NC State Wolfpack vs. Clemson Tigers Time: 12:00pm | Saturday, January 8th Location: Raleigh, NC TV: ACCNX Ken Pom Line: Clemson -2
NC State is coming off their first ACC win and looking to make it two in a row as the Tigers come into town.
Clemson comes in at 9-5 with their only notable win over Virginia (a 17 slaughter in Charlottesville). They’ve dropped their rematch with Virginia, a game to Rutgers, Miami and #22 St. Bonaventure.
Clemson relies on two pretty versatile forwards. Their leading scorer is PJ Hall. He’s a 6’10 sophomore who is averaging 14 points per game. He’s decently athletic, had good hands, good footwork, and can pop out and shoot it (33% from 3pt range). He’s not going to beat anyone off the bounce, but he can score on the block or knock down a jumper.
Then you have Hunter Tyson, a 6’8 senior. He’s another big kid who likes to shoot it (hitting 39% of his 3s). He’s averaging 12 ppg. And while he’s not going to beat you on the block or out quick you, he’s fundamental, and a very well-rounded player who has been hot all season long.
At guard, Clemson relies on USF transfer David Collins, a 6’4 senior who, on tape is’nt all that exciting, but does put up decent numbers. He’s averaging 11.8 ppg, 7 boards and 2 assists. He’s a solid guard, he isn’t that quick, nor is he crazy athletic. He does play physical, and is a disciplined kid who doesn’t take many bad shots or make many mistakes.
Then there is Al-Amir Dawes, a 6’2 junior who, like Collins, doesn’t really wow you with anything he does, but puts up good numbers at 11 ppg. Dawes is another guy who can shoot if you leave him open.
Lastly, there is Nick Honor. NC State fans might remember him from his 21 point performance off the bench in their 74-70 OT win over the Pack last season.
To this day, that is still Nick Honors’ career high. He was eating Shakeel Moore and Thomas Allen alive in that game. Putting some size on him seems to keep him in check, and this year, that is something NC State will be able to do. Honors is averaging 10 points and 3 assists per game. He doesn’t shoot a ton from long range, but when he does, he usually hits. He’s shooting 43% from out there this year.
Keys to the game for NC State
Lean on Seabron. Clemson doesn’t have a single guy who can match up with him.
Defend the high screen. Nick Honor is going to be going off the high screen and PJ Hall is a pretty good roll man, or pick and pop guy. Honor can hit if you leave him. How good the Pack plays the high screen will dictate a lot.
Replicate the intensity. The NC State defense looked great against Virginia Tech and really limited their open looks. Clemson is going to shoot 3s, so State really needs to not get caught helping down on the drives. And we’ll beat the dead horse in saying, they have to keep the guards out of the lane!
Smart defense wins this game. While staying intense is a key, playing smart defense might be even more important in this one. Clemson doesn’t have a single guy you have lock down, they can come at you from any spot and all their guys can hit from long range. This is going to take extreme focus for NC State defensively. No getting lost, no falling asleep, your guy can score at any moment.
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.
The winning team will hit a lot of threes.