It’s that time of year again. Basketball previews are starting to pour in and that means we’re going to have a lot to debate. Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated posted his preview of the ACC Men’s Basketball season yesterday on si.com, here is what he had to say about the Pack:
Earlier Coach Gottfried predicted that many analysts and media publications would pick the Pack to finish anywhere from 9th to 11th in the ACC. It looks like his prediction is spot on, but don’t be surprised if the Pack can exceed these expectations.
*SI/Hanner Statistical Projection:
“With the start of college basketball season less than a month away, we’re previewing each team in nine conferences. Using a statistical projection system developed by economist Dan Hanner and SI’s Luke Winn, which is now in its second season, we’ve forecast the conference standings and the top seven scorers from each team” SI
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.
NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)
Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)
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.
NC State Basketball
Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State
ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.
Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.
Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.
Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.
Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.
Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)
Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.
wolfpack74 We lost a lot of scoring with the departures of Ralston and Trevor. The BIG question will be “who will step up?”. It could be a number of guys but here’s my prediction: Cat shoots more scores more (shooting % still a question mark. Could be low.). Twins take big leap forward and add to scoring, rebounding, and defense. Anya steps up with new body and new attitude. He can score 8 ppg and pull down 8 rpg. Abu builds on freshman season and nearly doubles output on scoring and rebounding. Hendo puts up decent numbers. Maybe not Trevor… Read more »
We will be very lucky to go 9-9 with the schedule we have.