NC State Hosts East Tennessee State Amid New Roles and Rotations
NC State welcomes East Tennessee State on Friday after winning its first game of a four-game stretch against mid-major opponents. The Buccaneers arrive after a 75-65 loss at Arizona State, while the Wolfpack continue adjusting to new roles and lineups.
NC State hosts East Tennessee State University on Friday in its second game against a mid-major opponent, after opening a four-game stretch with a win. The Wolfpack face Buccaneers who lost 75-65 at Arizona State on Monday.
NC State won its first game of the stretch, with Ven Lubin thanked for his role in the result. The team is still adjusting to new teammates, roles and offensive and defensive schemes.
Preston Edmead is taking on a full-time point guard role for the first time in his college career. At Hofstra, he played shooting guard, while Cruz was the point guard; the two also shared point guard duties at times.
Lubin is playing forward full time for the first time in college. Kyle Evans and Robert Jurkovic are adapting to a center role that requires more movement, while Jurkovic is also adjusting to American college basketball.
Eemeli Yalaho and Christian Hammond started every game last season but are now coming off the bench. Yalaho averaged 28.4 minutes per game and Hammond 30.4 minutes.
Paul McNeil has become a primary focus of opposing scouting reports. Campbell limited his chances to find open shots, and he finished with 11 points, including one 3-pointer and six points from the free-throw line.
NC State’s first four opponents in this stretch are Campbell, ETSU, Presbyterian and Troy. The source lists their KenPom rankings as No. 271, No. 168, No. 240 and No. 179, respectively; tougher matchups against Murray State, Seton Hall and Wisconsin follow before the team heads to the Bahamas.
ETSU coach Brooks Savage returned to the program for his first head coaching job in 2023 after working on Steve Forbes’ staff at ETSU and following him to Wake Forest. The Buccaneers won the Southern Conference regular-season title last season, and Savage was named the conference’s coach of the year.
The Buccaneers have reached the Southern Conference championship game in two of Savage’s three seasons but have not won it. Coaches picked ETSU to finish second in the conference this season, and the team received one first-place vote.
ETSU briefly led against Arizona State before the Sun Devils took control. The Buccaneers cut the margin to six with 2:33 remaining but got no closer.
Jordan McCullum, ETSU’s leading returning scorer and only returning starter, tore his ACL during practice in September and is expected to miss the season. BJ Ward was selected for the Southern Conference preseason all-conference team.
For NC State, the next test will come as players continue settling into new responsibilities. The team’s four-game stretch precedes its trip to the Bahamas.
