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North Carolina State Basketball: NC State Wolfpack 2015-16 Season Preview

By Bryce Bennett

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NC State Wolfpack

2014-2015 Record: 22-14 (10-8, ACC)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – Sweet Sixteen

The Wolfpack had the definition of an “up-and-down” season in 2014-15. The good: victories over Duke and at North Carolina and Louisville. The bad: losses to Clemson, Boston College and Wake Forest. Despite the inconsistencies, the Wolfpack made the tournament as an #8 seed and pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, a 71-68 victory over #1 seed Villanova. It was the first Sweet Sixteen trip since 2012 for the university in Raleigh and expectations remained sky-high with potentially only Ralston Turner moving on.

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In the end, the off-season was a little more difficult to the Wolfpack. Star Trevor Lacy surprisingly declared for the NBA draft and bruiser Kyle Washington transferred to Bearcats of Cincinnati. What is left is a team with talent, but many question marks. Namely, do they have enough scoring? Is there enough depth at the guard position? Can the frontline of Abdul-Malik Abu and BeeJay Anya perform consistently throughout the season? Is this a team that can return to the NCAA Tournament? Check out the players and games that will be critical for the Wolfpack this season.

 Newcomers

F – Shaun Kirk
G – Maverick Rowan
G – Terry Henderson (transfer West Virginia, 11.7 ppg, 37.6% from three.)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 23-24 Legends Classic – The Barclays plays host to a very interesting tournament for the Wolfpack in the early part of the season. After a regional tune-up against IUPUI, the Wolfpack will travel to Brooklyn to play the Sun Devils of Arizona State (18-16, 9-9 in 2014-15).

The Bobby Hurley-led team will be rebuilding, but returning four starters, so it will be an interesting one. Should the Wolfpack win a potential re-match against LSU could await in the championship game.

For those who don’t remember last year, here’s how that last match-up ended. LSU also has one of the best incoming recruiting classes in the country, led by ESPN #1 player Ben Simmons. Here’s hoping we get the re-match.

(Photo: Rob Kinnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Dec. 1 ACC/Big Ten Challenge: vs. Michigan- – NC State carries the ACC flag into Ann Arbor against a Wolverine team that will be healthy and (probably) ranked. Preseason All-Big Ten pick Caris LeVert returns from an injury that cost him most of the 2014-15 season.

Derrick Walton also returns and Zak Irvin is another name to watch for in John Beilein’s rise-and-fire offense.

This style is always better run with a threat to score underneath, and this is Michigan’s greatest weakness. Keys for NC State in this game will be to defend the three-point line (Michigan was second last season in the Big Ten in three-point attempts) and pound the ball inside. It will be a challenge, expect Michigan to be favored in this match-up.

Key Players

Anthony “Cat” Barber – With the Wolfpack’s two leading scorers gone from last season, the opportunity arises for Barber.

The 6’2″ guard will be tasked with the lead scorer role for the Wolfpack and he seems to be ready for the challenge.

Barber improved his three-point shooting percentage by 12 point last season (26 to 38%) and continued improvement in this area could make his ability to get to the rim even more lethal.

One area of improvement for Barber is free throw shooting. Barber was only a 73% shooter last season, and needs to increase that along with more attempts.

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    • Check out his highlights from last season. I bet you’ll be able to figure out how he got his nickname.

    Abdul-Malik Abu – Abu turned it up a notch in the post-season in 2014-15 averaging almost 12 points a game along with seven rebounds. This is exactly what NC State needs out of him this season.

    While only a sophomore, the 6’8″ 240 pounder will need to be a leader on the front-court for the Wolfpack.

    He along with Anya, need to make any attempt into the lane a harrowing experience to take pressure off shaky defense on the perimeter. Consistency and solid play from this big man could mean State is on the right side of the bubble.

    Season Outlook

    This still feels like an NCAA Tournament team. The Wolfpack will probably earn a similar seeding as last year, and there will probably be momentary lapses in focus from game-to-game. All things considered, the non-conference portion is not too bad and will allow NC State a solid start for the inevitable war that is ACC conference play. Expect another 20 – 22 win season this year for the Wolfpack.

    Next: Syracuse Orange 2015-16 Season Preview

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