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Lewis, Warren Help Pack Hold on to Beat VT 71-64

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10 years ago

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TJ Warren (31 pts, 6 rebounds and 4 steals) and Tyler Lewis (8 pts, 11 assists and zero turnovers) led NC State past last place Virginia Tech, 71-64.

If the Wolfpack just just ‘kind-of’ shoot, they would be top 5 in the ACC, but once again we saw a close game with a subpar team because they just can not hit the 3 pointer. Teams consistently back the middle and make State shoot from the outside, and it plays into their hands every time. The Pack shot 24 3s and only connected on four of them (16.7%). Two of those came in the first two minutes by TJ Warren.

Speaking of Warren, this guy is absolutely amazing and showed once again why he should be considered for ACC player of the year. The guy was everywhere, hitting outside, inside, floaters, layups, getting steals, grabbing boards. Warren is nearly a one man show for State. However, I shouldn’t say that because a lot of his looks were thanks to the play of Tyler Lewis. The kid who was only seeing about 6 minutes per game early in the ACC season has suddenly regained form and has become a catalyst for this offense. Lewis has been as good as he could be against the zone, finding the gaps and hitting open men everytime down the floor. He has finally stopped trying to be a scorer and has gotten back to his role as a floor general and distributor. He dropped 11 dimes in this one and did so without a turnover. That’s pretty amazing, but what’s even more impressive is the streak he’s been on. Over the past 3 games Lewis has 21 assists and zero turnovers. Talk about getting the most out of your point guard.

With solid play from Lewis and Warren and Kyle Washington continuing to get involved (13 points, 5 boards), State was able to keep control of this game throughout, but against a better team this one could have gotten ugly. State has become such a poor shooting team that it is a no-brainer to go zone and really pack in the lane. Lee, Lewis, and Barber all absolutely need to find their touch. At this point it’s most certainly a mental block. Whether they are unsure if they’re taking a good shot and it’s making them hesitate or they’re just not confident in their own shot, it’s something that has to be overcome. Those 3 guys are not 20% 3 point shooters. They all should be hovering around the 30% mark at worst. State needs to fix this soon or they’re going to really struggle with their upcoming games against UNC and Pitt.

Virginia Tech really just doesn’t have much firepower and even though State was missing from the outside, they weren’t able to ever make a big enough run to claim the lead. The Pack was able to stay close enough in the rebounding war and rely on Warren to get inside that zone and knock down a few jumpers to hold off V Tech, but they’re going to need improved scoring from their guards if they’re going to make any sort of run.

‘Our Take’:Barber to the 2?
It’s about time for Gottfried to mix it up a bit. Lee has hit a wall and Barber hasn’t quite grasped playing point at this level. So what’s the answer. I can’t say we have one, but it’s probably worth a shot to get Barber more involved in a different capacity. He’s too good a defender and has too much potential to score for him to be playing 5 minutes per game . I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I know Barber’s mind set right now, but we know early in the season he was intent on playing point. Right now, that position belongs to Tyler Lewis and it doesn’t look like he’s giving that up anytime soon, but State is dire need of a scorer and Barber can be that. If he wants to see minutes and wants to be a part of any kind of late season run it might be wise to bring the idea of moving to the 2 to Gottfried’s attention. While I’m sure the staff has toyed with the idea, I’m not sure they know if Barber would be ok with it. At this point, I’m guess that he’d play any position if it will get him on the floor. By doing this you could leverage his defense and his scoring ability while taking the ball and some decision making out of his hands a little bit.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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1 day ago

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April 26, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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2 days ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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3 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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4 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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