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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Closes Out Exhibitions with Win

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11 years ago

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(We apologize for the delay on this weekends articles. There were things outside of NC State sports that both of us had to take care of. Thank you for understanding)
-Packinsider.com

RALEIGH, N.C – The NC State men’s basketball team closed out the exhibition portion of its schedule with an 87-62 win over Morehouse on Saturday at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack put five players in double-digits, as all 13 players who dressed saw action during the game.

Sophomore forward T.J. Warren recorded his second consecutive double-double, equaling his exact stat line from Wednesday’s game, with a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Desmond Lee scored 13 points for the Wolfpack, while junior guard Ralston Turner and freshman guard Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber each had 11 points, respectively, with Barber adding a game-high six assists.

Freshman forward Kyle Washington added 10 points and came one rebound shy of a double-double, with nine boards on the afternoon.

“I thought overall, playing two exhibition games helped our team and helped our young guys,” said NC State head coach Mark Gottfried. “Even from the first game to the second, we got a little bit better. I liked our team defensively at times, we were quick, and we are learning how to help each other and when to help each other. We need to learn how to communicate better, but at times we done a pretty good job defensively.”

For the second consecutive game, the Wolfpack held a strong advantage in fast break points, outscoring Morehouse 21-4 in that respect. Moreover, State shot a crisp 54.4 percent from the field, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, led by Warren who connected on 11-of-15 shots. Defensively, State clamped down and allowed 23 fewer points than its previous outing, as the Tigers shot just 39.1 percent on the afternoon.

“We got better as the game went on, but that is going to be the question for our team,” Gottfried said. “Can we rebound with a smaller lineup on the floor? I thought we took a step forward and got better. It is time to move forward and get to play real games.”

With the game tied 4-4 at the outset, State outscored the Tigers 25-8 over a 10 minute span to take a 29-12 lead at the 9:49 juncture of the first half. Warren scored nine points during the stretch, igniting the Wolfpack run with five straight points and ending it with an emphatic alley-oop dunk on a pass from Lee.

Morehouse closed the gap to six points at the 6:13 mark of the half, however the Pack responded with a 13-2 run to close out the half and take a 44-27 lead into the locker room.

Following the halftime intermission, Warren scored eight of State’s first 16 points as the Wolfpack built a 60-35 lead. State led by as many as 25 on three separate occasions before pushing the advantage to 75-46 following a three-point play by Barber. From there, the Wolfpack maintained a working margin of no fewer than 21 points the rest of the way as Gottfried was able to clear the bench in the final two minutes.

D’Anthony Relaford led Morehouse on the afternoon with 17 points.

With the exhibition season now over, the Wolfpack will take on Appalachian State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 at PNC Arena in the season opener for both teams.

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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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11 hours 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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1 day 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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1 day 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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2 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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