The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER 1. Auburn (26-8 overall, 13-5 SEC in the 2017-18 season) The Tigers were one of the biggest surprises in the country, finishing in a tie for first place in the SEC despite having center Austin Wiley and power forward Danjel Purifoy suspended for the season amidst the FBI probe of college basketball. The two juniors are back, and so is the Tigers' backcourt after senior shooting guard Bryce Brown and junior point guard Jared Harper combined for 29.1 points per game. 2. Wisconsin (15-18, 7-11 Big Ten) Wisconsin finally proved it is human and fell from 27 wins in 2017 to a disappointing 15 last year. Injuries played a role, but recruiting hasn't quite been the same recently. What is a known commodity is fifth-year senior center Ethan Happ, who is an elite college player. He will need more help, and sophomore combo guard Brad Davi - son and redshirt sophomore point guard D'Mitrik Trice should provide it. 3. Penn State (26-13, 9-9 Big Ten) The Nittany Lions played NC State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last year, falling 85-78 in Raleigh. PSU went on to win the NIT title with an 82-66 victory over Utah. The backcourt will need to be rebuilt, but junior power forward Lamar Stevens and redshirt junior center Mike Watkins will be an effective duo. 4. Vanderbilt (12-20, 6-12 SEC) Second-year head coach Bryce Drew proved to be a quick study in recruiting elite players to Nashville, Tenn. Power forward Simi Shittu was ranked No. 7 overall in the class of 2018 by Rivals.com. The Commodores also landed star point guard and hometown hero Darius Garland, who was ranked No. 17 in the country. 5. Loyola (Md.) (9-22, 6-12 Patriot) The Greyhounds hired former Georgia Tech, George - town and Northwestern assistant coach Tavaras Hardy to head their program. Junior wings Chuck Champion and Andrew Kostecka, who are both 6-4, will lead the way this season. Champion was second on the team with 11.5 points per game and shot 32.1 percent on three-pointers, while Kostecka was right behind at 11.0 points a contest with a 32.3 success rate on three-pointers. 6. Mercer (19-15, 11-7 Southern) The Bears lost all five starters, leaving junior shooting guard Ross Cummings and sophomore point guard Mar - cus Cohen as the new foundation pieces of the program. Cummings averaged 8.7 points per game and shot 43.2 percent from three-point land. 7. UNC Asheville (21-13, 13-5 Big South) The Bulldogs won the Big South regular-season title, but had a tumultuous offseason. New head coach Mike Morrell arrived after being an assistant coach at Texas and Virginia Commonwealth under head coach Shaka Smart. Morrell will be starting over from scratch. 8. Saint Peter's (14-18, 6-12 MAAC) In a theme to NC State's non-conference schedule, Saint Peter's has a new coach in former Seton Hall point guard standout Shaheen Holloway. Second-leading scorer Sam Idowu — who averaged 11.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last year — returns in the post. 9. Western Carolina (13-19, 8-10 Southern) New head coach Mark Prosser is the son of former Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser, who passed away on July 26, 2007. Western Carolina returns senior for - ward Marc Gosselin of France, plus sophomore point guard Matt Halvorsen. The 6-7 Gosselin averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest a year ago. 10. South Carolina Upstate (7-25, 2-12 Atlantic Sun) The Spartans have joined the Big South and feature a new head coach in Dave Dickerson. The squad will be led by senior shooting guard Deion Holmes, who averaged 15.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season. 11. Mount St. Mary's (18-14, 12-6 NEC) New head coach Dan Engelstad, who spent the last five years as head coach at Southern Vermont College, has a challenge on his hands. The Mountaineers reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017, but the roster has been gut - ted with players transferring over the last year and a half. 12. Maine (6-26, 3-13 American East) The Black Bears had a difficult season and hired their former women's basketball coach, Richard Barron, who is a former NCSU women's basketball assistant coach. Sophomore forward Isaiah White had a productive first season, averaging 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. 13. Maryland-Eastern Shore (7-25, 3-13 MEAC) The Hawks let go of head coach Bobby Collins, but in an unusual move, decided to not permanently replace him this offseason. Instead, UMES assistant coach Clif - ford Reed Jr. was named the interim head coach March 27. Junior post player Tyler Jones led the Hawks with 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2017-18. Non-Conference Outlook The Best Teams And Players From NC State's Non-ACC Matchups BY JACEY ZEMBAL TOP THREE NON-CONFERENCE PLAYERS 1. Ethan Happ, center, Wisconsin The fundamentally sound 6-10, 235-pound fifth-year senior averaged 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last year, and shot 52.8 percent from the field. He fin- ished with 11 double-doubles for points and rebounds, and had a season-high 29 points in an 83-72 loss versus Michigan on Feb. 11, 2018. 2. Bryce Brown, wing, Auburn He averaged 15.9 points per game and shot 38.2 percent on three-pointers last year. The 6-3, 198-pounder topped 20 points in eight games, with a season-high 31 against Norfolk State in the season opener. He had an SEC high of 29 points and went 8 of 12 on three- pointers against South Carolina on March 3, 2018. 3. Lamar Stevens, power forward, Penn State The 6-8, 226-pound junior averaged 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and shot 31.9 percent on three-pointers. Stevens had 28 points and shot 4 of 5 on three-pointers in an 82-66 double-overtime win against Utah in the NIT title game. He also had 30 points in the quarterfinals against Marquette, which tied his season high. BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 Ranking NC State's Non-Conference Opponents Athlon Sports ranked Wisconsin's fifth-year senior big man Ethan Happ as the No. 4 overall player in college basketball. PHOTO COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETICS