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It was an unusual game from the perspective that State pulled out the victory despite Cat Barber not reaching double figures on the day. It was the trio of Maverick Rowan, Caleb Martin, and Malik Abu that carried the Wolfpack to victory. Rowan scored 20 points, pouring in 17 in the second half. He came up with big answers on the offensive end as Cat Barber was bottled up by the Tigers. It was quickly apparent that Rowan was in the zone when he hit a tough step back three pointer, he then went on to pull an arrow out and acted like he was an archer. I’ve seen lots of animations after made three pointers, but an archer was a first.

The Tigers were simply out hustled by an enthusiastic Wolfpack team, NC State pounded them on the glass as they held the advantage 43-30. Malik Abu turned in another monster double double scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, 8 offensive. Not to be overlooked was Caleb Martin, scoring 16 points off the bench and grabbing 6 rebounds. I have been pleased with his attitude and mindset coming off the bench. He has been solid at providing a lift in his 6th man role.

It was a good win for NC State over a team that was looking to notch their 10th ACC win on the season. Blossomgame was better than advertised as he was a mismatch nightmare for Gottfried, on the day he finished with 33 points. The Pack just didn’t have an answer as they threw Freeman, Abu, and Cody Martin on him. Freeman and Abu were too slow and Cody was too small. Hats off to Blossomgame on the great game, luckily it wasn’t enough.

The Wolfpack will take the court again this Wednesday as they host UNC. The Pack will need to have Barber snap out of his mini two game slump and have his teammates play like they did yesterday. I never like to see a player struggle but State proved they have talent beyond Cat, it’s just a question of will they show up?

Check out the ACC Digital Networks highlights of yesterday’s game below:

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Real_Pack_Man
Real_Pack_Man
8 years ago

It continues to make me wonder exactly how close to “something special” is this team. In a year or two when the twins are firing on all cylinders and our senior bigs have better developed, will we find ourselves saying “man, what is these guys were on that 2016 team with Cat?”

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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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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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1 day 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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1 day 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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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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