N.C. State Wolfpack
2022-23 record: 23-11, 12-8 in the ACC
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts
Tenure: 7th Season
Career Coaching Record: 113-79
Home Court: PNC Arena
Projected Starters: G Michael O’Connell, G DJ Horne, G Casey Morsell, G MJ Rice, F DJ Burns
Projected Bench: G Jayden Taylor, F Ben Middlebrooks, G Dennis Parker, F Mohamed Diarra, G LJ Thomas
Overview: At the end of the 2022-23 season, the N.C. State men’s basketball team had the sixth best record in the conference. The Wolfpack’s season culminated in a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament with a 63-72 loss to Creighton.
N.C. State comes off an impressive year, but the losses of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner leaves two gaping holes in its rotation. Smith and Joiner combined for an average of 34.9 points per game as integral parts to the team’s success. In order to reload the Wolfpack’s roster, Keatts turned to the transfer portal, picking up players including former Clemson Tiger Ben Middlebrooks and Mizzouri big man Mohamed Diarra. Along with the transfers, the Wolfpack adds four-star recruit Dennis Parker Jr. to the team.
Supporting new talent, N.C. State still has graduate forward DJ Burns Jr. and graduate guard Casey Morsell. Burns quickly bolstered himself as a key player for this team, averaging 12.5 points a game on a 56.1% successful shooting arm. This year will be big for Burns as he looks to become a strong second option on both ends of the floor. Morsell is coming off an 11.8 points-per-game season, shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc with an average of 2.2 threes a game, good for 13th in the ACC. Morsell will most likely be the first scoring option for the Wolfpack coming into this season.
Team Ceiling: With the duo of Burns and Morsell, N.C. State will have a chance at a strong offense, allowing it maintain competitiveness in the ACC. The Wolfpack also boasts one of the oldest rosters in the conference which can be key come March. With consistency, N.C. State can definitely earn a lower-seed spot in the NCAA tournament with the potential to pull off an upset in the first round.
Team Floor: The losses of Smith and Joiner could, however, be too much for the Wolfpack to recover from. Even with the heavy use of the transfer portal, a lot of new faces could lead to struggles with the team causing the Wolfpack to fall towards the bottom of ACC rankings, struggling to secure a spot in March Madness.
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