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Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Virginia Tech

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NC State (13-4/5-1) will host Virginia Tech (10-7/2-4) in PNC Arena at Noon today. Before tipoff, lets take a look at the Hokies.

Virginia Tech’s best win this season was against Iowa State on November 24th on a Neutral court, defeating the Cardinals 71-62, which is a Quad 1 win. Iowa State currently ranks 10th in the NET Rankings.

The Hokies lost their other 4 Quad 1 games:

Florida Atlantic (29) 50-84 (N)
Auburn (8) 57-74 (A)
Wake Forest (46) 63-86 (A)
UVA (56) 57-65 (A)

While VT doesn’t have any Quad 3 or 4 losses, they do have 3 Quad 2 losses.

South Carolina (71) 77-79 (N)
FSU (87) 74-77 (A)
Miami (62) 71-75 (A)

It’s worth noting that the Hokies lost those three games by a combined 9 points.

Virginia Tech’s defense is stronger than their offense. The Hokies rank 13th in the ACC in Scoring Offense (73.1), but rank 5th in Scoring Defense (67.5). Numbers can be weird sometimes, because they rank 6th in Field Goal Percentage (45.6%), and rank 12th in Field Goal Percentage Defense (43.3%).

The Hokies like to shoot the three, ranking 5th in Three Point Field Goals made (140), making 35.5% from beyond the arc.

Virginia Tech ranks 5th in the ACC in Rebounding margin (3.8), and rank 1st in Opponents Combined Rebounds (30.6).

Considering the fact that VT ranks 11th in Turnover Margin (-0.24), and NC State is 3rd in creating Turnovers, the Wolfpack should be able to take the ball away effectively today.

In a little more advanced statistical analysis, Virginia Tech ranks 22nd nationally in preventing their opponents from grabbing Offensive Rebounds. On the other side of the court, they can’t grab an Offensive board of their own, ranking 256th in Offensive Rebounding Percentage. Also, when the ball is in their hands, it doesn’t always stay there, ranking 211th in Turnover Percentage.

Virginia Tech has three players averaging double figures in scoring.

Junior Guard Sean Pedulla is averaging 16.3 Points per game (11th in the ACC), making 39.5% of his three pointers. He also leads the Hokies with 4.2 Assists per game.

Senior Center Lynn Kidd (6’10″/235) is averaging 14.0 Points per game, while shooting an insane 66.4% from the field, which is tops in the ACC by more than 4%. He also leads the Hokies with 6.8 Rebounds per game.

Senior Guard Hunter Cattoor is averaging 13.4 Points per game, shooting 47% from the field, and 41.1% from three.

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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NC State Basketball

NC State is Adding UMASS’ Brett Nelson as an Assistant Coach

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According to reports, NC State is adding UMASS’ Brett Nelson as an Assistant Coach.

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.

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NC State Basketball

Ernest Ross Announces He is Returning to NC State

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Power Forward Ernest Ross announced this morning that he is returning to NC State for his final year of eligibility.

 

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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.

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NC State Basketball

A Matchup Between NC State & Marquette Next Season Might be in the Works

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According to NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, a matchup between NC State and Marquette next season might be in the works.

This past year, the Wolfpack defeated the Golden Eagles 67-58 in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

NC State and Marquette have played one another 6 times overall, with the Wolfpack holding a 4-2 lead in the series, winning the past two matchups.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Men’s Basketball Will Play in the 2025 Maui Invitational

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The NC State Men’s Basketball Team will be playing in the 2025 Maui Invitational, on November 24-26 in Hawaii. This will mark the first time that NC State has ever played in the Maui Invitational.

NC State will be joined by Baylor, Oregon, Seton Hall, Texas, UNLV, USC and Chaminade.

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