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NC State had a tall task in shutting down the sure-bet NBA lottery pick Ben Simmons and beating #22 LSU.

It looked like a nightmare matchup for the Pack, but Gottfried was ready and hatched a plan that helped his NC State Wolfpack upset the #22 LSU Tigers 83-72 in OT.

State decided to pack the lane and really make LSU beat them from outside. They literally allowed nearly wide open looks from the beyond the arc instead of letting Simmons go one-on-one to the rim.

While this did give the LSU guards a lot of open 3s, it also negated Simmons ability to get inside and create havoc with his ability to score and his NBA level passing. When Simmons did drive, he had 2 or 3 black jersey’s swarming him at all times. He’d kick to the corner to Tim Quarterman or Antonio Blakeney, only the two starting guards shot a pedestrian 6-18 from beyond the arc. When they missed, it was the Wolfpack who was there to clean up on the glass (winning that battle 54-41).

With LSU struggling to find a rhythm on offense, the Pack had to figure out how they were going to put points on the board. As they have all season, Caleb Martin and Cat Barber took the lead. Martin, finished with 16 points and Barber with 20.
Caleb hit 4-10 3’s and Barber was 12 of 12 from the FT line, but overall the duo only hit 10-30 from the field. The slack was picked up by Malik Abu and Cody Martin, both of whom filled the box score and had the best games of their young seasons.

Abu finished with 15 points and 12 boards while Cody Martin came up huge in the second half, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals.

After a crazy finish that saw an ‘And 1’ layup by Abu taken away due to a show clock violation and a big missed FT by Simmons, the game went to OT.
Abut started things off with a layup and then Cody Martin made a smart move by attacking Simmons off the dribble. Simmons reached in and with that, was charged with his 5th foul.
Once Simmons hit the bench, NC State was able to extend their defense, challenge more shots and really get out on the break.. After the dust cleared it was NC State with the upset win, 83-72 over the #22 ranked LSU Tigers.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Ask Gott why he forced Kyle to transfer?

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TravelWolf
TravelWolf
8 years ago

It was an interesting game. We could have easily lost it as won it. Rowan was indispensable – amazing as a freshman. This guy is good… It’s hard to explain, but sometimes I thought we played like an NBA team – good spacing, crisp passes without much dribbling often, good screens, and we did an excellent job running through the high-post options. If Abu can consistently nail down the 15-17 foot shot at the line, that we be a big boost to the offense. I just hope everyone stays healthy b/c it’s obvious that we barely have enough bodies. Oh,… Read more »

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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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11 hours 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.

 

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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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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23 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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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)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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24 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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