Lets do this!

3/27/2015 10:01:38 PM

we return a lot of fire power

I'll admit, I'm not impressed with The Martins. They need to work very hard in the offseason

we'll be fine though. 13-5 in conference play. 4 seed. Sweet 16

3/27/2015 10:09:35 PM

Quote :

"I'll admit, I'm not impressed with The Martins. They need to work very hard in the offseason "

what 'expectation' crack are you smoking? yea everyone needs to work very hard so i'll take that, but the martins were very run-of-the-mill contributors as freshmen with limited minutes.

3/27/2015 10:14:17 PM

This will be the year if we are gonna attempt to challenge for an acc title and making it past the sweet sixteen for the first time in 30 years. We will have a solid group of players with experience playing together. Hopefully we avoid the transfers and Henderson can be a turner replacement who plays defense and we can avoid so many of those nc state runs where we forget how to play basketball

3/27/2015 10:23:05 PM

NIT or bust

3/27/2015 10:26:03 PM

Quote :

"I'll admit, I'm not impressed with The Martins. They need to work very hard in the offseason "

I haven't seen much, but I've liked what I've seen. Unselfish with the ball, they also have a pretty good basketball IQ. Doesn't mean they'll still make some boneheaded mistakes. I'd argue that they may have the best "vision" of anyone on the team. They know how to move without the ball. Give them some more experience, I think they'll do pretty well for themselves.

3/27/2015 10:30:16 PM

Quote :

"Hopefully we avoid the transfers"

for the first time in a long time, I can't think of anyone who might transfer

maybe Freeman, but that's a huge stretch

3/27/2015 10:35:00 PM

Our chemistry seems nice. I mean Cat was benched early in the first for example, and I think K-Wash treats his bench role as a challenge. If you watch a lot of the CoachGott.com / youtube videos of locker room stuff, this team does seem to have some good chemistry.

3/27/2015 10:37:37 PM

the martins need to fuse into one player

right now we have one that can shoot and another that can pass, drive and play defense. put the two together and theyd be a stud

3/27/2015 10:39:03 PM

I liked the Martins energy and everything. They both seem real raw. Which is normal for freshmen.

I expect Abu to make some big strides this offseason. He improved a lot over the course of this season. My biggest concern is the development of Anya. He just needs to be more consistent in his defensive effort. Part of that may be still be a conditionig issue. And develop an offensive game beyond simply dunking.

Like others have said, we return a lot of pieces. There's plenty to be excited about. This 2016 season is our chance to make a big step up from the 8/9/10/11 seed to a top 6 or so seed. And a top 4-5 finish in the conference.

3/27/2015 10:48:31 PM

the team I'm most concerned about next year is Miami

coming off a 6th place finish, they return 98% of their scoring and they'll start 4 seniors and 1 junior

[Edited on March 27, 2015 at 10:56 PM. Reason : and an NIT title]

3/27/2015 10:56:03 PM

well if this plays out the same way as last time around miami will steal our season as we fumble around and have our point guard miss 3 critical games. so congrats on your 3 seed and 13-5 acc season, canes

3/27/2015 10:58:52 PM

Legit shot at top 4 / double bye in conference tourney. Pay no mind to ^^, he's in a transitional period

[Edited on March 27, 2015 at 11:03 PM. Reason : RIP Herb]

3/27/2015 11:03:28 PM

We have lots of potential but I am trying not to get my hopes up too much just because we made Sweet 16. We return the same team basically but did have double digit losses and finished 8th in the conference. I see Lacey staying about the same. Cat is going to have to become a lot more consistent for us to move up into the 3rd or 4th team in the ACC. And our bigs have to learn to score more consistently (or let Washington play more).

3/27/2015 11:27:06 PM

As much as i'll miss turner and dez, we'll rebuild nicely without them. Ever since Cat had his midseason wind and became a 3 point shooter energized the program. Having Abu start the game will develop him into the monster we all know he can be. I wouldn't be surprised to see us pre-season ranked.

