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NC State Basketball

Pack back from Atlantis, looks to keep momentum vs. William & Mary | Game Preview and How to Watch

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1 year ago

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NC State Wolfpack vs. William & Mary Tribe
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCNX (& ESPN+)

NC State is coming off an eye-opening 3 games in the Bahamas.

The Pack went 2-1 with wins over Dayton and Butler, and a down-to-the-wire 6 points loss to #3 Kansas. The tournament gave NC State fans a taste of what is to come, with elite guard play, versatility on the wing and an option to slow it down and beat you with some back to the basket post play.

This team has proven that they can beat you in multiple ways and have the pieces to be very competitive in the ACC this season, but they’ll have to weather some trap games. This William & Mary game being one of them.

The Tribe is 3-4 on the season, with blowout losses to Pitt and VT (their only two quality opponents), but they can’t be overlooked. State will be riding high off their big wins in the Bahamas and they could be looking forward to their ACC opener against Pitt this Friday. Focusing in and taking care of W&M is going to be a task.

William & Mary’s leading scorer is Ben Wight a 6’9, 220lb junior. He’s your basic mid-major big. He’s got solid fundamentals in the post, uses a lot of pump fakes, but that’s it. He’s not super mobile, or athletic, and can’t stretch you out to the 3-point line. He is averaging 13 points per game, but should really struggle against the NC State bigs who are stronger and more physical.

Their guards are decent at 6’6, 6’3 and 6’1, but none should really worry the Wolfpack. They can shoot it from outside, hitting 40% of their 3s on the season, but without much of a postgame and without guard mismatch that would allow them to get into the lane, State can stay home on shooters and defenders go one on one without much fear.

Things we are watching for…

  • Breon Pass started to come on a little bit at the end of the Battle 4 Atlantis, slowing his game down and not forcing the issue. We’re hoping to see more of that before ACC play starts, and this might be a good chance to get him some big-time minutes.
  • The same goes for LJ Thomas who has been solid but has yet to really showcase all he can do. He’s trying to just play his role right now and earn minutes, but he’s capable of becoming a pretty good scorer.
  • Get Terquavion Smith back on track. He had a decent tournament, but too often he was settling for quick shots and making unnecessary turnovers. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that State was on a big stage and his shot just wasn’t falling. We’re hoping to see Smith get back in rhythm in this one.
  • Speaking of rhythm, DJ Burns is starting to get comfortable and that spells big trouble for opponents. You saw against Butler that NC State can run their entire offense through Burns when the guards need a rest (or aren’t hitting) and he can carry you. We want to see him continue this because having an elite scoring post presence is vital if you want to be an ACC contender.
  • High energy! State played with great energy in every game this season, but tonight is a trap game with Pitt on the horizon. If they come out with the same energy they’ve had, they will be fine. But let these wins go to you head and you risk getting sniped but a team that shouldn’t even come close to taking you out.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

This one could be ugly. Classic trap game.
Can’t believe Traore is actually coming, and actually might contribute

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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

We’ll be playing in what likely will be a nearly empty PNC arena, so some lack of focus and energy would be understandable.

I’m already looking ahead to start of ACC play on Friday. I hope team is not.

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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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17 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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2 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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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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