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NC State looks for season silver-lining win vs Carolina | Breakdown, Preview & How to Watch

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2 years ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs North Carolina Tar Heels
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ESPN
Line: UNC -4

NC State’s season hasn’t gone the way they were hoping. Unless they make a historic run in the ACC Tournament and win the whole thing, they aren’t going to have a postseason. And no consolation prize can change that. However, a win today vs UNC wouldn’t hurt.

It’s senior day at NC State, and it’s time to give props to Jericole Hellems and Thomas Allen.

Hellems has been a rock for Kevin Keatts. He has taken on a much larger role from day 1 than anyone would have imagined. The St. Louis native was coming in a class with Saddiq Bey. The two were supposed to share time at the 3 and 4 eventually. However, when Bey left citing NCAA sanction questions, the spot was left to Hellems. Pretty soon after, Hellems had carved out a role as a do-it-all glue guy, willing to play physical and do the dirty work that no one else wanted to do. Then when injuries hit, Hellems was again thrust into an even greater role as a Junior. He was forced to be the team’s go-to scorer.

Every step of the way, Jericole Hellems has risen to the occasion. He’s never been the fastest, strongest or biggest guy. Every night he’s outsized and many times, out-quicked by his opponent, but you never look at his matchup as one that will hurt you. That’s because Hellems always goes at it 100%, never backs down and refuses to be outworked.

Hellems isn’t going to hold any records at this University, but it’s hard to find a guy who personifies the traits that NC State fans value more than this kid. He won’t be forgotten and will have a great send-off in this one in a matchup he may be able to exploit.

As for today vs. UNC. This one should be a lot closer than the matchup we saw earlier this season in Chapel Hill. In that one, Smith and Hellems went off but got zero help from anyone else. Meanwhile, Carolina was light out, shooting 55% from the floor and 55% from 3 point range.

I think you have to scrap that game. In fact, when we were looking at matchups, usually we look back to the first meeting if possible. In this one, it’s not even worth it. UNC is not going to shoot 55% from 3. So we’ll go back to what we said before. Bacot is going to be a problem down low, but aside from that, NC State matches up well with UNC. In fact, we think Hellems has a nice advantage against Manek on the wing. If the Pack can get hot, and if they play SMART on defense, then they can win this one and at least have one bright spot this season.

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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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3 days 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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4 days 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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4 days 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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5 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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