3/27/2015 11:34:41 PM

iop1

3/27/2015 11:37:26 PM

Quote :

"Cat is going to have to become a lot more consistent for us to move up into the 3rd or 4th team in the ACC. "

He's probably been our most consistent player the past month and a half. The only time he's struggled was against Duke and Louisville, and both ran a zone specifically geared at stopping him. (Plus he was sick against UL.)

A switch went off with him midseason, and he hasn't regressed since. That's a great sign for next year.

3/27/2015 11:43:56 PM

^yep if we get a Full season of that Cat, next year will be fun

3/27/2015 11:56:11 PM

i could have sworn he regressed tonight but maybe thats just me trolling

3/28/2015 2:07:48 AM

Yes, E Man. He played poorly last night. Gott said he was throwing up all night Thursday night. He had, what, 2 bad games over the last month or month and a half of the year?

3/28/2015 8:21:52 AM

IF we only lose Ralston and Dez, we can be top 20.

The key to our season will not be Cats improvement or Henderson , but our bigs developing into at least an average threat offensively. That's what killed us last year. They must get better to free up the perimeter. Im mainly thinking of Nard Dog and Abu. Kyle and Anya are just niche players.

[Edited on March 28, 2015 at 9:26 AM. Reason : z]

3/28/2015 9:25:43 AM

^ Totally agree on Freeman. We need him to take the Howell leap offensively next season. His rebounding/defense is so solid already. If he can contribute on both sides consistently, it'll be huge.

3/28/2015 9:29:25 AM

Quote :

"for the first time in a long time, I can't think of anyone who might transfer"

There are rumblings about Kyle transferring. Nothing definite, but he's the only one that makes sense.

If everyone improves just a little bit, I think we're going to crush it next year. Hopefully Henderson is as good as advertised. Reports have been pretty accurate the last two years on Lacey and Turner.

3/28/2015 9:49:37 AM

any 'insiders' feel like posting for us?
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbrecruiting/on-the-trail/post?id=13351&ex_cid=espnapi_public

3/28/2015 10:01:48 AM

We shouldn't lose more than 4 games

3/28/2015 10:29:07 AM

^^

Quote :

"To return to the NCAA tournament, a team needs contributions from both returning players and incoming recruits. Here's a look at NC State and its chances of dancing again in 2016. Quick references: 2014-15 roster 2015 recruiting Possible 2015-16 starting five G: Anthony Barber G: Trevor Lacey F: Caleb Martin F: Kyle Washington F: Abdul-Malik Abu Who is lost: The Wolfpack will have to absorb a big loss in Ralston Turner, who averaged double figures on the perimeter. Turner, a transfer from LSU, was a strong two-year addition for Mark Gottfried. In his final year, he was a dangerous 3-point threat and attempted the team's largest number of long-distance shots this season. Desmond Lee, another perimeter player who averaged only single-digit minutes, provided depth. Who is added: No recruits are coming for the Class of 2015, but State will get shooting guard Terry Henderson, who transferred from West Virginia and averaged 11.7 points as a sophomore. Henderson will have two years of eligibility remaining and brings an established 3-point shot and an excellent free throw percentage to Raleigh. Henderson will be a key addition. What it means for next season: With a majority of their NCAA tournament roster returning, the Wolfpack will be an upper-echelon team next season in the powerful and deep ACC. When you break down their roster, they bring back a hard-to-guard backcourt with Barber and Lacey. Lacey is a crunch-time performer, a shot-maker and one of the team's leading scorers. In the frontcourt, Washington has made steady progress and can stretch out a defense with his 3-point shot. I expect Abu to have a breakout sophomore season, with a chiseled frame and post skill to emerge next season. The Martin twins, Cody and Caleb can help make up for the loss of Turner collectively. Trending: Up: Gottfried has absorbed the loss of T.J. Warren with an NCAA tournament bid, and the Wolfpack are lined up to do the same next season with a strong returning roster. They are a finalist for ESPN 100 prospect Brandon Ingram (No. 12) and are also involved with Malik Newman (No. 4). Since he has taken over this Wolfpack program, Gottfried has won, recruited very well and energized the fan base."

3/28/2015 10:58:40 AM

i'd be surprised if we lost more than 4 games all season.

3/28/2015 11:10:21 AM

I just dont see how we have a better year next year even if we get better. How will that chamge a game like bc?

Also we have to get better just to saty even since the rest of the conference except notre dame and uva will be much better.

3/28/2015 11:12:46 AM

Presumably we'd improve because freshmen like Abu and the Martins should improve. Cat was pretty great the last month and a half. If he can play at that level for the entire season we are a better team.

I'm not saying we'll be a top 10 team. But we should be better and more consistent

[Edited on March 28, 2015 at 11:19 AM. Reason : A]

3/28/2015 11:18:43 AM

Quote :

"Also we have to get better just to saty even since the rest of the conference except notre dame and uva will be much better"

Duke is likely losing 4 starters, Louisville will lose Harrell and maybe Rozier so I doubt either of those teams will be getting much better.

3/28/2015 1:48:43 PM

Quote :

"Also we have to get better just to saty even since the rest of the conference except notre dame and uva will be much better."

Duke will lose Okafor, Winslow, and maybe Tyus Jones. Louisville loses Harrell and probably Rozier. Cuse loses Christmas. UNC and Miami could be really good, and UVA if Brogdon comes back, but no one else really scares me

3/28/2015 1:48:56 PM

^^wow ... crazy timing with that.

3/28/2015 1:49:19 PM

There is a lot of talent leaving the top teams in the ACC except maybe UNC:

Duke will lose Cook, Okafor, Winslow and probably Tyrus Jones
ND loses Grant and Connaguton
UL loses Harrell and Rozier
Hopefully UNC loses Brice and maybe Paige. Highly unlikely on Paige though after his bad season.

The middle of the road teams like Syracuse, Pitt, Miami, Clemson should all be better and even the bottom feeders should improve some like Wake and VT under their coaches. Next year we SHOULD have a good chance at top 4 in the ACC, but we know how this goes. Both Cat and Lacey should be preseason All ACC first or second team type guys.

[Edited on March 28, 2015 at 2:02 PM. Reason : wow everyone posting at the same time]

3/28/2015 2:01:16 PM

Failed to mention that UVA will be very good again assuming Brogden stays. They lose no one that valuable to them and have another year of experience running Bennetts system

3/28/2015 2:04:09 PM

iop1

3/28/2015 2:09:44 PM

#1 goal of this season: Don't lose to Wake Forest

3/28/2015 2:37:43 PM

Doesn't matter. As long as we have to go through elite coaches, our chance of stringing together 3+ tourney wins is low.

We keep getting schooled by zone defense, but we don't learn how to beat it.

3/28/2015 2:46:27 PM

The ACC is losing a bunch of talent, State's replacing their one key loss with Henderson who may not be Turner's equal from behind the arc, but is a good 3 point shooter, more athletic than Turner and great FT shooter.

Getting Anya to lose a little more fat and put on muscle would be big, but I think the Martins & Abu make big strides next year. Should be a fun team to watch.

3/28/2015 2:49:22 PM

The more I look at it, the more this team should be a lock for a 3 seed next year. However, I have to adjust expectations down due to it being NC State so I'm going with a 6.

3/28/2015 3:01:10 PM

I think it's pretty realistic to think we could finish top 5 in the ACC and i would hope to be a top 5-6 seed in the NCAAT

3/28/2015 3:05:07 PM

You guys are doing the expectation thing again where you extrapolate our good games as if the next season will be just like our good games from this year and the bad ones will just go away.

Quote :

" There is a lot of talent leaving the top teams in the ACC except maybe UNC"

Talent isn't the reason most of the teams ahead of us were ahead of us but it certainly is the reason some of the teams behind us were behind us. Duke will reload. Losing freshmen isn't going to suddenly turn them into a bubble type team.

The way I look at it, theres types of teams in the ACC. 2 Teams we know will be better than us, 4 teams that should be better than us, one team that is about the same as us, 2 teams that should be worse than us and 4 teams that will be worse than us.

