Connect with us

NC State Basketball

Gameday: NC State opens ACC play tonight vs. Pitt | Game Preview & How to Watch

Published

1 year ago

on

NC State Wolfpack vs. Pitt Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCN

NC State opens ACC play tonight, at home, against the 5-3 Pitt Panthers.

I’ll spare you the long recap of NC State’s season, since if you’re a reader here you’ve likely been following along. Basically, State is 7-1 on the season and knocked off 2 quality opponents in Dayton and Butler, after taking #3 Kansas to the wire. This prompted Ken Pom to make the Pack the highest-rising ACC team in his latest rankings. All of this from a team that was picked to finish 10th in the ACC.

Now the real challenge begins. Can they keep up this level of play vs. ACC opponents. Tonight we find out.

Pitt is 5-3 with losses to West Virginia, #20 Michigan and VCU. Their 5 wins all against smaller conference teams except for their 29-point blowout of Northwestern. They are also on a 4 game-winning streak, however in the current Ken Pom rankings, NC State slots in as the 2nd best team that Pitt has faced (West Virginia is #25, NC State is #49). The Panthers lost to West Virginia by 25 at home.

So what can we expect…

6’7, 235lb junior Blake Hinson is leading Pitt with almost 17 pts and 7 boards per game. He’ll be an interesting matchup for State. He’s going to match up with Clark at the 4, but he’s 35 lbs heavier. He’s also shooting 60% from 3-point range over his last 5 games.  This is going to be a big test for Jack Clark.

Meanwhile, the Pitt guards are good at pressuring you. Jamarious Burton (6’4) is averaging almost 15 points, 4 assists per game and is shooting 40% from downtown. Greg Elliot (6’3) is averaging 9 points and while only shooting 34% from 3, he’s had seasons where he’s been in the 40% range.  Then you have senior Nelly Cummings who is averaging 9 points but isn’t shooting it well. Cummings, however, is pretty physical for a small guy (6ft).

Their lone true post guy is 6’9, 265lb John Hugley who averaged almost 15ppg last season and was a key guy for Pitt. This year he’s averaging 10 points and 5 boards and isn’t as featured thanks to the addition of Hinson (from Ole Miss). However, he’s still a quality big who can score a little in the post and rebound the basketball.

I know this is Pitt and it’s at home, but this is not going to be a walk in the park for NC State. Pitt has good size and strength up front and has guards who can make things happen. The key for the Pack is to limit drives into the lane. Joiner, Smith and Morsell have done a good job doing that so far, and if it keeps up here, then you’ll force Pitt to shoot over top, which won’t work out well for them (they are shooting 33% on the season from 3). However, let these guards slice and dice you up and you could get yourself in trouble.

Related Topics:
1 Comment
Subscribe
Notify of
1 Comment
newest
oldest most Upvoted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

It will be very interesting to see how deep KK goes into the bench in this game.

0

NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

Published

43 mins ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

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:

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

Published

14 hours ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

Published

1 day ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

Published

1 day ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SportsCenter NEXT (@sportscenternext)

In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

Continue Reading