Kevin Keatts and the NC State Wolfpack will be coming off a surprisingly good debut season for the head coach. After missing the NCAA tournament two years in a row under Mark Gottfried, coach Keatts brought the Wolfpack back to March Madness in his first year.
The Wolfpack finished 21-12 with a conference record of 11-7 in the grueling ACC. Just as importantly, Kevin Keatts notched wins over both UNC and Duke in his first season in Raleigh. That’s one way to get the fans on your side early.
It was an offseason of much turnover, though. Only three players who played any minutes for the Wolfpack last season will be on the squad this year. Luckily, Kevin Keatts had two transfers who sat out last season but were practicing with the team and familiarizing themselves with the system. Another incoming transfer came midway through the season and has also been with the team since January.
Key Returners
- Torin Dorn- Wing
- Markell Johnson- PG
- Braxton Beverly- G
NC State may only have three returning players, but luckily for Keatts, it is a crucial bunch. Torin Dorn was NC State’s most important player last year. He did bits of everything for the Wolfpack while supplying many key plays in meaningful moments throughout the season. Dorn is slated for an All-ACC caliber year as a senior and will be vital to any success in Raleigh. Junior guard Markell Johnson was also vastly important to the team. Johnson brings high-level two-way prowess with elite athleticism. In the ACC, having a great point guard has proven to be a true gamechanger. Lastly, Braxton Beverly’s return will be important to the Wolfpack for one primary reason: his ability to knock down the three. The sophomore shot 39% on high volume from beyond the arc last season. In the Kevin Keatts offense, few things are more important than being able to stretch the floor and make your threes.
Key Losses
- Omer Yurtseven
- Allerick Freeman
While NC State lost many players from last year, only two of them had enough of an impact to be really missed. Omer Yurtseven, the hot-and-cold Turkish center, transferred to Georgetown. His departure happened for a multitude of reasons, it seems. With coach Kevin Keatts looking to fully install his system, Yurtseven appeared an awkward fit. Add that with the chance to play for a Hall of Fame center, and some personal reasons that extend beyond basketball, it is easy to see why a new beginning seemed appealing. Allerick Freeman was the team’s leading scorer and an integral part of the offense. Freeman did bits of everything on offense for the Wolfpack and was the go-to guy for scoring. His presence will be missed, even if his inefficiency at times did cause frustration.
Key Newcomers
- Devon Daniels
- CJ Bryce
- Wyatt Walker
- Derek Funderburk
- Blake Harris
- Ian Steere
- Jericole Hellems
The newcomers in Raleigh will be the backbone of the squad. With five transfers and two 4-star freshmen here, there is no shortage of talent. Junior wing CJ Bryce has a unique advantage, however, as he played under Kevin Keatts at UNC-Wilmington and followed him to Raleigh. Thus, Bryce is already extremely familiar with the system and is not technically new to it. Daniels and Harris also spent time with the team last season and have gotten familiar with the set-up at State. Walker and Funderburk will battle for the starting center spot, as both players are experienced at a high level and bring toughness to the interior. Steere and Hellems don’t figure to play much of an important role this year but are both talented enough to provide key impact in limited minutes. Steere will be a reserve enforcer at center, with an evolving all-around game. Hellems is a dynamic scorer who will be relied on for some bench buckets to change the pace.
Projected Starting Five
- Markell Johnson
- Devon Daniels
- CJ Bryce
- Torin Dorn
- Wyatt Walker
Season Outlook
NC State will be one of the bigger question marks in college hoops. With so much roster turnover, it remains to be seen exactly how it will all fit together.
However, in Keatts’ second season, he will want to improve upon his debut season- which may be a tough act to follow. On paper, this team is just as- if not more- talented than last year’s squad and is a better fit for the system. With more athleticism and up-tempo style players, the spread pick-n-roll that Keatts loves will be in full force this season. Bringing in Daniels, a great scoring talent, and Bryce, an experienced wing who averaged over 17 PPG under Keatts in his most recent season- will help make the Wolfpack one of the better offenses in the ACC.
After scheduling a very light schedule last year, many thought that the Wolfpack would turn the difficulty up for this year’s slate after seeing how good they can be last season. Unfortunately, it seems that Kevin Keatts opted for another easy route- presumably due to this season being another transitional period. There are some gems on the schedule, however. NC State will travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They also meet a new-look Vanderbilt squad and Penn State in separate neutral sites. The toughest game appears to be a match-up against Auburn at home. Apart from those four games, the only other non-conference fixture that seems intriguing would be a rendezvous with UNC-Asheville at home.
Record Prediction: 21-10 (10-8)
It is looking like another grueling season in the ACC. Through tiebreaker, the Wolfpack managed to finish tied for 3rd place last year- but were the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament due to tiebreakers. It seems reasonable to again expect NC State to finish around the 5-8 range in the ACC.
The expectation for the Wolfpack will be an NCAA Tournament appearance. Based on their squad make-up, we should expect NC State to safely make the Tournament rather than going through the stress of a bubble team. Despite the generally weak non-conference, there will be more than enough chances for the Wolfpack to secure notable wins throughout the course of the season.
