The job’s not finished.

Six months ago, NC State men’s basketball became one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history. Originally projected to lose in the second round of the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack won five games in five days to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed.

Continuing its hot streak, NC State beat powerhouses such as Marquette and Duke to become South Region champions and make a Final Four appearance. But all good things must come to an end. The Wolfpack fell to Purdue, just one game short of its first National Championship appearance since 1983.

The Pack returned to the City of Oaks being lauded and praised for its postseason effort. However, its hunger for a national championship was and is still stronger than ever.

“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been [to the NCAA Tournament] back-to-back,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “But we want an opportunity to go back-to-back-to-back tournaments and a National Championship chance.”

The offseason was one of great joy for Wolfpack Nation as it continued to celebrate its miraculous run. But it came at the cost of losing four of its starters, including DJ Burns, DJ Horne, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra. On the bright side, three of the seven key players from NC State’s tournament run chose to return for another year in hopes of recreating its postseason success.

Senior guard Jayden Taylor was third in points last season, only behind Horne and Burns, while shooting a respectable 36.4% from beyond the arc. As the highest returning scorer, he will be a main facet of this new NC State offense. Not only is Taylor a prolific scorer, he is a strong defender who constantly applies pressure to his opponents. He becomes a veteran presence on the team and a role model for the younger players.

“I have to use my voice a lot more this year,” Taylor said. “Vocally, I’ve been leading the guys and just leading by example.”

After hitting the buzzer-beater that kept NC State’s tournament hopes alive, graduate guard Michael O’Connell returns for his final season, but this time as the team’s presumed starting point guard. Though coming off the bench for 46% of his matchups, O’Connell led the team in assists while playing nearly 300 minutes less than Horne.

“Playing with Michael, he makes the game so easy,” Taylor said. “He’s a smart point guard. He’s a traditional point guard. Everybody on this team knows that [O’Connell] is going to set the table and put you in a position to score.”

Burns became a favorite of college basketball fans all across the nation. His unique playstyle and footwork in the post is one-of-one, making him a difficult player to replace. To make matters worse, Diarra’s departure leaves a huge hole both defensively and on the boards. Luckily, their former teammate senior forward Ben Middlebrooks is ready to step up to the challenge.

Middlebrooks was a consistent force off the bench last season, providing defense and rebounding when needed. We got a glimpse of his true potential in round one of the NCAA Tournament when he scored a career-high 21 points in just 23 minutes. Middlebrooks becomes the Wolfpack veteran amongst the new big-man corps.

“Obviously huge shoes to fill with Burns and [Diarra] gone,” Middlebrooks said. “But I’m excited. I feel like there are a lot of things I haven’t shown and a lot of things I’ve worked on this summer. I’m really excited to get out there and see how it pays off.”

As he did last year, Keatts heavily used the transfer portal to supplement his team, bringing fresh talent to NC State.

Middlebrooks is joined by senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who is anticipated to be the Wolfpack’s biggest threat in the post. Burns’ biggest downsides were his speed and defense, which caused Keatts to leave his biggest offensive weapon on the bench in times when defense was needed. Last season, Huntley-Hatfield led Louisville in points, blocks and rebounds while shooting an impressive 42.9% from beyond the arc.

“I bring a dominant force, just finishing in the paint and rebounding at a high level,” Huntley-Hatfield said. “Being able to set screens and get my teammates open. On the defensive end, I feel like I’ve gotten better this summer at being a switch defender, being able to switch ball screens, being able to hedge out and being able to guard multiple ball screens at a fast pace and a high level.”

Huntley-Hatfield isn’t the only former Cardinal joining the Wolfpack. Redshirt junior guard Mike James joins Taylor and O’Connell in the backcourt. James was the second-highest scorer at Louisville and his six-foot-five frame allows him to rebound better than the average guard.

Keatts acquired another tall guard in senior Dontrez Styles, who is the perfect candidate to replace Morsell. Similar to Morsell, Styles is a three-and-D player who excels on both ends of the floor. Last season, he was the second-highest scorer at Georgetown while leading the team in blocks, a rare feat for a guard.

One of the most interesting players Keatts brought in is senior guard Marcus Hill. Last season, the Bowling Green transfer averaged a team-leading 20.5 points per game while shooting 44% from the field. Hill thrived against competition in the Mid-American Conference, but with the sharp increase of talent in Power Four conferences, Hill will have to adapt his playstyle against a more difficult Atlantic Coast Conference.

The final transfer Keatts obtained is junior forward Ismaël Diouf, who hails from Laval College in Quebec, Canada. Last season, Diouf averaged 10.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 56% from the field. Diouf is expected to come off the bench to complement Huntley-Hatfield and Middlebrooks.

To round out the team, the Wolfpack recruited three talented freshmen to grow under the wing of the veteran squad.

Trey Parker is an athletic three-level scorer with an explosive playstyle. The six-foot-one guard was originally supposed to join the team in 2023 but opted to spend a second season with Overtime Elite. Last season, Parker averaged 12.4 points and nearly two steals per game.

Joining Parker is guard Paul McNeil Jr., who has been committed to the Wolfpack since his sophomore year. McNeil is an elite scorer, averaging over 31 points and nine rebounds per game in his senior season, including a 71-point eruption in January that broke North Carolina’s 74-year-old scoring record.

“We’re back like we never left,” McNeil said. “Me being a scorer, I put the ball in the rim every time. That’s just what I do and that’s what I was born to do. But I’m also an all-around player. I just know I’m going to have that arena rocking.”

The Wolfpack’s 13th and final scholarship went to guard Bryce Heard. The four-star recruit was a late addition to the team after reclassifying up to the Class of 2024. Heard averaged 16.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in his final high school season while leading his school to its first basketball state title.

This team is determined to win and do better than the previous season. Last year’s success created an insatiable hunger to win amongst the team. Above all, NC State men’s basketball is driven by its fans. Raleigh has never been more alive than it was during the postseason. The amount of love and support for Wolfpack athletics poured from every corner of campus.

“NC State is such a great place to be,” Middlebrooks said. “People have such a love for basketball. To be able to play for a place that loves basketball so much, it definitely gives you motivation.”