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Thoughts on NC State’s 83-87 Loss to Syracuse

Published

3 months ago

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NC State’s (16-10/8-7) 83-87 loss to Syracuse this evening might have been the nail-in-the-coffin when it comes to the Wolfpack’s NCAA Tournament aspirations. They were barely on the bubble as it was, but this game and the next two games against Boston College and Florida State were “must wins.” On top of that, the Wolfpack probably needed to beat Pitt in the regular season finale, and beat either Duke or UNC.

With this loss, NC State will need a miracle. They will need to win the rest of their regular season games, which concludes with 3 consecutive Quad 1 games.

In regards to this evenings game, it’s hard to beat a team when you allow them to shoot 61.3% in the first half, and allow a guy who averages 11.3 points per game (Chris Bell) to sink 8 of 9 three’s at the halfway mark. Sure, you could make the excuse that they were just hitting everything they threw up, but the defense was lackluster, and they failed to adjust to a player with a hot hand.

What I’m about to say isn’t meant to describe a moral victory for NC State. With that being said, this team didn’t give up, and clawed back from a 15-point halftime deficit (16-point at one point in the 2nd half), to take a 1-point lead with 3:15 left in the game. That was the first time the Wolfpack had led since it was 2-0.

Senior DJ Horne was sensational once again, scoring 25+ points for the 5th straight game, matching what Cat Barber did back in 2015-16. Horne finished with 32 points, hitting 11 of his 20 field goal attempts, and an insane 6 of 8 from three.

Could you argue that Horne was fouled on the last play? I guess, but I wouldn’t have called it.

Three other Wolfpack players scored in double figures: Ben Middlebrooks (12), DJ Burns (12) and Jayden Taylor (10). Honestly, they all shot well. Middlebrooks had a double-double, with 10 rebounds.

Mohamed Diarra was solid with 7 points (3-6) and 8 boards.

Syracuse came back to reality in the second half, and ended up shooting 51% from the field, but the Wolfpack shot 47%. Both teams shot well. In fact, NC State actually scored more points off of turnovers, had more second chance points and had more free throws.

You simply can’t put yourself in a position to dig yourself out of a 16-point deficit. You can’t allow a guy to make 8 of 9 three’s in the opening half, with 6 of them being practically uncontested.

The Wolfpack have lost 3 of the last 4, and all 3 losses have been by 4 points or less. I wouldn’t say the Pack lost any of those three games due to a lack of effort. Rather, I would say it was primarily due to inconsistency, a lack of discipline and poor decisions in timely moments (Jayden Taylor’s TO with 1:13 left with the game tied).

With Wake Forest beating Pitt tonight, a Wolfpack win would have put them in 4th place in the ACC.

A big missed opportunity for the Pack this evening.

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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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NCSUMets
NCSUMets
2 months ago

At least O’Connell only played 16 minutes. Here’s Morsell’s minutes and points the last four games: 2/7 – 37 minutes, 5 points 2/10 – 39 minutes, 9 points 2/17 – 33 minutes, 6 points 2/20 – 32 minutes, 4 points Morsell is a combined 7-25 from the floor in these games, including 1-7 from behind the arc. Plus, he’s 9-17 from the foul line in this stretch. Just how bad does he have to be to spend more than eight minutes on the bench? Dennis Parker Jr. isn’t scoring, either, but at least he’s not taking a bunch of shots… Read more »

0
wolfpack74
wolfpack74
2 months ago
Reply to  NCSUMets

Whatever happen to Thomas?

0
wolfpack74
wolfpack74
2 months ago

O’Connell 16 minutes of play box score
16 Minutes
0-1
0-0
0-0
0
1
1 Total rebounds
1 Assists
0
0
2 Turnovers

0 Points

This is a walk-on level output. Why is he in there at all? Wrong coaching decision among a host of others. KKIAL,

0
NCcarguy
NCcarguy
2 months ago

Losing close games comes down to coaching. Go back and look at what Coach K’s record was when the team was behind or tied within the last minute vs. what Keatts record is. I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet it’s dramatically different. Keatts can’t coach at this level. There was some reason to give him a couple of years beyond the NCAA battle and subsequent penalty, but at this point, what are we hoping for? That next year is his year? Duke and Carolina both have lost hall of fame coaches within the last 5 years and both are… Read more »

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
2 months ago
Reply to  NCcarguy

SOSDD. Time to show him the door. If not, the seats at PNC can be filled with illegal immigrants next year.

0

NC State Basketball

NC State Makes Top-4 for Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe, Decision Coming Tuesday

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1 day ago

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May 12, 2024

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This past week, NC State hosted Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) for an Official Visit. According to Jeff Borzello, Anselem-Ibe is down to NC State, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Wisconsin, and he will be announcing his decision on Tuesday.

Anselem-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselem-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselem-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

NC State has one scholarship available.

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NC State Basketball

Former NC State Forward Ernest Ross Commits to UTSA

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2 days ago

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May 11, 2024

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Former NC State Forward Ernest Ross has committed to UTSA for his final year of eligibility.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eway♻️🏂 (@thebiggesteworld3)

Ross played in 14 games this year, 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 the 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

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

Published

5 days ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

Published

6 days ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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