To get a better feel for Villanova, we ascertained a Big East assistant to anonymously break down the Wildcats. Here are his thoughts:
What makes Villanova a No. 1 seed?
"They have toughness on the defensive side of the ball. I think they are a really good defensive team. Their guards ability and team's ability to shoot the basketball. They can shoot it from all five spots if they wanted too. Those two things are what sticks out."
How does junior center Daniel Ochefu handle being the one player taller than 6-7 in the rotation? Whereas NC State has four post players.
"He is long but I think NC State guys should be able to bang him around a little bit with the rotation of the bigs they have. He's a big defensive kid and allows the guards to pressure knowing he is sitting back there waiting to alter or block shots.
"NC State bigs should fare well against him. They aren't ultra productive anyway unless I'm missing something, but they should be fine doing what they do."
Senior power forward JayVaughn Pinkston is listed at 6-7 and 235, but he might be closer to 6-6 (or smaller). But he is essentially a four-year starter.
"The four spot is where I think they can have a lot more success. They got Pinkston, and they play sophomores Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart behind him."
Two different kind of point guards with Villanova junior Ryan Arcidiacano, who shared Big East POY honors, and NC State sophomore Anthony Barber. How do you see that matchup?
"I like it for NC State. Cat has the speed that he could really penetrate their pressure. In that sense, I give the edge to Cat with the way he has been playing. It's going to be really tough to pressure him.
"On the other end, Arcidiacano can really shoot it. He does a great job of running his team. It isn't his primary thing to score the ball as his primary thing is to run the show. When he's open, he can score the basketball and look to be aggressive. He is good shooting off of screens. He can shoot off the bounce and off of ball screens. He has a complete game."
Four quality wings in this game with Villanova's Darrun Hilliard and Dylan Ennis, and NC State's Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey. The Wildcats also have Hart and freshman Phil Booth in the rotation. Is that strength vs. strength right there?
"That is going to be a great matchup. The Lacey-Ennis matchup will be interesting. Ennis really pressures the ball and he forces you to almost beat him off the bounce. It will be interesting to see how Lacey reacts to that because he likes to handle the ball and do a rhythm jumper. Ennis will get up all in him and force him to get to the basket.
"HIlliard/Turner matchup will be interesting to see because of how Villanova does on the screen actions. Whether they can chase him out or switch at the last minute. I could see that giving Villanova problems. Turner can get it off quick."
How much of a machine has Villanova been, and how can a team disrupt that machine, which only Seton Hall (Jan. 3) and Georgetown (Jan. 19) could do this season?
"In league play, they've been very machine-like and dominant. Seton Hall and Georgetown both got them on the road. You got to limit their three-point shooting, and make them two-point shooters. You can't give them open looks.
"On the other side, you have to attack their pressure. When you get it in there, you have to finish around the hoop."
How Villanova was formed:
Class of 2010:
73. JayVaughn Pinkston
Class of 2011:
Darrun Hilliard, 3 stars
Class of 2012:
42. Daniel Ochefu
57. Ryan Arcidiacano
Class of 2013:
74. Kris Jenkins
84. Josh Hart
Darryl Reynolds, 3 stars
Class of 2014:
85. Phil Booth
95. Mikal Bridges
Dylan Ennis was an unrated player, who attended Rice for a year and transferred to Villanova. He joined the 2013 group. Conversely, SMU starting center Markus Kennedy, South Carolina starting guard Tyrone Johnson and Saint Louis starting guard Ash Yacoubou, all started their college careers at Villanova.
***
We mentioned last week that Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford junior Mark Gilbert was accomplished in both football (cornerback) and basketball (point guard). His hoop skills will be on display this weekend at the Super 60 Showdown at Knightdale (N.C.) High from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Gilbert poured in 31 points to lead Terry Sanford High to a NCHSAA 4A state title last Saturday at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill.
NC State football has prioritized Gilbert and feels good about its chances in landing him. Rivals.com ranks him No. 28 overall in the state of North Carolina, and No. 53 at cornerback nationally in the class of 2016. NC State, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Southern, Michigan, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh (family ties), Wake Forest and West Virginia, have all offered Gilbert.
Cornerbacks and wide receivers were major priority positions for the Wolfpack in 2016.
The next two Saturday's should give The Wolfpacker a chance to see most of the top in-state players in basketball, though junior power forward Harry Giles of High Point Wesleyan is expected to skip the showcase camps.
