2023–24 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2023–24 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Wolfpack were led by seventh-year head coach Kevin Keatts and played their home games at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 13,491 in 17 games in 2023-24.[ 1]
The Wolfpack finished the regular season on an uninspiring four-game losing streak, consequently posting a regular season record of 17–14 (9–11 in conference play) and slumping to the ACC tournament as the 10th seed. They then went on a miraculous run in the ACC tournament, winning five games in the span of five days (including a victory over ACC regular season champion and rival North Carolina ) to win their first ACC tournament since 1987 . They became the first team to win their conference tournament with five wins in five days since the 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies (of the Big East) and the second team overall to do it since the NCAA tournament began in 1939.[ 2] This is the first time the Wolfpack made the NCAA tournament in consecutive years since they made the 2014 and 2015 tournament .
Earning an #11 seed in the South region of the NCAA tournament , they continued their Cinderella run from the ACC tournament by defeating #6 Texas Tech in the first round, #14 Oakland in overtime in the second round, #2 Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen, and their ACC rivals #4 Duke in the Elite Eight. The Wolfpack made their first Final Four appearance since 1983 as a result, having won nine straight games since the end of the regular season. They became the sixth #11 seed to reach the Final Four and the first since UCLA in 2021. Their miraculous run came to an end with a Final Four loss to Purdue , closing their season with a 26–15 record.
Previous season
The Wolfpack finished the 2022–23 season 23–11, 12–8 in ACC play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Virginia Tech before losing to Clemson in the ACC tournament . They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 11 seed in the South region. There they lost to Creighton in the first round.
Offseason
Departures
Final Four and ACC Championship banners
Incoming transfers
2023 recruiting class
2024 recruiting class
Roster
2023–24 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
DJ Horne
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
GS
Trinity Academy Arizona State
Raleigh, North Carolina
G
1
Jayden Taylor
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Jr
Perry Meridian Butler
Indianapolis, IN
G
2
Kam Woods
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
So
Pinson Valley North Carolina A&T
Bessemer, Alabama
G
3
M. J. Rice
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
So
Prolific Prep (CA)Kansas
Henderson, North Carolina
G
4
LJ Thomas
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
So
Bull Durham Prep (NC)
Plant City, Florida
G
10
Breon Pass
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Jr
Reidsville
Reidsville, North Carolina
G
11
Dennis Parker Jr.
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Fr
John Marshall
Richmond, Virginia
G
12
Michael O'Connell
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Sr
Blair Academy Stanford
Mineola, New York
G
13
KJ Keatts (W)
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
So
Grace Christian School
Cary, North Carolina
G
14
Casey Morsell
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
GS
St. John's College Virginia
Fort Washington, Maryland
G
20
Alex Nunnally (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Jr
Cary Academy
Cary, North Carolina
G
22
Jordan Snell (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
So
Panther Creek
Cary, North Carolina
F
23
Mohamed Diarra
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Jr
Redemption Academy (NY)Missouri
Paris, France
F
24
Ernest Ross
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Jr
Santa Fe
Alachua, Florida
F
30
D. J. Burns
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
275 lb (125 kg)
GS
York Preparatory Academy Winthrop
Rock Hill, South Carolina
F
34
Ben Middlebrooks
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
Jr
Westminster Academy Clemson
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2023 *7:00 p.m.
