2022-23 ACC Basketball Preview: NC State Wolfpack
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (6th season)
2021 in Review
Record: 11-21 (4-16)
ACC Finish: 15th place
KenPom Ranking: 128 (59 Offense, 246 Defense)
ACC Tournament: 70-64 L vs Clemson
Kevin Keatts was supposed to have a decent team last year, but the outlook changed when defensive anchor Manny Bates suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the first minute of the first game. A brutal start to a very disappointing season.
Keatts did get his guys to rebound from the Bates injury during non-conference play. The Wolfpack were 7-2 heading into a matchup with No. 2 Purdue, and State was up 12 with six minutes remaining. The Boilermakers launched a furious comeback and ended up winning by 10 in overtime. From that point on, everything went downhill.
The Wolfpack did not win back to back games the rest of the season, and had three separate five-game losing streaks. They only won one home ACC game, and only won one game after Jan. 22. It was tough sledding all year for NC State, the one highlight being the emergence of two star players.
Sophomore Dereon Seabron broke out to average 17.3 points per game and was signed by the New Orleans Pelicans after going undrafted. Freshman Terquavion Smith was barely ranked inside the top 100, but he put his talent on display all season long.
READ: Notre Dame Basketball Preview
2022 Outlook:
Who’s Out: Dereon Seabron, Jericole Hellems, Manny Bates and Jaylon Gibson
Who’s In: D.J. Burns (Winthrop), Jack Clark (La Salle), Jarkel Joiner (Ole Miss) and Dusan Mahorcic (Utah)
Projected Starting Lineup:
So. G Terquavian Smith (6-4, 165 lbs)
Gr. G Jarkel Joiner (6-1, 180)
Sr. G Casey Morsell (6-3, 200)
Gr. G Jack Clark (6-8, 200)
Gr. F D.J. Burns (6-9, 275)
Off the Bench:
Jr. F Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225)
So. G Breon Pass (6-0, 175)
Gr. F Dusan Mahorcic (6-10, 235)
Jr. F Greg Gantt (6-8, 210)
So. F Ernest Ross (6-9, 195)
Fr. G LJ Thomas (6-2, 205)
READ: Florida State Basketball Preview
The three key losses are Bates, Seabron and Jericole Hellems. Bates didn’t play at all last season, so his departure won’t really be felt. Hellems was a three-year starter for Keatts, and his 13.7 points per game were third on the team. Seabron was this team’s go-to scorer and playmaker.
Now, it’s all on Terquavion Smith. The sophomore guard scored 16.3 points per game and chipped in 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals. He’s one of a very small list of returning college players who are projected to be first-round picks next year. Smith is a talented scorer who can create shots for himself whenever he wants, in addition to possessing bouncy athleticism and great touch from the outside. He’s the leader of this team now, and he’ll have to do much more than score the basketball for the Wolfpack to be any good.
Keatts wanted an older team, so he attacked the transfer portal hard to bring in some veterans. Three graduate newcomers will start for the Wolfpack — Jarkel Joiner, Jack Clark and D.J. Burns. Joiner (13.2 PPG) is a 6-1 guard who started at Ole Miss the last two seasons. He’s a very good defender and is quick with the ball, but he’s not a great shooter from the outside (35 3PM in 2021-22). Joiner does bring experience as another capable scorer in the backcourt; he’s averaged a double-figure scoring output for four straight collegiate seasons.
Jack Clark is a 6-8 wing who can score off the bounce and get to the basket. He played three seasons at La Salle, averaging 12.0 points per game and 5.8 rebounds last season. La Salle hasn’t had a winning record in the three seasons Clark was there, so he’ll look to be a more efficient scorer on a more equipped team (38.4 FG%, 29.8 3PT%).
D.J. Burns is a 6-9, 275 lb post scorer from Winthrop. He started his career at Tennessee before playing his last three seasons in the Big South. The powerful and quick big man is a really good scorer around the basket, but doesn’t provide rim protection or floor spacing. He is an incredibly efficient scorer — he averaged 15.0 points per game on 62.6% shooting.
The other transfer portal addition is Dusan Mahorcic, who joins NC State after one year at Illinois State and another at Utah. The 6-10, 225 lb big man from Serbia is tough and rugged, which will compliment the more offensive minded Burns at the five spot. It’s unclear if Keatts will want to play those guys simultaneously though because of a lack of spacing.
The Wolfpack have solid frontcourt depth with 6-11 Ebenezer Dowuona coming off the bench. Duwuona was best last season playing less minutes in a reserved role, and showed flashes of being a really good defender. He averaged 1.7 blocks per game, and blocked eight shots in a 4OT win over Nebraska in early December.
Rounding out the starting five is former Virginia transfer Casey Morsell. The 6-3 senior guard started 20 games last season, but struggled to make much of an impact. He averaged 7.2 points per game on 35.3% shooting from the field. Morsell is a capable three-point shooter and a solid defender on the perimeter. He doesn’t need the ball to be effective, but it would be a big boost if he can score more this season.
Keatts did a good job with player retention and brought back three guys who will look to take a step forward — Greg Gantt, Breon Pass and Ernest Ross. Gantt, the 6-8 wing, previously transferred in from Providence, where he started 12 games. He missed all of last season with an injury. Gantt has great length and athleticism, so he’ll bring defensive versatility. But, there are questions about his offensive game after missing a lot of time and only shooting 25.5% from behind the three-point line for the Friars.
Pass is a 6-0 sophomore guard who didn’t do much in his 8.8 minutes per game last season. Pass is also a great athlete and defender at his size, but struggled to shoot the ball last season, connecting on 28.6% of his three-point attempts. Ross has great length and athleticism at 6-9, but he didn’t do anything offensively either in limited minutes last year. Common theme obviously — these guys all are ready to contribute on the defensive end but they will only play so many minutes if they can’t score. Their offseason development will be important for this team’s depth.
The only freshman signee is tough-nosed 6-2 guard LJ Thomas. He’s ranked outside the top 175, and will likely be pressed for minutes this season with the amount of guys in front of him.
READ: Virginia Basketball Preview
ACC Prediction: 12th place
There’s hype around Terquavion Smith being a potential First Team All-ACC guy, and I just don't see it. Of course I see the talent, and I think he’ll be a first round draft pick, but I don’t envision him elevating this team to the extent others do. Smith loves to shoot the ball, and he’s going to have the ultimate green light. But when he’s taking 10+ threes a game, which I think he’s going to, his teammates might not love that if they aren’t winning games. Maybe Smith makes huge strides as a playmaker and a leader, but I think it’s more likely that he’s a volume scorer on a bad team.
When does NC State play Wake Forest?
Jan. 28: NC State at Wake Forest
Feb. 22: Wake Forest at NC State
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Christian is the Publisher and Lead Editor for Deacons Daily A '22 Wake Forest graduate, Christian spent 4 years covering the Men's Basketball team for the student paper, the Old Gold & Black