***
Jackson, Miss., has been a hot spot for NC State coaches in checking out star senior guard Malik Newman, who will be setting up official visits relatively soon. He has the McDonald's Game, Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic coming up, so it won't be the typical April when it comes to a regular stream of visits.
Newman isn't the only player from Jackson that NC State could be targeting. The Wolfpack have flirted with junior small forward Mario Kegler in the past, but apparently plan to step things up this spring. Kegler played with Newman at Jackson Callaway High, and then made the move to Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla. Rivals.com ranks the 6-7, 210-pounder No. 34 overall in the class of 2016.
Kegler plays for MBA Hoops, which has produced former Duke wing Rodney Hood and Georgia Tech senior center DeMarco Cox, who recently signed with the Indianapolis Colts this past week.
Kegler wasn't on top of his game at adidas Unrivaled last July, but bounced back and drew raves for his play at adidas Nations last August. He's a big physical small forward with three-point range, and has an impressive array of 16 offers.
Maryland, UConn, Ohio State, Tennessee and Mississippi State are heavily involved per our guy Russ Wood from the Rivals.com network. Auburn, FSU, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and UCLA, also in the mix.
***
We've mentioned various situations with the shoe brands in recent weeks. We keep hearing that adidas, Nike and Under Armour, are really trying to emphasize the need of sending their star players to colleges that wear the same brand. That isn't anything new, but April will be a good test with some big 2015 college decisions coming up.
NC State has been all over the map when it comes to such things, but haven't had any problems getting players who played for Nike-sponsored traveling teams in high school:
Abdul-Malik Abu: Nike
Trevor Lacey: Played for both Nike and adidas, and Alabama was Nike
Terry Henderson: adidas but then Nike college at West Virginia
Lennard Freeman: Nike
Anthony Barber: Nike
Caleb Martin: Under Armour, then adidas for travel ball, but Nike at Oak Hill Academy
Cody Martin: See Caleb
BeeJay Anya: Nike
Ralston Turner: Nike in travel ball and LSU is a Nike college
Kyle Washington: Nike
Desmond Lee: Shoes not known in juco
However, we continue to hear that adidas could be of huge help in recruitments such as juniors Dennis Smith Jr. of Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian and Maverick Rowan of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons High. Kegler is also aligned with adidas.
***
Like some of the others, Kinston (N.C.) High senior small forward Brandon Ingram has been all over the map, with Nike for his high school team, and then Stackhouse Elite got sponsored by adidas last year.
One thing to watch with the Ingram recruitment is what UNC just did. The Tar Heels added Jaye Stackhouse as a walk-on defensive back for this fall. He's the son of former North Carolina star Jerry Stackhouse, and Jaye is real good friends with Ingram after playing together on Stackhouse Elite. UNC has never been much of a chance in this recruitment, even though Ingram's father is a huge Tar Heels fan, but it's an interesting wrinkle.
Adding Jaye Stackhouse wasn't driven to be a "package deal" with Ingram or anything like that, but does give pause for concern for the other five schools, which are NC State, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA. In the shoe wars, Ingram is straight down the middle with three adidas colleges and three for Nike.
***
Southeast Raleigh junior quarterback commit Dylan Parham is soaking in as much as humanly possible during NC State's spring practices this past week. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder looks like he has become even stronger and bigger, just by looking at him in street clothes.
Parham could be the lone quarterback commit for the Wolfpack in the class of 2016. Speculation will continue with Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson junior quarterback Austin Kendall, who recently decommitted from Tennessee, but some believe colleges already know the scoreboard on that one, and the Wolfpack might have to make up some serious ground. Kendall's older brother is at Kentucky, and the Wildcats will have some added perks in their recruiting pitch.
If Kendall really did want to stay home and attend NC State, it would create a fun dilemma. Look for Kendall news to be flowing strong over the next month with the Rivals.com Under Armour-sponsored camps series heating up.
The Charlotte Rivals camp is April 12, and one source was saying not only will most of the top players in North Carolina be attending, but many Georgia prep starts want to do both the Atlanta one and Charlotte, including NCSU junior defensive tackle commit Kobe Smith of Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High.
***
The Wolfpacker's Matt Carter will continue to file men's basketball content from Pittsburgh today and Saturday, Ryan Tice will have reaction from NC State's first football scrimmage late Saturday afternoon, and I will be at the Super 60 Showdown at Knightdale, which should a handful of key NCSU hoops recruiting targets, plus football target Mark Gilbert.
