The NC State men’s basketball team takes on the Mount Olive Mountaineers inside PNC Arena for the first time in seven-and-a-half months. NC State will be looking to earn a huge win its opener, much like the team did against Chowan last year, when the team won 111-62.

In fact, a big win in the exhibition would help set the stage for the Pack to continue to build confidence, character and identity moving forward as a team. Last year, the team that finished just short of the NCAA tournament had a huge run at the beginning of the year, starting 6-0 and winning by a combined score of 545-347.

This year is a little different, as the Wolfpack gets a home opener in the form of Georgia Tech, an ACC opponent. Last year, Georgia Tech finished with a losing record but looks to be a more formidable opponent than the out-of-conference opponents the Pack had at the beginning of last season. This means that a huge win over Mount Olive is more important than at first glance, despite being an exhibition game of no regular-season significance.

Last season, Mount Olive finished with a 14-16 record overall but had a decent 11-7 record in conference play. The team returns seven players from its roster last season, with many being underclassmen. Last year’s leading scorer Jamaal Matin is not on the team any longer, having graduated, but point guard Michael Brown returns to the team after finishing second in scoring as a freshman.

Brown averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season, and those numbers are sure to go up as he enters his sophomore season. Brown led the team in assists in his freshman year.

Guards Cameron Robinson and Darius Sprigley will also have an impact on the game, with Robinson having averaged 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while Sprigley averaged 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Matin, who led the team in scoring, also led the team in rebounds per game with six. It will be up to the team to replace his production on the boards, which starts with forward Don Pigford, who averaged five per game last year. 

The team will likely look to 6-foot-7 forwards Matthias Caver and Leland Richardson for rebounding help as well, while 6-foot-5 forward Dominique Tham returns to the team as a redshirt senior this season.

Stopping the offensive production for the Mountaineers looks to begin and end with Brown. Thankfully, the Pack has two guards who play at a high position that should be able to lock Brown down.

Senior guard Markell Johnson returns to the Wolfpack after testing the 2019 NBA draft waters and getting some valuable experience by being around and practicing with guys that have now begun their NBA careers. Johnson will be the focal point of the team this year.

Last season, Johnson averaged 12.6 points per game on 48.8% shooting from the floor, including 42.2% from deep on nearly five attempts a game. The skilled athlete also averaged 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game and is looking to help the team grow in the role of a leader.

The other talented guard on the Pack roster is junior guard Braxton Beverly, who will continue to grow as a sharpshooter following some highs and lows last season, including a very impressive buzzer-beater over Clemson. Beverly averaged 9.4 points per game on 34.7% shooting from deep on 6.3 attempts per game last season, which led the team.

With Mount Olive losing its leading rebounder heading into the season, and the Pack being without redshirt junior DJ Funderburk, this will prove to be an important opportunity for both graduate transfer Danny Dixon, who stands at 6-foot-10, and redshirt freshman Manny Bates, who stands at 6-foot-11. If either player can stand out on the boards and in the post while Funderburk is away, it will lead to significant playing time when he returns.

The team is also adding graduate transfer Pat Andree, and three-star recruit Dereon Seabron to the team. Both players look to make an immediate impact with Andree possessing the ability to become an elite shooter in the ACC, and the type of stretch-four the Pack needed desperately last season. Andree shot 41.9% on 5.8 attempts from deep last season.

The highly anticipated return of men’s basketball begins on Saturday, Oct. 27 and tips off at 2 p.m. at PNC Arena.