The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1177236
42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER 1. Memphis (22-14 overall, 11-7 AAC in 2018-2019) The Tigers edged out Kentucky and Oregon for the No. 1 recruiting haul in the class of 2019. Center James Wise- man was the crown jewel and ranked No. 1 in the country. Five-star forward Precious Achiuwa (No. 17 nationally) and five other four-star talents join him, including four who were ranked among Rivals.com's top 86 in the land. 2. Wisconsin (23-11, 14-6 Big Ten) Center Ethan Happ has concluded his impressive college career, and the Badgers will be built around six juniors. Junior guards D'Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison combined for 22.1 points and 4.4 assists per game last year. Ohio State transfer Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers will provide the inside presence, and are both juniors who are 6-10 or taller. 3. Auburn (30-10, 11-7 SEC) The Tigers reached the Final Four last year, and return three starters and three reserves among the players that lost 63-62 to Virginia in heart-breaking fashion. Head coach Bruce Pearl will need to revive the careers of se- niors Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy at center and power forward, respectively, after both were suspended in 2017- 18 for the FBI investigation and their numbers last year were less than their debut totals as freshmen. 4. North Carolina Greensboro (29-7, 15-3 Southern) Junior shooting guard Isaiah Miller is one of the top guards in the country that mainstream fans don't know about yet. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last year. Seniors James Dickey of Raleigh (7.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year) and Kyrin Galloway (9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds) anchor the inte- rior. The duo combined for 94 blocks as well. 5. Florida International (20-14, 10-8 CUSA) Senior forward Devon Andrews and junior wing Trejon Jacob of Raleigh lead the Panthers this season. Andrews averaged 15.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last year, while Jacob chipped in 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds a contest. Senior post player Osasumwen Osaghae aver- aged 8.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. 6. Appalachian State (11-21, 6-12 Sun Belt) The Mountaineers are headlined by junior shooting guard Justin Forrest and senior center Isaac Johnson. Forrest was second on the team with 16.2 points per contest and shot 36.2 percent on three-pointers. John- son added 10.0 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. 7. Detroit Mercy (11-20, 8-10 Horizon) The Titans will be built around sophomore shooting guard Antoine Davis, who ranked third in the country with 26.1 points per game and second with 4.4 three- point field goals made a contest a year ago. Sophomore forward Willy Isiani flashed promise with 7.7 points in 16.7 minutes per game in 10 contests in 2018-19. 8. Little Rock (10-21, 5-13 Sun Belt) The Trojans lost Rayjon Tucker and his 20.3 points per game a year early. Sparkplug sophomore point guard Markquis Nowell is back after he averaged 11.1 points and 4.2 assists per game last year. Sophomore center Nikola Maric added 10.7 points and 4.5 boards a game. 9. St. Francis Brooklyn (17-16, 9-9 Northeast) Junior point guard Chauncey Hawkins was the third- leading scorer for the Terriers, and the 5-8, 155-pounder will take on a bigger role this season. Seniors Rosel Hurley, a wing, and center Deniz Celen are both battle tested, and were among the top five scorers last year. 10. The Citadel (12-18, 4-14 Southern) The Bulldogs lost their top three scorers, including guard Lew Stallworth (20.2 points per game). Junior for- ward Kaiden Rice averaged 11.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a contest, while junior forward Hayden Brown chipped in 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 19.9 minutes. 11. Alcorn State (10-21, 6-12 SWAC) Senior point guard Maurice Howard and junior wing Troymain Crosby combined for 24.4 points and 6.3 as- sists per game last year. Howard shot an impressive 40.6 percent (95 of 234) on three-pointers, but Crosby struggled beyond the arc (18.2 percent). Non-Conference Quick Guide The Best Teams And Players From NC State's Non-ACC Matchups TOP THREE NON-CONFERENCE PLAYERS 1. Antoine Davis, SG, Detroit Mercy: The shooting guard was originally slated to attend hometown Houston, but when his father, Mike Davis, left Texas Southern to be the head coach at Detroit Mercy, Antoine joined him. The 6-1, 170-pounder lit it up his freshman year to the tune of 26.1 points per game. 2. James Wiseman, C, Memphis: The 7-1, 240-pounder from Nashville, Tenn., played for Memphis second-year coach Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway for a year at Memphis East High, and with Team Penny traveling team. Hardaway was hired by Memphis and Wiseman remained at East High, but the Rivals.com No. 1-ranked player in the class of 2019 eventually picked the Tigers over Kentucky to reunite with his former coach. Wiseman averaged 25.8 points, 14.8 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game his senior year. 3. D'Mitrik Trice, PG, Wisconsin: The redshirt junior bounced back from an injury-riddled 2017-18 campaign, to help lead the Badgers back into the postseason last year. He averaged 11.6 points and 2.6 assists per game, and shot 39.0 percent on three-pointers. He had 18 points, six assists and went 4 of 5 on three-pointers in last year's 79-75 win over NC State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2019-20 Wisconsin redshirt junior point guard D'Mitrik Trice averaged 11.6 points and 2.8 assists per game last season en route to All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL BY JACEY ZEMBAL Ranking The Non-Conference Opponents