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The ACC/Big 10 challenge is upon us, and NC State will face 4-2 Michigan tonight at 7PM on ESPN 2. Let’s breakdown the season for the Wolverines thus far.

The Schedule (4-2): 

  • Northern Michigan 11/13 70-44 W
  • Elon 11/16 88-68 W
  • Xavier 11/20 86-70 L
  • Uconn 11/25 60-74 L
  • UNC Charlotte 11/26 102-47 W
  • Texas 11/27 78-72 W

Key Players: 

Caris LeVert G/F 6-7 205 lbs Sr.

The senior guard is having a great start to his final season as he is averaging 18.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 4.0 apg. The Wolverines are happy to have him healthy and have been getting the most out of him. On the season he is shooting the rock with excellent accuracy as his splits are as follows, 53% FG, 56% 3FG, and 88% FT.

With LeVert thus far teams have struggled matching up with the athletic wing as he has been so deadly from behind the arc, in his last game out he went 3-5 as his team beat the Longhorns in Nassau. If LeVert can keep up his stellar ply Michigan should exceed expectations in the Big 10.

Derrick Walton Jr PG 6-1 190 lbs Jr.

Last season was a lost season due to injury but this year Walton appears to be healthy as he is second on his team in minutes per game at 29. Not only is he second in minutes but he is second in scoring as well, averaging a hair over 10 points per game.

Walton has been leathal from beyond the arc as he has connected on 14-22 attempts, good for 63 percent. The Wolverines love having him back as he adds great experience and talent to the back court.

What They do well:

One thing that Michigan has done this season is shoot the three ball, and they have shot it with incredible accuracy. So far the Wolverines have buried 63 three pointers at a conversion rate of 44 percent. In fact, they have four player shooting over 40 percent on the season.

Both Walton and LeVert are great at penetration and finding the open man for kick out three pointers. William & Mary transfer Duncan Robinson (G/F 6-8) has been on the receiving end of these kick outs and boosts the Wolverine’s three point attack. His length allows him clean looks, and he is making 57 percent of his attempts on the season. In all the Wolverines are ranked 8th in the NCAA when it comes to burying the 3 ball.

Summary: 

Michigan depends a lot on the 3, but they have the players that can create for one another on the perimeter. Both Walton and LeVert have been leading the charge for the Wolverines. A lot of the offensive workload rests on LeVert, but he has been up to the challenge of carrying them thus far. He has been impressive, averaging 18.5 ppg without being a real high volume scorer.

John Beilein has brought success to this basketball program and always seems to have a well coached group. Look for him to keep his team in contention throughout the season. If his team stays healthy they could certainly be a dark horse to win the Big 10.

 

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NCSUChamps
NCSUChamps
8 years ago

wolfpack74 wormncsu Two bad recruiting years in a row?  Abu and Caleb, both top 50 and Cody, top 75 were not bad last year and Maverick and Shaun Kirk who Kentucky was after were not bad this year even though it was not as deep as the previous three years.

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NCSUChamps
NCSUChamps
8 years ago

wormncsu Recruiting is not looking great for next year?? Did you not know we signed the #4 player in the nation next year?  No wonder some say NCSU has the most delusional fan base in the country.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

wormncsu Two bad recruiting years in a row is enough.  I was thinking that we had made a turn for the best, but this was more crap tonight.  Long season is right.

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wormncsu
wormncsu
8 years ago

Usually I am an optimist when it comes to us in basketball under gott but this might be a very long year. Recruiting is not looking great for next year either.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
8 years ago

Well, one kid was hot.  It’s obvious that we need to recruit and get some big guys and some guys that can shot the 3.  Other than that, we plainly sucked.

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TravelWolf
TravelWolf
8 years ago

The problem with relying on the 3 is that you live or die by the 3. Herb’s teams often did this. Since we are thin at the guard spots and don’t guard the 3 well, pray to the basketball Gods that they aren’t hot tonight…

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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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3 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

Published

15 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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16 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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