NC State is now 5-1 after their 90-81 win over Louisiana Tech, who Ken Pom was rating as a Top-100 team. So yeah, this was a good win for this NC State team, who itself is now ranked 60th overall by Ken Pom. Here is ‘Our Take’…
Welcome back, Jericole Hellems
Man, it’s good to see Hellems get hot. The senior came into the game shooting around 25% from the field, in a season where the Pack was leaning on him to be their scoring leader. This was concerning. These concerns, at the moment, seem to be behind us. Hellems went off for 31 points and was unconscious from 3 point range. He finished 10-19 from the field and was 6-9 from 3.
Ebe Dowuona, you have our attention!
After losing Manny Bates, Keatts was forced to rely on a sophomore who played about 5 minutes per game last year and to be honest, things were looking bleak over the first 4 games. Duowana was playing hard, but he just looked a little lost out there. The last few games things have looked different. Against Texas Southern, Ebe set a career high with 7 rebounds. He followed that up in this one with a career high 10 points and 6 blocks. Slowly but surely, he’s starting to make an impact for this team.
Interior defense still struggling
Although we just got done telling you how well Ebe Dowuona played, NC State still is having problems stopping bigs who can score. Kenny Lofton Jr, the La Tech big man, scored at will vs the Pack. He finished with 36 points despite being 6’7. Now, this guy is LARGE and uses his body well, but State needs to find a way to stop guys like this. Dowuona and Gibson can handle thinner bigs, but guys with some beef on them seem to just bully them down low and get easy buckets. Come ACC time, they’ll be facing guys who are built like men, and if this continues, State is going to be giving up big games on the regular to post players. They either need Dowuona to figure it out, or they need to start sending help down low (which will open up 3s for opposing teams).
Cam Hayes trending the right way
Hayes, after struggling a bit in the early games, seems to have found his stride. Coming off a great 2nd half vs. Texas Southern, the sophomore PG played well again, finishing with 14 points, 5 assists and just 1 turnover. He’s playing more physical and working on getting into the lane to make plays. This is opening up shots on the perimeter, and in this one, State was hitting. Hayes is a huge part of this team, and needs to produce if they want to win. This was another step in the right direction.
Perimeter defense looks strong
Hayes, Morsell and Seabron have been doing a great job limiting easy shots from the perimeter and lately a lot of it has been because they have been keeping their men out of the lane. La Tech shot just 34% from beyond the arc and it was a big reason they won this game. Keatts seems to have put together a formitable defensive backcourt and, so far, it seems like it’s having a real positive impact. Sure up the interior defense, and this team is going to be tough to score on all season long.
I guess we’re all now wondering, just how good is this Wolfpack team? Are they just beating up on bad teams or are they a young team coming into their own? We’ll start to get more answers when they take on Nebraska this Wednesday and follow it up with the ACC opener vs Louisville on Saturday.
NC State’s Women’s Basketball team will be playing in the 2024 Jimmy V Classic on December 15th at Louisville at 1pm on ABC.
Because the game will be against the Cardinals, it will serve as the Wolfpack’s ACC opener.
Here’s a look at the other matchups in the Women’s Jimmy V Classic.
This marks the 5th time that the NC State Women’s Basketball team has played in the Jimmy V Classic: UConn (2002), Texas (2003), Tennessee (2004), South Carolina (2020).
The Wolfpack are 8-8 all-time against Louisville, but are currently on a 5-game winnings streak against the Cardinals.
ESPN ranks NC State 8th in their Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25, and they rank Louisville 12th. The Wolfpack finished 4th in the AP Poll last season, and the Cardinals finished 30th.
Back at the end of July, it was reported that NC State’s Men’s Basketball team would play Purdue this upcoming season in the Rady Children’s Invitational, in a rematch from last year’s Final Four.
Now we know the time, date and network.
The game will be on November 28th at 3pm. The game will be televised on FS1. The games will be played in Liontree Arena in San Diego.
BYU and Ole Miss will be the other two teams playing in the tournament.
Last year, BYU finished right outside the Top-25, and Ole Miss is ranked 22nd in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top-25. Purdue is ranked 16th in those rankings as well.
The inaugural tournament took place last year, with Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and USC.
NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts has opened a Piano Bar called Tempo 33 in Downtown Wilmington.
Tempo 33 had a soft launch on Wednesday, and officially opened to the public tonight.
The piano bar, which includes live entertainment, an expansive bar and upscale, contemporary seating areas, will only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It’s on the top floor of the Roudabush building, above Yosake and The Husk on S. Front St. (Link)
Keatts and his business partner Clayton Gsell had been looking for the perfect location, and finally found a home.
The Wolfpack head coach has roots in Wilmington, serving as the Head Men’s Basketball coach for UNCW from 2014-17.
Back on June 24th, NC State landed a massive pickup when Canadian Forward Ismael Diouf (6’9″/215) transferred to run with the Wolfpack. I have confirmed with a source that Diouf is on campus, enrolled for classes, and will start Monday.
There was never any concern here. Diouf’s delay in arrival was simply a matter of processing paperwork.
Diouf played collegiate ball at Laval in Quebec City.
This past season, Diouf averaged 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for Laval, and then went on to average 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the Final 8 Tournament, where the Victors won the National Championship. Diouf earned the MVP title in the Tournament.
Wolfpack Assistant Coach Levi Watkins ran point on Diouf’s recruitment.
Diouf has 2-years of eligibility remaining. He was the #1 Draft Pick this year in CEBL, but didn’t sign with the team, making him eligible to still play college ball.
According to a source, the staff believes Diouf is very talented, and will play and contribute this season.
Shore