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10 Things to Know about Tennessee before Matchup with NC State

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10 years ago

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Tonight NC State faces off against Tennessee in what will be their 2nd real test of the season. The Vols come in at 6-3, while the Wolfpack are currently 7-2. Here are 10 things you should know about the Vols before tonight’s game.

  1.  The Vols already have an ACC win. They beat Wake Forest 82-63 on Nov. 30th.
  2.  Tennessee’s only losses have been to pretty quality opponents. They lost to Xavier, UTEP and #10 Witchita State. Meanwhile they have quality wins over Xavier (yes, they’ve played them twice already) and Wake Forest.
  3. They opened the season ranked #23

  4. They no longer  have Trae Golden. The hot shot point guard surprisingly decided to transfer to GT after last year’s season when his father fell ill. Tennessee was really counting on Golden who was really their only true guard.
  5. Replacing Golden is no easy task for the Vols. They’ve been forced to go with Antonio Barton, a Memphis transfer who doesn’t really have much experience at PG. He is currently averaging 8ppg and 2 assists.
  6. They have a great front line. With Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon on the blocks they have no shortage of front court talent. Getting these guys the ball in a position to score is the problem.
  7. Superstar and possible SEC player of the year, Jordan McRae is back and seemingly better than ever. The senior is averaging what would be a career high 20 ppg. McRae can is a wing player (6’6) who can score in a variety of ways. He’s very athletic and will certainly pose a matchup problem for the Wolfpack.
  8. The Vols aren’t a greaty shooting team. They don’t shoot for a poor percentage, but that’s because most of their points are coming from the paint. When forced to make outside shots, they aren’t that great. McRae is their guy that’s going to take most of the shots and he’s only shooting 32% from long range. Barton isn’t bad, but he’s not hunting his shot very often, and then you have freshman Robort Hubbs who likes to let it fly but is only hitting at 28%.
  9. This team can rebound. They are super physical and want the game to be fast and sloppy. State’s will need to stay out of foul trouble because the Vols are going to want to bang inside.
  10. Speaking of foul trouble, The Vols really can’t afford to get into any. They have a huge dropoff in production after their starting 5. This is a team that really lacks depth and NC State needs to take advantage of that.

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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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5 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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23 hours 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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