NC State hits the court tonight in the season opener against USC Upstate, and here is a preview of the 2024-2025 Wolfpack.

Intro

NC State is coming off of their first ACC Tournament Championship since 1987 and its first Final Four appearance since 1983. NC State is one of only three ACC teams that have made NCAA Tournament appearances in the past two seasons, with those other two teams being Duke and Virginia. Because of NC State’s recent ACC and NCAA tournament success, their non-conference schedule is much more rigorous. First, they have a Final Four rematch against Purdue, but this will be the Boilermakers’ first season without Zach Edey, so they’ll be a much different team. Then depending on the outcome of that game the Pack will have a rematch against either BYU or Ole Miss who are both very talented teams this year. For the ACC/SEC challenge, it’s a home game against a tough Texas team that’s stacked with talent at the guard and wing positions.

Their last non-conference test is at a national powerhouse in Kansas on December 14^th, which is the start of a home-and-home series between the Wolfpack and the Jayhawks. The good thing about having a schedule like this is fans should have a good idea of where this team stands. This should also prepare the team to face a much deeper ACC this season.  

The Roster

Returning Players

That brings things to the next topic: how this year’s roster was built.

NC State was able to return five players from last year’s team: Michael O’Connell, Breon Pass, Jayden Taylor, Dennis Parker Jr., and Ben Middlebrooks.  Outside of Dennis Parker Jr. who was out with an illness, they all played roles in NC State’s miraculous postseason run.

Transfers

The transfer portal master himself, Coach Keatts, cooked up another great transfer portal class in this cycle, which includes a pair of great players from Louisville in Mike James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.  They both averaged 10+ppg last season for the Cardinals. Mike James is a physical guard who has had a lot of success in scoring in the paint. His 6’5 frame also makes him more versatile on defense. 

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield will be the heartbeat of this team. He gives NC State everything you’d want in a center, including rim-protection, rebounding, and just being a great all-around center. He does have a good mid-range shot, and he’s been working on his three point shot as well. If everything works out how I think it will, he’ll be on the 1st team All-ACC team by the end of the year. 

Dontrez Styles is a 6’6 guard who was one of the most underrated players in the Big East last year while averaging 10+ppg while also being a productive rebounder. Having shot 36.8% from 3 on 4.2 3pt attempts per game last year. I could see him having a similar role to Casey Morsell in the 22’-23’ season. Having that role on offense where you’ll see him in the corner hitting open threes when the ball is kicked out to him. 

Marcus Hill was nothing short of special at Bowling Green last year. He can best be described as an elite paint-touch guard. If you ever need a quick bucket, or if you need someone to get to the free throw line, this would be your guy. Even though it was at Bowling Green he was top 30 in the country in scoring and made 44.3% of his shots last year. Marcus Hill also has great skills as a passer. On defense he posted 2.6 assists and one steal per game.

Lastly, you have who I would consider a wildcard in Ismael Diouf, a 6’9 wing who has a lot of potential. He does have floor stretching ability shooting 30% from three. In terms of being a stretch-4 forward, he will fit perfectly with what Coach Keatts likes to do at that position. He could take on a similar role that Dontrez Styles will have. Though, I only really see him scoring as of now off a catch and shoot or in the pick n’ roll. He has gotten some comparisons to Mo Diarra when it comes to playstyle. However, I’m not sure if he’ll be as good of a rebounder as Diarra was right way. Although I could certainly see that improving for him as the year progresses.   

The Freshmen

The last of the new editions include three freshmen who are all guards: Paul McNeil, Trey Parker, and Bryce Heard.

Paul McNeil, during his senior season, broke a N.C. high school record that was held previously by Clayton’s Bob Poole in 1950, scoring 71 points in a 118-52 win over Lee County. Coach Keatts has already said he is one of the best shooters – if not the best shooter – on the team, which says a lot for a freshman. I don’t think he’ll have the impact that Terquavion Smith had in his freshman season. But I do think that he’ll having a significant role for the team this year. 

