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Gameday: NC State ready for big challenge at Wake Forest | Game Preview & How to Watch

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1 year ago

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NC State Wolfpack @ Wake Forest
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Winston Salem, NC
TV: ACCN

Wake Forest sits tied with NC State at 6-4 in ACC play, however, the Deacs are coming off back-to-back losses. One at the hand of #10 Virginia (at home), and the other at Pitt.  But don’t let that fool you, the Deacs are good.

Wake is going to lean on Tyree Appleby, a 6’1 transfer from Florida. He’s really been the catalyst for them this season. He’s averaging 17.7 pts and 6 assists per game. He’s shooting 45% from the floor and 39% from long range. If I’m Wake, I’m attacking Burns with the high pick and roll, early and often. Appleby can get to the rim and finish or if you don’t hedge out far enough, he can hit the 3. He’s also a very good passer off the drive. That’s dangerous because Wake has guys who can knock it down if left open.

6’6 junior, Demari Monsanto is the other guy that Wake is going to lean on for scoring. He’s averaging 12 points per game and shooting 41% from 3. That said, NC State does have the guards to matchup with these guys. Joiner vs. Appleby will be a great matchup and Smith, at 6’4, can check Monsanto. That would leave Morsell to guard 6’4 Cameron Hildreth, who is Wake’s 3rd guard. He’s not very athletic and he’s not shooting it well from 3, but he’s averaging 13 points per game and plays very physical. Hildreth is an interesting player for Wake and can cause a lot of matchup problems due to his unique style. He plays like a 6’7 wing. He attacks, uses his body well and loves contact. However, at 6’4, he’s smaller than a lot of guys that take on that roll. Because of this, he’s probably a better matchup for Morsell than he is for Smith. We’ll have to see how Keatts plays that.

In the paint, Wake has Andrew Carr, a 6’10 versatile forward who can put it on the floor, back you down or hit the 3. He’s going to be a problem for NC State in this game. Gantt is your best bet against him due to his physical nature, but State doesn’t have a guy like Carr (esp. with Clark out).

Their big man is Matthew Marsh, a 7 footer who isn’t too versatile. He’s more of that slow, lumbering big. NC State has a big advantage with Burns in this one. Marsh has the beef to keep Burns from getting him too deep, but Burns’ quick spins and multiple pump fakes are going to cause problems for Marsh. Wake is last in the ACC in blocked shots per game.

The key for NC State is to bottle up Appleby and focus on getting quality shots. State is going to be quicker than Wake at a number of positions, so they’ll need to use that to their advantage. If Smith and Joiner can get to the rim, Wake really has no rim protectors, so the Pack can take advantage there.

The one thing that has us a bit worried in this game is Wake’s offensive style. They will run the pick and roll, but if you play up too much, they’ll also alleviate pressure with back cuts, which have hurt NC State this season (due to overplaying the passing lane). Wake also is good at finding open shooters when you help off. They are an unselfish team, and while they are 11th in the ACC in assists per game, they’ve had some success against teams that have allowed them to get drives into the paint.

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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

Gonna come down to final minutes. Gotta keep JJ fresh enough for the home stretch. That means Breon and LJ keep giving us some good minutes. Of course DJ needs to avoid foul trouble.

We can do this.

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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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13 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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