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10 questions for NC State basketball as they take on Lees-McRae tonight in exhibition

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2 years ago

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NC State opens the basketball season with a tune-up against Lees-McRae tonight at 7pm at the PNC.

The game isn’t streamed, so there’s no way to watch it online, but parking and tickets are free, so there really isn’t lot of great excuses for not making it out there to root on the Pack.

If you can’t make it, you can listen on the radio (in Raleigh, the Wolfpack Sports Network airs on 101.5 FM).

What you can expect

Lees McRae is a middle-of-the-road D-2 team. They were 15-14 last season, They beat the #10 D2 team (Chowan) but lost twice to UNC-Pembroke to give you an idea. They will rely mostly on 6’8 senior Drew Gardner, but this is a team that is going to be overmatched by NC State.

For NC State, there are a ton of unanswered questions. This is mostly a new basketball team from last year, so you have to wonder how they will mesh and what type of chemistry they’ll have. However, they did get an off-season trip to the Bahamas to get a head start.

It’s worth noting that Louisville was beaten in their exhibition game by D-2 Lenoir-Rhyne (a team that was 10-18 on the season last year), so it’s not like an ACC with a ton of new talent can’t be beaten by a D-2 team. That said, I wouldn’t expect it to be close in this one.

NC State actually is a pretty versatile team and Keatts is going to have a lot of matchup options. For us, watching how he pairs guys together and changes to his system will be things we’re looking for.

Here are the questions we want answers to…

  1. How much zone will they play?
  2. Will he primarily stick with DJ Burns in the middle?
  3. What role does Mahorcic and Dowuona play?
  4. Do they go big and press all the time, or do they go small at times?
  5. What is Breon Pass’s role?
  6. Is Jarkell Joiner the type of PG that can lead this team and create for his teammates?
  7. Is Jack Clark an upgrade over Jericole Hellems?
  8. Who is the backup 2 guard behind Smith?
  9. Do we finally see NC State dump the ball down to the block on offense?
  10. Can Casey Morsell be a trusted scorer this season?

We’ll find out a lot tonight, even though the score will likely end up being lopsided.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

I would add

  1. How many minutes will Burns play?
  2. Will we upgrade our rebounding?
  3. What’s the rotation for the bigs? Burns then Dowuona then Mahorcic?
  4. Will Pass start hitting the 3PT this season? He was good in HS.
  5. Will Clark rotate in at the 3 at times?
  6. Ross & Gantt? Are they healthy? Will they contribute?
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Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago

Stay healthy, everyone!

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Scottp123
Scottp123
1 year ago

Lees-McRae’s best win was actually at Belmont Abbey. They did sweep Chowan but Chowan was #10 in the conference, not #10 in D2.

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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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5 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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23 hours 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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