NC State Basketball
NC State 84 Vanderbilt 78: Initial Thoughts and Box Score
NC State improved to 4-0 tonight, defeating Vanderbilt 84-78 in the Vegas Showdown.
In all 4 of the Wolfpack victories this year, there has been a different leading scorer. Tonight, True Freshman Dennis Parker Jr. and Jayden Taylor both led NC State in scoring with 18 points. Parker was so impressive, shooting 7 of 10 from the field, and 2 of 3 from three. Taylor was so aggressive on the defensive and offensive end, as well as efficient, shooting 6 of 12 from the field, and 1 of 3 from deep. This marks the 1st time Parker has led NC State in scoring, and the 2nd time Taylor has done so.
NC State decided to run a smaller lineup against Vandy, running Parker as an undersized Power Forward. Some of that was due to matchups, and some of that was due to the exceptional play of Parker. I forgot to mention, Parker was also tied for the team lead in rebounds with 9. NC State was +11 when Parker was on the court, which was…you guessed it…a team high. The Wolfpack have something special in Parker.
D.J. Burns might have had 13 points, and tied for the team lead in rebounds (9) and assists (4), but this was his worst performance of the young season. His shot selection was poor and forced, making only 6 of his 18 field goal attempts. Burns also led the team with 4 turnovers, and the team was -2 when he was on the court.
Casey Morsell was the 4th NC State player that scored 10+ points, contributing 12 of his own (4 of 11 FG/2 of 5 3PT).
For the first time this year, NC State let a team shoot over 40% from the field. The Commodores shot 44.6% from the field, which was better than the Wolfpack’s 42.9%. Also, Vandy took 9 more free throw attempts, which is not a good recipe for victory.
In my opinion, this victory came down to turnover margin, fast break points, selfless play and bench points.
NC State turned Vandy over 19 times, compared to 12 of their own. I’m not pleased with 12 Wolfpack turnovers. It was a sloppy performance. With that being said, I’ll take a +7 Turnover Margin.
The Wolfpack played fast tonight, and were sprinting down the court soon as they had a rebound. They had 23 fast break points, compared to Vanderbilt’s 7.
35.7% of NC State’s points came from their bench. This team is deep, and gives Keatts the ability to run the way he wants to,
Finally, I love to see a team have more than half of their field goals come off of assists. Tonight NC State had 17 assists on 30 made field goals.
NC State will play the winner of Arizona State and BYU tomorrow night at 10pm.
According to reports, NC State is adding UMASS’ Brett Nelson as an Assistant Coach.
Sources: Brett Nelson is leaving UMass to join Kevin Keatts’ staff at NC State as an assistant.
Matt Figger — who worked for Frank Martin at both South Carolina and Kansas State — will replace Nelson in Amherst.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 15, 2024
Nelson was only at UMASS for 1 season under Frank Martin. Prior to that, Nelson was the Head Coach at Holy Cross for 4 seasons, posting a 27-84 record.
Prior to taking the Head Coaching mantle at Holy Cross, Nelson was at Marquette for 5 seasons, spending the first 3 as an Assistant Coach, and the final two as an Associate Head Coach. Prior to Marquette, Nelson also served as an Assistant Coach at Ball St., Drake, Arkansas and Marshall.
Before coaching basketball, Nelson played for the University of Florida from 1999-2003. He was All-SEC twice, and earned Third Team All-American honors. When he left Gainesville, he was the Gators’ all-time leader in three pointers made, and ranked 2nd in steals.
As a Senior in High School, Nelson was a McDonald’s All-American.
Power Forward Ernest Ross announced this morning that he is returning to NC State for his final year of eligibility.
View this post on Instagram
Last Friday, Ross committed to UTSA after entering the Transfer Portal on April 17th, but it looks like he had a change of heart over the past couple of days.
NC State has been in desperate need to add a Big out of the Portal. They have hosted ECU’s Ezra Ausar and Georgia’s Frank Anselem-Ibe, but neither of them have found a home yet. With the addition of Ross, NC State has added depth in the Frontcourt, and unless something changes, their roster is full with 13 scholarship players.
Ross played in 14 games this past season, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.
Ross was a consensus 4-star player in NC State’s 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.
The Pools for the 2024 ACC Baseball Tournament Have Been Set
#17 NC State’s Late Game Heroics Strike Again, Defeating #8 Wake Forest 9-6 to Complete the Sweep
With a Win Today, #17 NC State Will Secure a Top-4 Spot in the 2024 ACC Baseball Tournament
NC State Hosting a Regional in the 2024 NCAA Tournament is Looking Likely
#17 NC State Walks-It-Off for the 2nd Night in a Row Against #8 Wake Forest, Winning 2-1
NC State’s Current 2024 Football Scholarship Breakdown
NC State Makes Top-4 for Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe, Decision Coming Tuesday
Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week
Former NC State Forward Ernest Ross Commits to UTSA
Colorado NT Chazz Wallace Commits to NC State!
2024 NC State Commit Trey Parker Finishes 2nd in OTE Dunk Contest
VIDEO BREAKDOWN: Was BYU 3 point barrage unstoppable, or was NC State’s defense to blame? You decide.
VIDEO: Terquavion Smith GOES OFF in G-League Debut with 37 points & 8 Boards
NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal
You guys are real cool-aide drinkers. In my opinion, they have two new good players Parker and Taylor. Improvement where. They do play better defense as a whole but we have a big problem with our bigs. This is a symptom of the KK style. Three point shooting is down, Burns shooting too much, looks like last year when Smith was allowed to shoot anytime and from anywhere. No discipline.
the guy who was shooting 74% percent before last night was shooting too much? If 13, 9, 4 assists, and 3 steals is the worst we get ou tof burns then idk what to tell you. You just won’t be satisfied. and its Kool aid.
Was is the problem. 33% last tonight against a nobody. Except for Parker and Taylor, I see last year’s team all over the court.
You mean the team that finished 6 in the league and had single digit losses going intot he NCAA tourney? Also it’s more an dmore clear you didn’t watch the game (i get it. It was late and you’re old) because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be talking out your ass right now
State played a team that was missing several key players. Just wait, the meltdown is coming.
The spelling is correct. The other is a drink that you can buy anywhere.
What happen to Burns? Poor performance. Where is Rice? We are in real trouble when we see a team with two big men playing at the same time like BYU. Middlebrooks looks poor, and Horne had some bad moments also. I don’t see much improvement from last years team. Maybe we make the tournament but I am not holding my breath.
If you watch the game, you’d know that the reffing tonight was awful. Burns got hack nearly every play. If you don’t see the improvement form last years teams in the NUmbers and depth alone then maybe you should stop worrying about such complex things and just watch the games for what they are.
I agree. I mean come on. I graduated in ‘73, so maybe we have the bar set really high. But this team is FAR BETTER than last year’s. Much improved depth, front court, ball movement, and DEFENSE. They are Keatts’ fastest team and tonight we ran Vandy off the floor with fast break points. This was our first power 5 opponent and first road game (in Sin City) and on big time TV. I am more impressed with DPJ and his upside than any freshman we have signed in years.
This is team of veterans who are hungry and focused.
If he will just stay to play with the newcomers next year. Where is Rice? His back must be the problem again.
Having depth that is 6 ft 2 and less doesn’t help much in today’s game. You need bigs that can shoot further out than 4 ft and can play solid defense.
Keep blaming the Refs. Just a cop out in my opinion. Just wait till the Pack goes on the road in the ACC, if you want to see bad officiating.