After a 10-10 record in the ACC last season, NC State men’s basketball combines young recruiting talent with a couple veteran scorers for the 2020-21 season. Head coach Kevin Keatts should have his team ready to go in the style of basketball he wants to play. Here are predictions from Technician’s sports editors for the season starting Wednesday, Nov. 25.

MVP

Camden – Jericole Hellems – Devon Daniels and D.J. Funderburk are more likely to lead the team in scoring and rebounds, respectively. I went a little out of the box on this one because I like Hellems’ potential to take another major step forward.

Tristan – D.J. Funderburk – Funderburk is going to take yet another leap this season, as he has improved in each of his years at NC State. Going through the NBA draft process is going to help tremendously, and it’s telling that he remained in that process for as long as he did. 

Nicholas – Devon Daniels- Daniels was good last year, really good. In his first year at NC State, a lot of fans were not super happy with his play. He made a lot of mental mistakes. The talent was there, but he seemed to always get in his own way. Last year, though, he seemed to stop getting in his own way. His shooting percentage went from. 409 to .470, and he made the same amount of turnovers, but he played more minutes and averaged more assists per game. If he can maintain that upward trajectory, he will be the MVP for Keatts’ team.

Best newcomer

Camden – Shakeel Moore – Tristan and I got to see Moore play last December and were really impressed with his athleticism and intensity. He looked college ready, and I expect him to get substantial minutes. It’s probably a toss up with him and a couple of others.

Tristan – Shakeel Moore – Like Camden said, I’ve been really high on Moore since I got to watch him play last year. He completely dominated all aspects of the floor. He’s a high-motor athlete that is bringing in some defensive back skills from his time in football. This award was the biggest toss up for me, as I also think Cam Hayes, Thomas Allen and Dereon Seabron are all going to be really solid.

Nicholas – Cam Hayes – I think this one is going to come down to whoever gets more minutes because both Hayes and Moore are very good. The two freshmen guards will likely be competing for minutes, so whichever one is able to edge the other out will be the better of the two newcomers. 

ACC record

Camden – 12-8 – NC State will fall to the usual suspects, but this is a solid, talented team that will win the games it should. It’ll be a better season than last year’s .500 record, but most importantly, it picks up a signature win for its resume.

Tristan – 13-7 – The Pack has one of the most rigorous ACC schedules in recent memory, but I still have the team improving its record quite significantly. Funderburk and Daniels will make big jumps and all the newcomers are going to be huge. If the Pack beats out all the teams it should be better than and wins a couple of the toss-up games against Miami and Virginia Tech, it gets to 13 pretty comfortably, and that’s not considering potential upsets against Virginia or Louisville.

Nicholas – 12-8 – Last year, the Wolfpack went 10-10 in ACC play, and I think it should improve slightly over. Though it lost some very good players in C.J. Bryce and Markell Johnson, the Pack seems a bit deeper this year, and I think in a weird season like this one could be, that depth is going to be important. 

Best win

Camden – UNC-Chapel Hill – After losing both games to a bad North Carolina team last season, it’s very much an NC State thing that it wins at least one this year. UNC has a heck of a freshman class and a couple veterans, but the Pack steals a win at home against the Heels. 

Tristan – Florida State – The Seminoles are a very tall and talented team, but I think the Pack matches up better with FSU than it may appear on paper. The Florida State frontcourt might be where this game is decided, but I am more than confident that Funderburk can hold his own against guys like Scottie Barnes.

Nicholas – Virginia – The Wolfpack did it last year, so I don’t see why it can’t do it again this year. It may have only been a two-point game, but it was on the road, and this year the Pack will have two chances to down the Cavaliers. I’m predicting the Pack wins the home game and loses on the road.

Surprising loss

Camden – Notre Dame – NC State travels to South Bend, Indiana to face Notre Dame in the second-to-last game of the season. The Fighting Irish went 10-10 in conference last year and was picked to finish 12th in the preseason poll, four spots behind NC State. 

Tristan – Clemson – Being NC State, the team isn’t going to win against every team it’s better than, as the Pack tends to play to its competition. Clemson is always a tough play, and Aamir Simms is only going to improve. Simms led the Tigers in points, rebounds, blocks and assists last season and has way more help this year, so this will be a close one.

Nicholas – Clemson – It is fair to say that after last year, Tobacco Road does not like Clemson. The Tigers put together five wins in a row against the Tobacco Road schools last year (including two against NC State). They might not be able to replicate that feat again this year, but the Tigers could definitely beat the Wolfpack.

NCAA Tournament seed

Camden – 9 – Eight or nine, what’s the difference? The big thing is that NC State makes the tournament, a year after it was probably in when the season got canceled. This should be an exciting team to watch all year.

Tristan – 9 – NC State should have been in the tournament last season and then COVID-19 happened. I think the Pack should comfortably make the tournament this season, with a deeper and outright better team than last year.

Nicholas – 9 – A nine-seed, right in the middle of the pack. I don’t think the Wolfpack will be on the bubble this year, but I also don’t see it getting a very high seed. Nine just seems to be where this team is at.