NC State's Pro Day will take place Monday, and the Elite 80 Showcase in prep basketball will take place March 28.
What makes Villanova a No. 1 seed?
"They have toughness on the defensive side of the ball. I think they are a really good defensive team. Their guards ability and team's ability to shoot the basketball. They can shoot it from all five spots if they wanted too. Those two things are what sticks out."
How does junior center Daniel Ochefu handle being the one player taller than 6-7 in the rotation? Whereas NC State has four post players.
"He is long but I think NC State guys should be able to bang him around a little bit with the rotation of the bigs they have. He's a big defensive kid and allows the guards to pressure knowing he is sitting back there waiting to alter or block shots.
"NC State bigs should fare well against him. They aren't ultra productive anyway unless I'm missing something, but they should be fine doing what they do."
Senior power forward JayVaughn Pinkston is listed at 6-7 and 235, but he might be closer to 6-6 (or smaller). But he is essentially a four-year starter.
"The four spot is where I think they can have a lot more success. They got Pinkston, and they play sophomores Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart behind him."
Two different kind of point guards with Villanova junior Ryan Arcidiacano, who shared Big East POY honors, and NC State sophomore Anthony Barber. How do you see that matchup?
"I like it for NC State. Cat has the speed that he could really penetrate their pressure. In that sense, I give the edge to Cat with the way he has been playing. It's going to be really tough to pressure him.
"On the other end, Arcidiacano can really shoot it. He does a great job of running his team. It isn't his primary thing to score the ball as his primary thing is to run the show. When he's open, he can score the basketball and look to be aggressive. He is good shooting off of screens. He can shoot off the bounce and off of ball screens. He has a complete game."
Four quality wings in this game with Villanova's Darrun Hilliard and Dylan Ennis, and NC State's Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey. The Wildcats also have Hart and freshman Phil Booth in the rotation. Is that strength vs. strength right there?
"That is going to be a great matchup. The Lacey-Ennis matchup will be interesting. Ennis really pressures the ball and he forces you to almost beat him off the bounce. It will be interesting to see how Lacey reacts to that because he likes to handle the ball and do a rhythm jumper. Ennis will get up all in him and force him to get to the basket.
"HIlliard/Turner matchup will be interesting to see because of how Villanova does on the screen actions. Whether they can chase him out or switch at the last minute. I could see that giving Villanova problems. Turner can get it off quick."
How much of a machine has Villanova been, and how can a team disrupt that machine, which only Seton Hall (Jan. 3) and Georgetown (Jan. 19) could do this season?
"In league play, they've been very machine-like and dominant. Seton Hall and Georgetown both got them on the road. You got to limit their three-point shooting, and make them two-point shooters. You can't give them open looks.
"On the other side, you have to attack their pressure. When you get it in there, you have to finish around the hoop."
How Villanova was formed:
Class of 2010:
73. JayVaughn Pinkston
Class of 2011:
Darrun Hilliard, 3 stars
Class of 2012:
42. Daniel Ochefu
57. Ryan Arcidiacano
Class of 2013:
74. Kris Jenkins
84. Josh Hart
Darryl Reynolds, 3 stars
Class of 2014:
85. Phil Booth
95. Mikal Bridges
Dylan Ennis was an unrated player, who attended Rice for a year and transferred to Villanova. He joined the 2013 group. Conversely, SMU starting center Markus Kennedy, South Carolina starting guard Tyrone Johnson and Saint Louis starting guard Ash Yacoubou, all started their college careers at Villanova.
***
We mentioned last week that Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford junior Mark Gilbert was accomplished in both football (cornerback) and basketball (point guard). His hoop skills will be on display this weekend at the Super 60 Showdown at Knightdale (N.C.) High from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Gilbert poured in 31 points to lead Terry Sanford High to a NCHSAA 4A state title last Saturday at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill.
NC State football has prioritized Gilbert and feels good about its chances in landing him. Rivals.com ranks him No. 28 overall in the state of North Carolina, and No. 53 at cornerback nationally in the class of 2016. NC State, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Southern, Michigan, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh (family ties), Wake Forest and West Virginia, have all offered Gilbert.
Cornerbacks and wide receivers were major priority positions for the Wolfpack in 2016.
The next two Saturday's should give The Wolfpacker a chance to see most of the top in-state players in basketball, though junior power forward Harry Giles of High Point Wesleyan is expected to skip the showcase camps.
