
This is a smart and talented basketball team that does all the small things right. NC State is going to be challenged in this one, and if they’re not focused on defense and rebounding, things won’t end up well for them.
Keys For NC State
NC State has a size advantage in this game, but without Manny Bates, State is going to have to make some adjustments.
– Bigs need to show up: Without Bates, it’s up to Dowuona and Gibson to man the middle. They are two guys with almost no experience, going up against a veteran frontcourt. If they don’t protect the rim and rebound, State will lose this basketball game.
– Keep ball handlers out of the lane: THIS. IS. HUGE. The NC State guards have GOT to keep Colgate’s ball handlers out of the lane. That means no taking risks on overplays. Once Colgate gets into the lane they. are so good at finding open shooters, and as we said, this team can shoot it. We got REALLY in-depth on this topic earlier this week. Take a look.
Keatts has built a roster capable of executing his defensive strategy of “Deflections, Deflections, Deflections.” But with Manny Bates likely out, it’s time to suck it up and make an adjustment. Here’s what we propose…https://t.co/JAz3O40EDN
– Set the tone, the tempo and SCORE IT: This Colgate team will play fast and they can score. They’re going to live and die by the 3, so NC State needs to not pinch the middle too much, and stay on the shooters. But just as important, they’ll need to set the tone on defense, play their tempo (which may be even faster without Bates in the middle) and they need to knock down shots. It’s as simple as that, but executing with an undermanned team is going to be the challange.
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)
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.
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.
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.
This is a quality opponent, glad we scheduled them. However, we always seem to struggle a bit after losing a starter. This will be tough.