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NC State Takes on Miami Today at Noon

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Miami Hurricanes
Noon | ACCN | Raleigh, NC


The Starting 5 – The Top 5 Storylines For This Game

1. THE TOP SCORER IN THE TOP CONFERENCES
T.J. Warren is the ACC’s leading scorer with 23.3 points per game and is the top scorer among all players in the Power 5 conferences. He leads the ACC in both 20-point games (23) and 30-point outings (7). The 6-8 sophomore is the only player in the ACC with multiple 30-point performances. Warren poured in a career-high 36 points during Wednesday’s contest against North Carolina. Warren, who has reached double figures in 29 of his last 31 games, is also first in the ACC with a .523 field goal percentage (minimum 5 FG made per game). He is on pace to become just the third player in ACC history to lead the conference in both scoring and field goal percentage (Horace Grant, Tim Duncan). Warren is also among the ACC’s leaders in rebounds (7th), offensive rebounds (1st), minutes played (8th) and steals (6th).

2. TYLER SERVES IT UP
Tyler Lewis is on pace to set the single-season school record for assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis is currently averaging an ACC-best 4.04 assists to every turnover, which is also good for third in the nation. The previous school record is 3.35, set by Sidney Lowe during the 1982-83 season. The sophomore from Statesville, N.C., has 34 assists against just three turnovers over the last five games. Over the last four games, Lewis has dished 27 assists with only one miscue.

3. PACK AND CANES HAD SIMILAR CHALLENGES
Before this season started, NC State and Miami were facing simiilar obstacles. Both teams were working toward replacing several accomplished players who either graduated or left for the NBA Draft. The Wolfpack had to replace a group of players (Richard Howell, Scott Wood, Lorenzo Brown, C.J. Leslie) that produced 5,499 points, 2,655 rebounds, 1,084 assists and 420 starts. Miami replaced a group of six players (including Shane Larkin, Durand Scott and Kenny Kadji) that produced 5,399 career points, 2,744 rebounds, 966 assists and 412 starts.

4. SOPHOMORIC BEHAVIOR
T.J. Warren is in rare company. He has 642 points this season, the third-most in NC State history for a sophomore. He needs 21 more points to equal Rodney Monroe’s sophomore season of 1988-89. His scoring average is on pace for second all-time for a sophomore, behind only David Thompson’s 24.7 mark in 1972-73.

5. ENCORE ACT FOR T.J.
T.J Warren was quiet in the first half at Miami on Feb. 8, scoring just eight points on 3-for-5 shooting. The opposite was true after halftime in Coral Gables, as Warren scored 19 of NC State’s 24 points in the second half to lead the Wolfpack to a 56-55 road victory. Warren shot 5-for-9 from the floor and 9-for-10 in the second half to finish with 27 points. Ralston Turner added 17 points (16 in the first half) as NC State improved to 5-5 in ACC play.
PackInsider’s Keys to the game:

1) Stop Rion Brown. We said this last time, but he ended up with 20 and almost led the Canes to a win. State HAS to stop him if they want to win, but he is certainly a matchup problem as a 6’6 guard.

2) Rebound. The Wolfpack bigs are getting better and better, but last time out against Miami they lost on the boards. This Miami team is big and strong and will take advantage of you if you wont block out.

3) Handle their guards. Miami’s guards aren’t big time scorers but Garrius Adams and Manu Lecomte managed a combined 23 pts against State last time out. Lewis, Barber and Lee will need to be as good as they were early on against UNC if they want to dominate this game.

4) Protect the basketball. They turned it over 11 times last meeting with Miami. Not bad, and as long as Lewis is on the floor I think this one is taken care of.

5) Play with nothing to lose. State is on the outside looking in, but if they win out, doors may open. Laying it all on the line and coming out like they did vs. UNC is a great start.

 

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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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.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

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.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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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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Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

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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