Mount Olive
W 89–79
–
14 – Morsell
7 –
3 –
PNC Arena (–)Raleigh, NC
Regular season
November 6, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX /ESPN+
The Citadel
W 72–59
1–0
14 – Morsell
7 –
3 –
PNC Arena (12,488)Raleigh, NC
November 10, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Abilene Christian
W 84–64
2–0
22 – Taylor
10 – Diarra
4 – Burns
PNC Arena (12,554)Raleigh, NC
November 17, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Charleston Southern
W 87–53
3–0
18 – Horne
6 – Horne
4 – Taylor
PNC Arena (12,331)Raleigh, NC
November 23, 2023 *10:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Vanderbilt Vegas Showdown semifinals
W 84–78
4–0
18 –
9 –
4 –
Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV
November 24, 2023 *10:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. BYU Vegas Showdown
L 86–95
4–1
28 – Morsell
7 – Burns
4 – Burns
Michelob Ultra Arena (2,647)Paradise, NV
November 28, 2023 *9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Ole Miss ACC–SEC Challenge
L 52–72
4–2
13 – Middlebrooks
11 – Middlebrooks
4 – Thomas
SJB Pavilion (7,465)Oxford, MS
December 2, 2023 4:00 p.m., ACCN
at Boston College
W 84–78 OT
5–2 (1–0)
21 – Horne
18 – Diarra
5 – Horne
Conte Forum (5,249)Chestnut Hill, MA
December 6, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Maryland Eastern Shore
W 93–61
6–2
21 – Taylor
6 – Rice
4 – Horne
Reynolds Coliseum (5,500)Raleigh, NC
December 12, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCN
UT Martin
W 81–67
7–2
22 – Horne
12 – Burns
4 – Burns
PNC Arena (11,326)Raleigh, NC
December 16, 2023 *10:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. No. 12 Tennessee Basketball Hall of Fame San Antonio
L 70–79
7–3
16 – Horne
5 – Burns
5 – Burns
Frost Bank Center (2,481)San Antonio, TX
December 20, 2023 *7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Saint Louis
W 82–70
8–3
21 – Morsell
7 – Parker
3 – Burns
PNC Arena (12,555)Raleigh, NC
December 23, 2023 *1:00 p.m., ACCN
Detroit Mercy
W 83–66
9–3
26 – Horne
7 –
6 –
PNC Arena (12,594)Raleigh, NC
January 3, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN
at Notre Dame
W 54–52
10–3 (2–0)
13 – Burns
6 – Diarra
2 – Burns
Joyce Center (4,727)South Bend, IN
January 6, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCN
Virginia
W 76–60
11–3 (3–0)
15 –
7 – Middlebrooks
5 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (14,821)Raleigh, NC
January 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 North Carolina Rivalry
L 54–67
11–4 (3–1)
12 – Morsell
10 – Horne
4 – Horne
PNC Arena (19,500)Raleigh, NC
January 13, 2024 12:00 p.m., The CW
at Louisville
W 89–83
12–4 (4–1)
27 – Horne
11 – Diarra
6 – O'Connell
KFC Yum! Center (12,114)Louisville, KY
January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
Wake Forest Rivalry
W 83–76
13–4 (5–1)
21 – Horne
13 – Diarra
3 – Horne
PNC Arena (13,836)Raleigh, NC
January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., The CW
Virginia Tech
L 78–84
13–5 (5–2)
19 – Morsell
8 – Diarra
5 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (15,580)Raleigh, NC
January 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Virginia
L 53–59 OT
13–6 (5–3)
13 – Morsell
8 – Diarra
2 –
John Paul Jones Arena (13,947)Charlottesville, VA
January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Syracuse
L 65–77
13–7 (5–4)
15 – Horne
7 – Parker Jr.
4 – Horne
JMA Wireless Dome (21,814)Syracuse, NY
January 30, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2
Miami (FL)
W 74–68
14–7 (6–4)
24 – Horne
7 – Taylor
5 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (12,194)Raleigh, NC
February 3, 2024 5:30 p.m., The CW
Georgia Tech
W 82–76
15–7 (7–4)
26 – Horne
10 – Burns
6 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (15,523)Raleigh, NC
February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Pittsburgh
L 64–67
15–8 (7–5)
25 – Horne
5 –
4 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (11,366)Raleigh, NC
February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., ACCN
at Wake Forest Rivalry
L 79–83
15–9 (7–6)
31 – Horne
12 – Diarra
5 – Taylor
LJVM Coliseum (12,571)Winston-Salem, NC
February 17, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW
at Clemson
W 78–77
16–9 (8–6)
27 – Horne
9 – Diarra
4 – Burns
Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)Clemson, SC
February 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse
L 83–87
16–10 (8–7)
32 – Horne
10 – Middlebrooks
4 – Burns
PNC Arena (12,766)Raleigh, NC
February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., ACCN
Boston College
W 81–70
17–10 (9–7)
19 – Burns
9 –
6 – O'Connell
PNC Arena (14,642)Raleigh, NC
February 27, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Florida State
L 83–90
17–11 (9–8)
24 – Taylor
10 – Diarra
6 – Morsell
Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (4,727)Tallahassee, FL
March 2, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 9 North Carolina Rivalry
L 70–79
17–12 (9–9)
22 – Taylor
8 – Diarra
3 – Morsell
Dean Smith Center (21,750)Chapel Hill, NC
March 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 9 Duke
L 64–79
17–13 (9–10)
27 – Burns
7 – Diarra
4 – Burns
PNC Arena (19,500)Raleigh, NC
March 9, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW
at Pittsburgh
L 73–81
17–14 (9–11)
28 – Taylor
9 – Diarra
4 – Burns
Petersen Events Center (10,700)Pittsburgh, PA
ACC tournament
March 12, 2024 4:30 p.m., ACCN
(10)
vs. (15) Louisville First Round
W 94–85
18–14
25 – Morsell
8 – Taylor
3 –
Capital One Arena (7,523)Washington, D.C.
