Sad that this season ends up with us hoping Wofford comes back against UNCG to prevent an at large from going to a mid major

3/11/2019 8:51:46 PM

And thankfully UNCG forgot how to score in the final 5 minutes

3/11/2019 9:07:57 PM

3/11/2019 9:42:30 PM

Quote :

"Sad that this season ends up with us hoping Wofford comes back against UNCG to prevent an at large from going to a mid major "

i get what you're saying, kinda. it is indeed unfortunate to need other teams to help us out. but it's not that sad. it's not like we way underachieved this season. we didn't have super high expectations. at preseason, most people probably expected us to be a fringe NCAAT team. and rooting for no upsets in the mid-major tourneys is what fringe NCAAT teams do every year.

3/12/2019 6:51:01 AM

Yea but expectations are based on having no clue who the team was since its brand new. The team has shown they can compete with the best in the country when locked in. Therefore the bad losses that have made us fringe or hugely disappointing bc it's clear from conversations after the game, not to mention the result itself, that the team wasnt locked in. You can't take UVA and Wisconsin to the wire and then have it be ok to lose to wake and GT.

3/12/2019 7:37:03 AM

Yeah the Wake and GT losses are inexcusable. Take care of business there and we’re fine right now.

3/12/2019 7:44:50 AM

I think it's unfair to blame our losses on not being "locked in". This team just often doesn't shoot the ball very well. When we're defended like a team that can't shoot, we tend to struggle offensively. I think our expectations of this team's offensive prowess got a bit inflated playing against all those cupcakes, overall we're just average on that side of the ball. Best we can hope for is Bryce/Beverly/Daniels take turns going off this week and maybe we go on a run.

3/12/2019 8:51:32 AM

Except that GT game was about way more than shooting, and Dorn/Keatts both said after the game that their were mental issues.

I don't remember well enough the main issue with the Wake game but that GT defense was baddddd.


Also we shot 27% from 3 and 34% overall vs UVA and almost won. Our 3pt shooting doesn't correlate that well to wins and losses.

If you don't include the VT game, which I think most agree was just a fluke rather than a locked in concern (although they missed a ton of layups too, I don't know), we shot 37% in conf wins and 32% in conf losses.

[Edited on March 12, 2019 at 9:04 AM. Reason : E]

3/12/2019 8:53:55 AM

How many teams lose 2 of their top 3 scorers, 9 of their 12 contributors, add 1 3* recruit that is actually playing this season....and still have a good chance at a tournament bid?

We were picked 8th in the ACC, we finished 8th in the ACC.
Most believed we were a bubble team before the season started...and we're on the bubble.

The only problem was that we had a soft schedule early and ended up ranked and people's expectations shifted. This team had no business being ranked but it was fun. I agree losing to Wake and GT were bad losses, but it's still good that we're in a spot to make the tournament given our roster turnover.

Next year, barring any unexpected attrition, we're only losing 1 currently eligible player(likely 2 with Markell), so the expectations will be higher. At this point making the tournament is just more experience for our guys and another recruiting tool for Keatts.

3/12/2019 9:25:41 AM

Do we really think Markell is gone?

3/12/2019 9:34:02 AM

We haven't had roster continuity in 20 years. I'll believe it when I see it in regards to Markell or whoever. Only thing close was getting Howell, Leslie, Brown and Wood to stick around...and who knows how much Gott was paying them not to leave.

[Edited on March 12, 2019 at 9:41 AM. Reason : a]

3/12/2019 9:40:52 AM

I don't see us losing Markell unless we have some ACCT/NCAAT miracle run. That back/hip injury really set him back and he doesn't look comfortable at all on the court. He hasn't really improved greatly on many stat categories and has regressed in a lot. You never know with these kids, agents, and other people with their hands out but coming back is, imo, the smartest thing he could do.

3/12/2019 9:41:41 AM

Why is Markell leaving? Just doesn't like college? Wants to start a pro career in Europe? Just curious

3/12/2019 9:49:09 AM

So Walker will be back next year, right? He was being interviewed after one of the games a few weeks ago and (Gary Hahn or Tony Haynes) kept talking about him coming to NC State for just 1 year and it confused me.

3/12/2019 9:53:24 AM

Quote :

"We haven't had roster continuity in 20 years. I'll believe it when I see it in regards to Markell or whoever. "

Yeah it’s smart to assume we’ll have some level of attrition. I just don’t totally get why we’d assume Markell is the likely attrition. Maybe he’s just ready to go play overseas idk.

[Edited on March 12, 2019 at 9:56 AM. Reason : Yes Walker has one year left. Dorn is done and lockett is out of eligibility too]

3/12/2019 9:55:54 AM

Blake Harris is much more likely to leave than Markell imo. If all the guards stay and Leque comes, Harris will go back to pre Lockett plating time in acc.

3/12/2019 10:20:10 AM

https://247sports.com/college/nc-state/Article/Auburn-upsets-No-5-Tennessee-in-Tigers-game-of-year-129882441/

3/12/2019 10:36:02 AM

^^yeah I agree about Harris.

3/12/2019 11:16:35 AM

eh, he's one of our better on-ball defenders. maybe with another off-season under his belt, he may be able to take some of Braxton's time when his shots aren't falling or we need some defense... and there's no guarantee that Leque will be ACC-ready from the get-go.

(but while i wouldn't think he'd want to sit-out again, i wouldn't be too surprised if he left)

[Edited on March 12, 2019 at 11:56 AM. Reason : ]

3/12/2019 11:47:50 AM

Quote :

"Do we really think Markell is gone?"

No.

3/12/2019 1:34:43 PM

Quote :

"I just don’t totally get why we’d assume Markell is the likely attrition"

What's this we stuff? You're the one who brought it up

3/12/2019 1:52:49 PM

Markell attrition isn't breaking news, it's been mentioned on multiple sites since before the season started that most didn't think he wanted to play another year in college.

Markell had issues and injuries throughout his stint here. Some suggestion he isn't a huge fan of going to school.

My biggest question is, even if Markell came back next year and played out of his mind and was an All-American, what is his NBA draft ceiling? Early 2nd round?

I HOPE he comes back, but everything I've read has made it sound like a long-shot.

3/12/2019 2:12:03 PM

^^Luda brought it up

3/12/2019 2:13:24 PM

Guys, Luda clearly has pack pride premium so he knows all the inside info.

3/12/2019 2:16:37 PM

Lockett reinstated

3/12/2019 2:21:56 PM

Lockett news is good for bench depth. Felt like we could’ve used him in the GT game especially.

But I also feel kinda dirty celebrating his return. But that’s sports!

3/12/2019 2:34:17 PM

3/12/2019 2:41:36 PM

but why?

3/12/2019 2:53:07 PM

Ohh drama, Kickstand has 15 minutes to prove he's learned how to post a picture on tww after 14 years!

3/12/2019 2:57:19 PM

Locket supposedly isn't suiting-up for the opener.

3/12/2019 3:31:10 PM

So he’s reinstated by the university but still serving a suspension on the team? Or has he not been practicing and that’s why he’s out?

3/12/2019 3:43:14 PM

He hasn't been practicing. Pretty sure that those domestic violence activities mean no team activities.

3/12/2019 3:53:48 PM

Seems like he'd still suit-up at least, even if he wasn't planning on playing. Just in case, you know.

3/12/2019 3:54:25 PM

He hasn't been allowed to practice.

3/12/2019 3:58:15 PM

So St Mary's winning is bad, right?

3/13/2019 7:33:00 AM

Yes. 1 less spot for us. Still think if we win today, we’re ok. But we’ll see.

3/13/2019 7:40:21 AM

We're fine. Everything is fine.

3/13/2019 11:24:31 AM

So for the NCAAT....

Obviously there’s a lotta talk about our Q1 record and lack of marquee wins. and that’s completely fair. And losing to Wake (and GT, but especially Wake) is inexcusable. But I think what gets overlooked is our Q2 record. I think it’s 6-0 or 6-1 or something. That’s damn impressive. Seems kinda weird to ding us because we went 0-5 against UNC, UVa, Duke - 3 of the best teams in the nation (imo all 3 should probably be 1 seeds but I’m acc-biased).

Complaints about our schedule aren’t baseless. But my argument is that it is mostly meaningless to put much value at all in a Q3 win over a Q4 win. Both are easy games. And we flubbed our chance to avoid those vs Wake and GT. But ultimately it’s kinda BS imo to knock us for playing #300 teams instead of #200 teams. Especially if 17-15 Indiana gets in over us. Or fucking UNCG. If it’s down to us and comparable resume with a better SOS, then I get it. But don’t over think things, committee

3/14/2019 3:44:53 PM

We played such a terrible 1st half versus Wake at their place, but still came back from 20+ down to lose by only 4, without our best player all game. Will the committee factor in that our worst loss was on the road without our best player? Hell, Wake almost beat Duke in Cameron but they didn't have Zion, so that's their excuse.

3/14/2019 3:48:12 PM

Biggest knocks are losing to Wake and GT to go along with our absolutely dreadful(aka dead last) OOC SOS.

Best things we have going for us is every other metric has us firmly in.

Also depends on how the rest of the automatic bids shake out and what the other bubble teams do in their conference tournaments.

3/14/2019 3:48:40 PM

After today, we are now 9-9 vs the top 2 quadrants. Indiana is 8-14. UNCG is 4-6, but they're 16-0 against Q4 (we only played 10 Q4 games). Both of our bad losses are Q3 losses, which sucks. But I think our .500 record against "good" teams compared to the losing records of both those teams should make a difference.

3/14/2019 3:54:17 PM

^ and that illustrates the problem perfectly. Every bubble team is deeply flawed otherwise they wouldn’t be on the bubble. All these teams have their warts or the wouldn’t be on the bubble. You gotta compare them to one another, you can’t compare them to nothing just by saying “they haven’t beaten anybody” or “their schedule sucks” or whatever because...somebody’s gotta make the tourney. They can’t keep all the shitty teams out.

[Edited on March 14, 2019 at 4:11 PM. Reason : A]

3/14/2019 4:06:48 PM

^Illustrates perfectly why adding play-in games was mostly meaningless.

3/14/2019 7:18:38 PM

Yeah the play-in games is mostly dumb but I’ll take being in Dayton over nothing

3/14/2019 7:36:02 PM

I think our resume compare favorably to teams like Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota and Arizona State. ESPN currently has all of them projected higher than us.

3/14/2019 7:38:00 PM

How many ACC teams have gone .500 or better in conference play, won 20+ games and not made the tournament?

3/14/2019 10:17:29 PM

Maybe we should hope for the play in game so we can win a game or two in the tourny.

3/14/2019 10:28:04 PM

It's like 1 or 2.

But we are solidly in the tournament. People like page views and know that talking shit about us gets clicks.

3/14/2019 10:29:09 PM

ESPN Bracketology has us in a 11v11 play-in game vs Florida, winner to play 6-seed Maryland (wouldn't mind taking down both those programs, but would really hate losing to either)

3/15/2019 3:09:41 AM

it honestly feels like these bracketology guys are stuck in the old criteria of RPI by acting like we have no business in the tourney (primarily Jerry Palm is the one i'm seeing on twitter)

3/15/2019 6:52:18 AM