North Carolina State Wolfpack
ACC (21-11, 11-7)
North Carolina State has proven that they can beat anybody on any given day. This is a Wolfpack team that defeated Arizona early in the year and picked up big ACC wins over Duke, Clemson and North Carolina. Most figured Coach Kevin Keatts would need at least one season before NC State was getting big wins like that, but they have come much quicker. There have been a few clunkers along the way, like a loss to Northern Iowa and a 30 point defeat at Notre Dame, but Coach Keatts has done an amazing job and this group can do some damage come tournament time.
Big Wins: 11/22 vs Arizona (90-84), 1/6 Duke (96-85), 1/27 at North Carolina (95-91)
Bad Losses: 11/23 vs Northern Iowa (60-64), 12/16 UNC Greensboro (76-81), 3/1 at Georgia Tech (75-78)
Coach: Kevin Keatts
Why They Can Surprise:
NC State can score in bunches. Omer Yurtseven, Allerik Freeman, Torin Dorn and Braxton Beverly all average double figures. Freeman has been a bit inconsistent with his outside shooting, but the senior does a great job of attacking the basket. He is also one of many, many players who play pressure defense and will get easy buckets from steals. Markell Johnson though is the best on the team when it comes to making steals. He averages 1.7 per game and adds 8.8 points and 7.4 assists. The sophomore point man stepped into a starting role this year and has changed this team. Johnson keeps this offense moving and he deserves much of the credit for the Wolfpack’s impressive turnover margin.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The defense is going to allow the opposition to score some easy buckets. They will go for those steals and that can result in open looks. The good news is that the opposition still has to go through Omer Yurtseven to get to the basket. The seven-foot sophomore is a massive presence in the paint and has also emerged as a surprising versatile scorer. The Wolfpack have proven that they can win in a shootout, but there will be times when this group has to buckle down and get a stop. If they do that successfully, North Carolina State could add another big win or two to their 2017-2018 resume.
Probable Starters:
Markell Johnson, Sophomore, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 7.4 apg, 3.4 rpg
Braxton Beverly, Freshman, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 4.0 apg
Allerik Freeman, Senior, Guard, 15.4 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.1 rpg
Torin Dorn, Junior, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Omer Yurtseven, Sophomore, Center, 13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1,9 bpg
Key Role Players:
Lennard Freeman, Senior, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Abdul-Malik Abu, Senior, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Sam Hunt, Senior, Guard, 5.7 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.0 (40th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 73.9 (222, 12)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.8 (71, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 46.3 (289, 15)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.8 (160, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.7 (89, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.3 (219, 12)
Rebound Margin: 0.9 (171, 11)
Assists Per Game: 16.1 (34, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (104, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over LSU
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Villanova
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Louisville
2014 NCAA Opening Round win over Xavier
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Saint Louis
2013 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Temple
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over San Diego State
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgetown
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kansas
2010 NIT First Round win over South Florida
2010 NIT Second Round loss to UAB
2007 NIT First Round win over Drexel
2007 NIT Second Round win over Marist
2007 NIT Quarterfinal Loss to West Virginia
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over California
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Texas
2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Charlotte
2005 NCAA Round of 32 win over Connecticut
2005 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Louisiana
2004 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Vanderbilt
*all team stats through 3/4
