The NC State men’s basketball team got off to a fine start with its dominant win over Mount Olive in the team’s only exhibition game of the year. With the Pack’s first regular-season game less than a week away, Technician sports editors give their opinion on how the season will shake out.
ACC Record
Camden Speight: 12-8 – After going 9-9 and missing the NCAA Tournament, the depth to this year’s team will give NC State fans new hope. This time around, bad losses are harder to find and NC State climbs the ACC rankings behind the top four or five.
Jake Caccavaro: 11-9 – Predicting game-by-game results is an impossible task, so I’m speaking generally here. I think NC State is a slightly above-average ACC team this year, so I’m going to pick the most slightly above-average record I can. A slight improvement from last year’s 9-9 record.
Nicholas Schnittker: 11-9 -Last season, the Pack went 9-9 in ACC play, so a winning record in the conference is not unlikely. A number of big impact players are returning for the Pack, and with new guys, like graduate transfer Pat Andree coming in, this season the Wolfpack could do a lot better than most expect.
NCAA Seed
Camden Speight: 7 – This is a big jump from not making the tournament, but I want to have high expectations for this team. Different from last year, NC State gets a big win or two while taking care of business against everyone else.
Jake Caccavaro: 9 – I could see this team getting anywhere from a 7-10 seed, but I’m going to settle on nine. I think NC State will have a handful of impressive wins and a relatively strong overall record, due to a relatively weak (but stronger than last season) nonconference schedule, should get the Pack into the tournament.
Nicholas Schnittker: 9-This team is better than last year, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for a high seed. Nine is right in the middle of the pack, and I think that is where the Pack will end.
MVP:
Camden Speight: Markell Johnson – Can’t be cute with this one. NC State will be able to go as far as Johnson is able to produce at a high level. He makes everyone on the court better and can create space by himself.
Jake Caccavaro: C.J. Bryce – The team’s most versatile wing player was a plus defender and one of the best 3-point shooters last season. He’s played under Kevin Keatts for four years now, and I expect him to take another step forward. Keatts trusts him and will play him big minutes, and I think Bryce will take advantage of those minutes.
Nicholas Schnittker: Markell Johnson – With the loss of last year’s top scorer Torin Dorn to graduation, it really is senior guard Markell Johnson’s award to lose. Last season, Johnson averaged 12.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. If the Mount Olive game, where he put up 26 points, nine assists and six steals, is anything to go by, Johnson will be running the show.
Best Win:
Camden Speight: Virginia, Jan. 20 – Preseason-No. 11 Virginia lost a lot of pieces to its national championship team from last year. With Duke, Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill all ranked higher, the Cavaliers might be the best chance for an upset.
Jake Caccavaro: Wisconsin, Dec. 4 – In a revenge game from last season when the Wolfpack led the majority of the game on the road in Madison, NC State gets a second shot at Wisconsin. This time will be different, and NC State will pull out its first impressive nonconference win of the season.
Nicholas Schnittker: UNC, Jan. 27 – With UNC losing a lot of big talent this year, including Coby White and the bane of NC State Luke Maye, the games between the Pack and Heels should be good ones. Even if the Wolfpack manages to beat someone like Duke, the fact that this is against UNC would elevate it above any other.
Most Surprising Loss:
Camden Speight: Pittsburgh, Feb. 29 – Pittsburgh is projected to finish 10th in the ACC this season, but the game falls right between at UNC and at Duke, so the Pack could be caught looking forward or thinking back.
Jake Caccavaro: UNC-Greensboro, Dec. 15 – The Spartans just missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season, finding themselves in the First Four Out on Selection Sunday. They return star guard Isaiah Miller, who should give the Wolfpack’s guards fits. This will be one of the biggest games of the season for UNCG, and I think the Spartans will show up.
Nicholas Schnittker: Boston College, Feb. 16 – The Eagles lost a lot of talent from last year, but that has never stopped the Pack from leaving its effort on the bus. With ACC road games being as tough to win as they are, this could be one of the Wolfpack’s trademark slip-ups during ACC play.
