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NC State Basketball

A Few Thoughts on NC State’s 73-69 Win Over Virginia Tech

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1 year ago

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Phew.

NC State led the whole entire game tonight, but the final minute was as stressful as I’ve watched in sometime, but the Wolfpack found a way to pick up another Quad 1 win on the road, defeating Virginia Tech 73-69.

The truth of the matter is, NC State won a game where everything wasn’t clicking necessarily. The Hokies shot better than the Wolfpack (45.3%/41.4%). The Wolfpack only hit 5 three-pointers, and the Hokies did as well (VT’s Maddox hit three of those in the final minute). NC State only had 7 assists on 24 field goals, and only forced 11 turnovers.

But the mark of a maturing team is that you win the game when it’s not exactly beautiful.

So how did they do it?

Well, NC State’s three guards put a dent in the box score. Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner both led the way again, combining for 43 points. Smith scored 22 and Joiner scored 21. Smith shot poorly, hitting only 6 of his 19 shots, but Joiner and Morsell were more efficient. Joiner shot 6 of 14 and Morsell was 5 of 8, scoring 15 points. When the Hokies would come running, one of these three would find a way to make a timely bucket.

D.J. Burns scored 10 points, but was limited tonight due to foul trouble, playing only 16 minutes. Several of his buckets quieted VT runs.

The Wolfpack have managed to get off to a hot start in the past two games, leading the Hokies 13-2 to begin the game.

A difference in the game was the fact that the Wolfpack had twice as many offensive rebounds (12/6). Greg Gantt had 4 of them, and led the team with 9 total rebounds. Without those offensive boards, NC State doesn’t win this ball game. They shot worse than the Hokies, but had 5 more shots, and scored 12 second chance points.

Another difference in the game was the fact that NC State hit 20 of 25 free throws, shooting a blistering 80% from the charity stripe.

I could quibble about the reliance of 1-on-basketball when Burns was on the bench, or the debacle of the final minute, but hey, NC State just walked away with a Quad 1 victory on the road, and the Wolfpack will eat ice cream before coming home. I’m not complaining.

Go Pack!

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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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Rev
Rev
1 year ago

Watching the celebration, Clark seems to be hiding from the chaos. Protecting himself from further injury? Gantt took over a year to recover from his groin injury. Clark is out “a few weeks”? How good can we be if both Mahorcic and Clark are back in Feb?

1
Rev
Rev
1 year ago

Just to add additional praises to Gantt and Ebe, we out rebounded both Duke and VaTech. Considering we were without Clark, that is a remarkable achievement. Rebounding has been a weakness for several years. Dof87 comments about tapping missed shots back to guards is an insightful observation.

1
Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago
Reply to  Rev

Seems to me Gantt is generally more athletic than Clark and he’s really getting up there for the rebounds. You have to think he’ll keep on getting better after so much time off.
But not in any way criticizing Clark, he’s clearly got a high basketball IQ, I like to watch him play. And maybe the shot will fall a little more if he’s sharing minutes with Gantt. Although, historically, he’s only shot the 3PT in the high 20% range other than his freshman season when he only took 39 3PT shots.

1
Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago

Rewatched the game. I highly recommend only the second viewing as that is much less stressful. Anyway, as much guff as I give to Smith, he was absolutely clutch in those final minutes even in the debacle. He had that big turnover but had ice in his veins at the line. So too was Ebe. He had some valuable minutes at the end there. Alright. On to the next!

3
Afterglow
Afterglow
1 year ago

I’m not complaining either. Agree, the last minute took about ten years off my life. Nice (ugly) road win that is a win regardless. The Duke game was great, but this game in my opinion was more important. Let’s go get another!!!

2
Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago
Reply to  Afterglow

Absolutely agree AG, this one was much more important. Winning at home when things are working is expected. Winning on the road when you’ve got foul troubles, the 3PT isn’t falling, you go through scoring droughts, and you totally screw up the end of the game, takes a strong will to win. Having all that experience is huge as well.
I’m starting to think this season might be fun. When Clark went down, I thought we were done.

Huge respect for Gantt and Dowuona, they are true difference makers.

1
Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago
Reply to  Papajohn

One thing I see us doing that I’ve not seen in the past is us tapping offensive rebounds out to the guards, who are staying in position instead of shooting then immediately scooting back on defense.

Big props to Ebe who has played smart BB (as did Gantt) the last two games. That little baseline jumper looked smooth….and was his only shot of the game. Ebe had every reason to hang it up for the season with little court time early and other bigs supplanting him.

Last edited 1 year ago by Dof87
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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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11 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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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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