The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18 BY JACEY ZEMBAL Top Three Players 1. ALLONZO TRIER Junior • Shooting Guard • Arizona The 6-5, 205-pounder averaged 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and shot 39.1 percent from three-point range in last year's suspension-shortened season. He missed the first 19 games and returned Jan. 21. He scored at least 20 points in six contests. 2. DEANDRE AYTON Freshman • Center • Arizona The 7-1, 250-pounder from Nassau, Bahamas, is ranked as the No. 4 overall NBA Draft prospect by DraftExpress.com. Rivals.com ranked him No. 3 overall in the class of 2017. 3. TONY CARR Sophomore • Point Guard • Penn State The 6-5, 204-pound Carr was ranked No. 46 overall in the class of 2016, and he lived up to it last year. He averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, and shot 32.0 percent from beyond the arc in his debut season. Ranking NC State's Non-Conference Opponents 1. Arizona (32-5, 16-2 Pac-12 in 2016-17) The Arizona program has been rocked by the FBI scandal and sophomore shooting guard Rawle Alkins will likely miss the NC State game due to a broken foot. Junior shooting guard Allonzo Trier and freshman center DeAndre Ayton are both elite players, and senior center Dusan Ristic and senior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright are steady. 2. Penn State (15-18, 6-12 Big Ten) The baby Nittany Lions will ride or die behind their soph - omore class of point guard Tony Carr, power forward Lamar Stevens and center Mike Watkins. Senior shooting guard Shep Garner, who averaged 12.0 points per contest last year, complements them. 3. SMU (30-5, 17-1 AAC) or N. Iowa (14-16, 9-9 MVC) NC State will play either Northern Iowa or SMU Nov. 23 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Northern Iowa lost two key seniors, but returns senior forward Bennett Koch, who averaged 11.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. SMU lost three key cogs, but returns junior point guard Shake Milton, who av - eraged 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. 4. UNCG (25-10, 14-4 Southern) The Spartans enjoyed a breakout season of sorts to reach the NIT. However, center R.J. White and point guard Diante Baldwin have departed. Head coach Wes Miller will turn to shooting guard Francis Alonso and former Raleigh Word of God standouts James Dickey, a power forward, and guard Demetrius Troy. 5. Charleston Southern (12-19, 7-11 Big South) The Buccaneers return sophomore shooting guard Christian Keeling and converted senior point guard Cortez Mitchell, a former JuCo standout, to form a productive backcourt. Senior Javis Howard is steady in the post. 6. Missouri Kansas City (18-17, 8-6 WAC) UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson was an assistant coach at Louisville from 2012-13 with NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. Richardson has lost all five starters from last year and will be rebuilding around sophomore guards Xavier Bishop and Isaiah Ross. 7. Robert Morris (14-19, 9-9 Northeast) Head coach Andrew Toole has done a terrific job of re - cruiting talent to Moon Township, Pa., but various players have used the program to transfer up the food chain over the years. The Colonials have 10 newcomers this season. Sophomore wing Dachon Burke averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last year. 8. Jacksonville (17-16, 5-9 Atlantic Sun) The Dolphins played in Raleigh during the 2014-15 sea - son, and NCSU fifth-year senior guard Sam Hunt played his freshman year at the school. Jacksonville lost its top three scorers from last year and will be paced by senior wing Devin Harris, who averaged 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in an injury-shortened season. 9. Bryant (12-20, 9-9 Northeast) The Bulldogs were expected to make a nice jump this season, but guard Nisre Zouzoua and power forward Marcel Pettway both transferred to Nevada, taking their combined 30.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game with them. Sopho - more point guard Adam Grant returns, and he averaged 13.4 points and shot 33.7 percent from three-point land. 10. South Carolina State (11-20, 7-9 MEAC) Senior power forward Tashombe Riley and sophomore center Ian Kinard are both returning to the starting lineup. Riley averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and is an athletic 6-7, 200-pounder. 11. Presbyterian (5-25, 1-17 Big South) Four Blue Hose players went to high school in North Carolina, including sophomore wing Jo'Vontae Millner of Burlington Cummings High and fifth-year shooting guard Reggie Dillard, who played with NCSU fifth-year guard Sam Hunt at Greensboro Dudley. Millner and Dillard combined for 20.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last year. 12. VMI (6-24, 3-15 Southern) The Keydets weren't very good and lost their top three players. Senior power forward Armani Branch is the top returning scorer at 7.8 points per game. Non-Conference Outlook The Best Teams And Players From NC State's Non-ACC Matchups By The Numbers 2 National ranking for Arizona in ESPN.com's preseason poll. 27 Career points by UNCG coach Wes Miller as a player for North Carolina in seven career games against NC State from 2004-07. 36 Points NC State won by in its last meeting against Jacksonville Nov. 20, 2014. Former NCSU center BeeJay Anya had seven points, eight rebounds and 10 blocks in the 79-43 win. Top Three Backcourts 1. Arizona: Senior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 assists per game last year, and he could make or break Arizona's postseason chances. Junior shooting guard Allonzo Trier brings star power. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 46.0 percent from the field a season ago. Redshirt sophomore wing Dylan Smith averaged 13.5 points per game at North Carolina Asheville two years ago. 2. Penn State: Sophomore point guard Tony Carr and senior shooting guard Shep Garner, both Philadelphia-area products, form a quality backcourt. Carr averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game, and Garner averaged 12.0 points per outing and shot 35.7 percent from three-point range. 3. Charleston Southern: Senior Cortez Mitchell and sophomore shooting guard Christian Keel - ing form a solid one-two punch. The 6-2, 180-pound Mitchell, a former junior college transfer, averaged 11.1 points and shot 35.1 percent from three-point land. Keeling was a model of consistency, reaching double figures in all but four games en route to 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Top Three Frontcourts 1. Arizona: The combination of senior Dusan Ristic and freshman DeAndre Ayton gives the Wildcats plenty of inside muscle. The 7-0, 245-pound Ristic, who is from Serbia, averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Ayton is expected to be elite from day one, and fellow freshman Emmanuel Akot could start at small forward until sophomore wing Rawle Alkins is back from his foot injury. 2. Penn State: Sophomores Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins, who play power forward and center, respectively, and junior wing Josh Reaves give the Nittany Lions a quality trio. The 6-6 Stevens was second on the team last season in averaging 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Watkins is a gifted rim protector, who averaged 9.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. 3. UNCG: The Spartans will rebuild its inside game around senior Jordy Kuiper, sophomore James Dickey and senior Marvin Smith. The slender Dickey could make a big jump after averaging 6.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last year. Smith averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last year and shot 31.4 percent from three-point land. Superlatives UNCG junior shooting guard Francis Alonso ranked 21st in the country after shooting 47.0 percent from three-point land last year. He made 101 of 215 from beyond the arc, overshadowing what he accomplished inside the arc (50 of 114). Arizona freshman center DeAndre Ayton, who has a 7-5½ wingspan, averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds while playing with California Supreme in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Penn State sophomore point guard Tony Carr got better as the season progressed and that was evident in his floor game. He dished out at least six assists in four of his last six games to average 4.2 assists per contest. Penn State sophomore center Mike Watkins is a gifted shot blocker, who ranked ninth in the country at 2.7 rejections per game. The 6-9, 254-pounder had a stag - gering eight blocks in a game twice, and had four or more blocks in seven contests. TOP SHOOTER TOP REBOUNDER TOP PASSER TOP DEFENDER PHOTO COURTESY ARIZONA ATHLETICS