March 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2
(10)
vs. (7) Syracuse Second Round
W 83–65
19–14
18 – Taylor
14 – Diarra
6 – Diarra
Capital One Arena (13,445)Washington, D.C.
March 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN
(10)
vs. (2) No. 11 Duke Quarterfinals
W 74–69
20–14
18 – Horne
16 – Diarra
4 –
Capital One Arena (17,627)Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2024 9:30 p.m., ESPN2
(10)
vs. (3) Virginia Semifinals
W 73–65 OT
21–14
19 – Burns
12 – Diarra
3 – O'Connell
Capital One Arena (18,722)Washington, D.C.
March 16, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN
(10)
vs. (1) No. 4 North Carolina Championship
W 84–76
22–14
29 – Horne
14 – Diarra
7 – Burns
Capital One Arena (19,218)Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024 *9:40 p.m., CBS
(11 S)
vs. (6 S) No. 22 Texas Tech First Round
W 80–67
23–14
21 – Middlebrooks
12 – Diarra
6 – O'Connell
PPG Paints Arena (18,586)Pittsburgh, PA
March 23, 2024 *7:10 p.m., TBS/truTV
(11 S)
vs. (14 S) Oakland Second Round
W 79–73 OT
24–14
24 – Burns
13 – Diarra
8 – O'Connell
PPG Paints Arena (18,595)Pittsburgh, PA
March 29, 2024 *7:09 p.m., CBS
(11 S)
vs. (2 S) No. 8 Marquette Sweet Sixteen
W 67–58
25–14
19 – Horne
15 – Diarra
7 – Burns
American Airlines Center (18,751)Dallas, TX
March 31, 2024 *5:05 p.m., CBS
(11 S)
vs. (4 S) No. 13 Duke Elite Eight
W 76–64
26–14
29 – Burns
11 – O’Connell
6 – O’Connell
American Airlines Center (16,969)Dallas, TX
April 6, 2024 6:09 p.m., TBS
(11 S)
vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Purdue Final Four
L 50–63
26–15
20 – Horne
7 – Middlebrooks
4 – Burns
State Farm Stadium (74,720)Glendale, AZ
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South region. MW=Midwest Region.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
Source[ 15]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final AP — — — — — — — — — RV RV RV — — — — — — — RV 10 Coaches — RV RV — — — — — — — RV — — — — — — — — RV 13
References
^ http://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Attend.pdf
^ https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/nc-state-stuns-north-carolina-wins-acc-tournament-behind-d-j-burns-jr-dj-horne-and-an-unshakeable-spirit/
^ "Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith Signed to Two-Way Contracts" . nba.com . Philadelphia 76ers. July 1, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ Long, Christina (April 18, 2023). "Clemson basketball lands Jack Clark, an NC State transfer guard" . greenvilleonline.com . The Greenville News . Retrieved August 27, 2023 .
^ Vukovcan, Mike (May 20, 2023). "Duquesne Dukes add NC State transfer forward Dusan Mahorcic" . Yahoo! . Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Transfer Ebenezer Dowuona Inks Grant-in-Aid with Tech" . ramblinwreck.com . Georgia Tech Athletics. April 19, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Men's Basketball Adds NC State Transfer Greg Gantt" . uncabulldogs.com . UNC Asheville Athletics. April 25, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Transfer DJ Horne Joins the Pack" . gopack.com . NC State Athletics. April 20, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Transfer Jayden Taylor Joins the Pack" . gopack.com . NC State Athletics. April 12, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Transfer Kam Woods Joins the Pack" . gopack.com . NC State Athletics. June 16, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "NC State basketball portal haul continues as Kansas transfer is joining Wolfpack" . The News & Observer . April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023 .
^ "Transfer Michael O'Connell Joins the Pack" . gopack.com . NC State Athletics. May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ "Transfer Mohamed Diarra Joins the Pack" . gopack.com . NC State Athletics. May 1, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023 .
^ Wiseman, Steve (April 18, 2023). "A transfer portal trade? Not exactly, but NC State, Clemson basketball swap players" . newsobserver.com . The News & Observer . Retrieved August 27, 2023 .
^ "2023–2024 Schedule" . Go Pack . North Carolina State University Athletics. Retrieved August 27, 2023 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics