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NC State Picks Up a STATEMENT Quad 1 Win Over #16 Duke

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1 year ago

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NC State was in desperate need for a win tonight against crosstown rival #16 Duke.

Entering the game NCAA Tournament Bracketologist Bart Torvik gave NC State a 45% chance of making the tourney if they beat the Blue Devils. If they lost? 9%.

The Wolfpack simply don’t have a lot of Quad 1 win opportunities on their schedule.

A victory wasn’t going to be easy for NC State tonight after learning that Jack Clark would be out indefinitely today.

So how did they do it?

Well, the Wolfpack guard duo of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner combined for 45 points, and fan favorite DJ Burns scored an audacious 18 points in 16 minutes of play. Smith had 24 and Joiner had 21.

Greg Gantt stepped into the starting lineup in place of the injured Clark, and he shined. The box score won’t show how much of an impact he made, but his energy and effort was evident from the opening tip. Gantt contributed in a variety of ways, scoring 4 points, grabbing 5 boards, and also added 2 blocks and 3 steals.

Defense hasn’t been a strong suit for the Wolfpack this season, but they looked like a different team tonight. They held Duke to 39.6% shooting from the field, and forced 21 turnovers. They played good halfcourt defense, didn’t overly pursue in the passing lanes, and played solid man-to-man defense.

Offensively, NC State played smart. Their shot selection was drastically improved. They were patient, and moved the ball, and didn’t force things that weren’t there. The Wolfpack only turned the ball over 6 times.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of Jarkel Joiner to this team. Smith gets most of the attention, but Joiner was unreal tonight, dishing out 9 assists with ZERO turnovers.

Also, if you would have told me that NC State beat Duke by 24, and Casey Morsell didn’t hit a single three, I would have laughed. He went a rare 0-4 from beyond the arch. With that being said, Morsell did score 8 points, going 4 of 6 from 2-point land. Morsell was such a steady presence to the Wolfpack offense, and played lockdown defense.

For whatever reason, NC State has had Duke’s number in PNC Arena as of late, and the trend continued tonight. The Wolfpack have won 5 of the last 7 against the Blue Devils at home.

Keatts impressed me tonight, making more technical and personnel adjustments than I’m used to seeing out of him.

The Wolfpack were in need of a Quad 1 win, and they got themselves 1.

 

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

If there was ever an example of ‘having a team ready’ this was it. It will be very interesting to see how we play next game.

0
Rev
Rev
1 year ago
Reply to  Dof87

And I was one who criticized Keatts the most after the Clemson loss. Color me Red — faced, but happy.

1
Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago

WOW!!! Hats off to this team. They played relentless, with heart, and a stomp on your throat, mentality. I don’t think I’ve seen this type of attitude from this team in a loooooooong time. I loved what I saw tonight. Everyone played together. And DJ Fricken Burns, a man of efficiency. All around good game. Fun to watch. Now let’s just do that every night.

2
Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

Been a Pack fan since the days of Norm Sloan. This is easily the most unlikely win. No miraculous performances, just 9 guys playing their guts out with TWO STARTERS watching in street clothes. Fun to watch. Hope they can replicate it.

1
Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago
Reply to  Papajohn

Yes! 9 guys playing their guts out. No real talent needed. Just pure effort. Not saying there wasn’t talent on the floor. There was. Just saying, imagine this combined with one miraculous performance. I will say, Joiner and DJ quietly went about their business, so perhaps there could be made an argument for some miraculousness there. Joiner, while shooting similar field goal percentages as Smith, had 9 assist! and 0 turnovers! DJ, is consistent as the rising sun. I would actually say, DJ, despite a dead equal assist to turnover ratio, had a rather impressive game. “Just when I though… Read more »

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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

Published

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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