Trey Parker, a high-flying and athletic guard. Is coming from Overtime Elite’s program in Atlanta, Georgia. Standing at just 6’1, Trey Parker may be one of the best dunkers in the country with his 40.5 inch vertical that was measured during Overtime Elite’s combine. Trey Parker is much more than his dunks. He actually uses that athleticism as a focal point for his game.  He is a strong on-ball defender who forces a lot of steals and deflections, and he also is excellent at getting to the paint for easy buckets. His 3-point shot isn’t bad, either, at 33.8% in the 22’-23’ season. It took a dip last season, but it will only improve over time with assistant coach Brett Nelson.

The last freshman is Bryce Heard who is another lengthy guard for this team. What jumped out to me on his high school tape was his scoring and athleticism. For someone who’s supposed to be a senior in high school, I see why Coach Keatts wanted to get this kid. He’s someone who is a 3-level scorer, he has good length which gives him potential to be a great defender, and of course he can shoot the ball at a high clip. With the skills he already has, and what he’ll learn, Heard can do great things at NC State during his college career.

Answering Questions

So what is it about this year’s team that’ll make them better during the regular season? 

It’ll have to be defense, forcing turnovers, defensive rebounding, everything on that side. Last year, NC State allowed 71.8ppg (9th in the ACC). They forced 7.2 steals per game (3rd in the ACC) along with 3.6 blocks per game (10th in the ACC). Collectively, they had 25.2 defensive rebounds per game (10th in the ACC).

They allowed teams to shoot 33.5% from three which was 10th in the ACC. One thing you can say about a team with Coach Keatts leading the way is that you know they’ll be able to produce steals. However, if you noticed a trend here, the main weaknesses are rebounding and blocks per game – which has a lot to do with rim protection.

With that in mind, last season NC State’s best rim protectors were Mo Diarra, who didn’t really become a more complete player until later in the year, and Ben Middlebrooks -- who started to become a great defender during the postseason run. Again, like Mo Diarra, he didn't become dominant in that aspect until late in the year, though both players showed flashes of what they could be throughout the year. That’s why getting a guy like Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was so important heading into this season. He should give you much better rim protection when it comes to rebounding, not to mention he averaged nearly a block per game -- and I think that number will be higher for him this year as well. So at least on paper this team should be much better defensively in the paint. 

On offense, this team will be much faster; you’ll see a lot more 5-out offensive sets. Having guys at the five like Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Ben Middlebrooks, who should be able to hit three’s occasionally, will be what could take this team from being good to great. However, this is still Kevin Keatts type of team, and with that you know there will be some great guard play. There is always a lead guard on all of Keatts’ teams that he can rely on for a clutch bucket or to just score every night. I don’t think they have that guy figured out right now. If I had to predict who that could be, the obvious choice would be Jayden Taylor. He went on a hot streak late in the year last season. We saw that when he had 24pts against FSU, 22pts against UNC, 28pts against Pitt, and then a pair of 18pt games against Louisville and Syracuse. The main issue with Jayden Taylor last year, though, was his consistency.  He’d have streaks of games where he’d put up 20+ points one night and less than 10 points the next. I believe now that he’s had an entire offseason in the program to improve, he should be ready to step into that lead role as a scorer. This, combined with how good of a defender he already is, could make him a candidate for being a first or second team all-conference player. 

Closing Statement

Overall, I have high expectations for this year's team.

I think anywhere from 21-23 wins is a very achievable goal. If all goes well, I could see this team make it to at least the Sweet 16. As far as the ACC goes, I have them finishing in the top 5 of the conference, which will give them a better shot to make an ACC tournament run as well. Those early non-conference games are great tests because it tells you where you’re at. If NC State wants to be comfortable knowing they’re a tournament team and not have to win five games in five days, winning some of these non-conference games is a must. You’d have to go 2-2 at least in the games against Texas, Kansas, Purdue, and BYU/Ole Miss.

Beating two of those teams should be enough in terms of strength of schedule to get you in the tournament. Regardless, this should be a fun season of NC State basketball. I can’t wait to see how all of the new players mesh together with the returning guys, because that’ll be the key to the team's success this year.