Returning- these teams will stay ahead of us with their returners. I say uva won't get better because theyre already as good as they can be.
1. Virginia
2. North Carolina

Reloading- these teams have amazing classes with future lotto picks along and coaches who have proven to get results that will make them much better than us. they'll be competing with the other 2 teams and may end up much better than even those team.s

3. Florida State
4. Duke
5. Syracuse
6. Louisville

Level They are pretty much the same level as us this year and a similar situation with a weak class and bringing almost everyone back. I'm kind of scared that their coach might get more out of them next year but its a tossup if we will be better or worse than them kinda like this year.

7. Miami

Rebuilding These teams are teams that were below us last year but have the potential to surprise us based on excellent coaching and freshmen play.

8. Virginia Tech
9. Wake Forest

Should be inferior These teams are losing a lot, not gaining a lot and we already sort of had pitts number. L
10. Notre Dame
11. Pitt
12. Clemson
13. BC

Being realistic, unless Henderson is some sort of golden God, we will finish somewhere between 7th and 9th next year. I'm expecting almost a miror image of this season give or take a few games.

3/28/2015 5:19:32 PM

For a while there I had forgotten why you were suspended Earl.

Thanks for the reminder.

3/28/2015 5:27:14 PM

With Rick Barnes as our head coach next year, I think we'll be at worst national runner up

3/28/2015 5:35:18 PM

earl isnt far off but he made a couple mistakes

1 - uncs roster isnt that much better than ours
2 - miami and fsu should be flipped. leonard hamilton isnt finishing top half of the acc with a couple of freshmen studs and rathan mayes
3 - notre dame isnt going to suck next year. worse, sure. more of a typical brey season probably
4 - unless im missing something syracuse still doesnt have a point guard and probably dont have the ships to add a grad transfer

11-7 in the "best" conference was enough to get a 3 seed this year. we can manage that

3/28/2015 5:50:57 PM

shouldn't Miami be in the "returning" section?

after all, they are returning everyone, and they did finish ahead of us this year

3/28/2015 6:47:38 PM

Yes they are returning everyone. They finished ahead of us in the standings but not rankings. They beat us so I'd say we were pretty much the same level. They aren't quite on the same level as teams like unc and uva but neither are we. Both teams are like a box of chocolates.

3/28/2015 7:11:36 PM

Here's our ACC schedule for next year

Home/Road: North Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida State, Duke
Home: Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Louisville, Boston College
Road: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame

Pretty tough to get a lot of the middle-of-the-road teams on the road (Pitt, Syracuse, ND). Add in likely road losses at UNC, Duke and Virginia. I see 10-8 looking at it, but who knows. Maybe we both pull some road upsets and hold serve at home, but history doesn't favor that. Under Herb we beat the bad teams and lost to the good ones. Under Gott we pull off a few big wins and suffer a few bad losses.

Hopefully we do a little better during the nonconference schedule next year, that will make the difference between getting a 7-11 seed vs. a 4-6. We could go 10-8 in the ACC and get a 4 seed if we don't drop more than 1 or 2 out of conference games, assuming Gott schedules the same as he usually does.

3/28/2015 7:31:39 PM

Looks like we will be playing at least 10 games against top 15 competition.

I don't know about gt and clemson but it also looks like the bottom feeders will be a lot better than they were his year so those surprise losses won't really hurt like they did this year

[Edited on March 28, 2015 at 7:51 PM. Reason : strong bottom]

3/28/2015 7:50:10 PM

Quote :

"3 - notre dame isnt going to suck next year. worse, sure. more of a typical brey season probably"

You sure about that? They sucked out loud last year without Grant. Guess who's graduating. Along with Connaughton.

3/28/2015 7:59:47 PM

grant shouldve been acc poy this year because that team blew without him until they really figured it out during this year. connaughton is also a huge loss. but theyll be fine. colson will step in for connaughton. jackson will be a JR and fine at the point. they probably get some random guy who can shoot lights out as a graduate transfer. theyre not going 6-12 again

[Edited on March 28, 2015 at 8:32 PM. Reason : a]

3/28/2015 8:31:52 PM