The Wolfpack shocked everyone with their run to the final four last year, especially after barely making the tournament by winning the ACC tournament, and are out to prove that it wasn’t a one-off performance under coach Kevin Keatts. While they are losing the DJ’s who were the leaders of last years team, along with two other starters, they’ve brought in new players to hopefully repeat some of the magic from last year, and make another NCAA tournament appearance.

Returners:

NC State is returning 5 players from last year, the majority of whom were important contributors. The two most important of the returners are Michael 0’Connell and Jayden Taylor. O’Connell didn’t play a huge role last year with DJ Horne being their main guard, but is in line to be the starting point guard this year. O’Connell is a great passer, averaging 3.2 assists per game last year, and will be the leader for the Pack and will manage the game. Taylor was a much more important contributor, averaging 11.2 points per game last year. Taylor tracks to be the leading scorer in the upcoming season for them, but his impact goes past just the offensive numbers. Taylor is only listed as 6’4, but plays bigger and is a great defender because of that. He was in the 87th percentile in Hakeem percentage (steal % + block %), and should only improve on those numbers. Alongside those two is forward Dennis Parker Jr., big man Ben Middlebrooks, and guard Breon Pass. Parker Jr. is a rising sophomore who didn’t have a ton of production in his freshman year, only averaging 4.7 points per game. However, in his 15 minutes per game, he did log strong defensive stats, including a Hakeem percentage in the 89th percentile. He also had some bright moments, like a 15 point game versus Virginia. Middlebrooks is a veteran big who only averaged 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year, but had many big moments and performances when they needed him. Expect him to play a similar role this year, although with possibly even more opportunities after the departure of DJ Burns. Finally, Breon Pass is a senior guard who averaged just over 1 point last season, and isn’t likely to be much more than a reserve guard this season.

Transfers:

The Wolfpack made their moves in the portal, landing 4 transfers, three of which were already major contributors at the high major level. Their one non high major transfer is guard Marcus Hill. Hill averaged 20.9 points per game last year at Bowling Green, as a 6’4 physical attacker. He isn’t a spectacular shooter, but his physicality will make him useful as a slasher and spark plug for NC State. Joining Hill are two transfers from Louisville, Mike James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. James is a forward who averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds per game last season. He is a strong and aggressive player at the rim, who gets to the free throw line a lot, while also being a 34% three point shooter. However, his defensive numbers were very very bad last year. Whether that was a product of his horrid team is yet to be seen, and that will be key for him to improve upon this season. Huntley-Hatfield is a 6’9 big who was a good player even on that Louisville team last year, averaging 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, with multiple 20 and 10 performances. He should be just as effective on this NC State team, and will bring a lot of excitement for the fans.

Finally, they added Dontrez Styles, former UNC player who spent last year at Georgetown. He averaged 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds on a very bad Georgetown team, and was an effective scorer from both the post and from three, with 36.8% from three and an overall true shooting percentage of 55.4%, which is pretty good. The 6’6 senior may have to play some undersized minutes at the 4, but if he can handle it his offense will be an important boost.

Recruits:

The Wolfpack have four more newcomers to the program, freshmen Paul McNeil, Trey Parker, Bryce Heard, and Ismael Diouf. Diouf is the least touted of these recruits, hailing from Canada with only two years of eligibility remaining, but he is a versatile big man who could make an impact if he is able to adapt to college basketball quickly. The other three are all top 150 recruits in the nation, with McNeil leading as #56 in the 247 Sports composite ranking. As a 6’6 guard, McNeil could make a quick impact off of the bench, and he is a player who can definitely have a few breakout games throughout the season. Heard is #109 as a 6’5 combo guard. He reclassed up from the 2025 class, so don’t be surprised if he redshirts or just plays a much smaller role in year one. Last but not least is Trey Parker at #136 coming from Overtime Elite. He was originally a 2023 commit but decided to spend one more year in OTE, and is starting now with the Pack. He is an explosive scorer with great athleticism who I’m sure will bring the energy.

Season Outlook

While writing this article, I kept going back in forth on whether I liked or disliked this team. And to be honest, I’m still not 100% sure. While there are bright spots in both returners and newcomers, there are just as many questions surrounding them. All of the transfers came from teams that really weren’t competitive all year, did that pad their stats? The returners all played smaller roles last year, are they ready for the bright lights? In the end, I feel that some of these guys will be all they are said to be, and some may fall short, putting NC State in an interesting situation. The Wolfpack have “bubble team” written all over them, and that’s where I am going to project them. The ceiling for me is making the tournament, while the floor could be a season where they finish right around .500. Due to my lack of faith in Keatts, I’ll lean closer to their floor. This team of explosive players should be fun to watch nonetheless, and will surely create some crazy games.

(P.C. Raleigh News and Observer)