***
Jackson, Miss., has been a hot spot for NC State coaches in checking out star senior guard Malik Newman, who will be setting up official visits relatively soon. He has the McDonald's Game, Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic coming up, so it won't be the typical April when it comes to a regular stream of visits.
Newman isn't the only player from Jackson that NC State could be targeting. The Wolfpack have flirted with junior small forward Mario Kegler in the past, but apparently plan to step things up this spring. Kegler played with Newman at Jackson Callaway High, and then made the move to Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla. Rivals.com ranks the 6-7, 210-pounder No. 34 overall in the class of 2016.
Kegler plays for MBA Hoops, which has produced former Duke wing Rodney Hood and Georgia Tech senior center DeMarco Cox, who recently signed with the Indianapolis Colts this past week.
Kegler wasn't on top of his game at adidas Unrivaled last July, but bounced back and drew raves for his play at adidas Nations last August. He's a big physical small forward with three-point range, and has an impressive array of 16 offers.
Maryland, UConn, Ohio State, Tennessee and Mississippi State are heavily involved per our guy Russ Wood from the Rivals.com network. Auburn, FSU, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and UCLA, also in the mix.
***
We've mentioned various situations with the shoe brands in recent weeks. We keep hearing that adidas, Nike and Under Armour, are really trying to emphasize the need of sending their star players to colleges that wear the same brand. That isn't anything new, but April will be a good test with some big 2015 college decisions coming up.
NC State has been all over the map when it comes to such things, but haven't had any problems getting players who played for Nike-sponsored traveling teams in high school:
Abdul-Malik Abu: Nike
Trevor Lacey: Played for both Nike and adidas, and Alabama was Nike
Terry Henderson: adidas but then Nike college at West Virginia
Lennard Freeman: Nike
Anthony Barber: Nike
Caleb Martin: Under Armour, then adidas for travel ball, but Nike at Oak Hill Academy
Cody Martin: See Caleb
BeeJay Anya: Nike
Ralston Turner: Nike in travel ball and LSU is a Nike college
Kyle Washington: Nike
Desmond Lee: Shoes not known in juco
However, we continue to hear that adidas could be of huge help in recruitments such as juniors Dennis Smith Jr. of Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian and Maverick Rowan of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons High. Kegler is also aligned with adidas.
***
Like some of the others, Kinston (N.C.) High senior small forward Brandon Ingram has been all over the map, with Nike for his high school team, and then Stackhouse Elite got sponsored by adidas last year.
One thing to watch with the Ingram recruitment is what UNC just did. The Tar Heels added Jaye Stackhouse as a walk-on defensive back for this fall. He's the son of former North Carolina star Jerry Stackhouse, and Jaye is real good friends with Ingram after playing together on Stackhouse Elite. UNC has never been much of a chance in this recruitment, even though Ingram's father is a huge Tar Heels fan, but it's an interesting wrinkle.
Adding Jaye Stackhouse wasn't driven to be a "package deal" with Ingram or anything like that, but does give pause for concern for the other five schools, which are NC State, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA. In the shoe wars, Ingram is straight down the middle with three adidas colleges and three for Nike.
***
Southeast Raleigh junior quarterback commit Dylan Parham is soaking in as much as humanly possible during NC State's spring practices this past week. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder looks like he has become even stronger and bigger, just by looking at him in street clothes.
Parham could be the lone quarterback commit for the Wolfpack in the class of 2016. Speculation will continue with Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson junior quarterback Austin Kendall, who recently decommitted from Tennessee, but some believe colleges already know the scoreboard on that one, and the Wolfpack might have to make up some serious ground. Kendall's older brother is at Kentucky, and the Wildcats will have some added perks in their recruiting pitch.
If Kendall really did want to stay home and attend NC State, it would create a fun dilemma. Look for Kendall news to be flowing strong over the next month with the Rivals.com Under Armour-sponsored camps series heating up.
The Charlotte Rivals camp is April 12, and one source was saying not only will most of the top players in North Carolina be attending, but many Georgia prep starts want to do both the Atlanta one and Charlotte, including NCSU junior defensive tackle commit Kobe Smith of Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High.
***
The Wolfpacker's Matt Carter will continue to file men's basketball content from Pittsburgh today and Saturday, Ryan Tice will have reaction from NC State's first football scrimmage late Saturday afternoon, and I will be at the Super 60 Showdown at Knightdale, which should a handful of key NCSU hoops recruiting targets, plus football target Mark Gilbert.
NC State's Pro Day will take place Monday, and the Elite 80 Showcase in prep basketball will take place March 28.
