# 2018–19 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team

The 2018–19 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolfpack, led by second-year head coach Kevin Keatts, played its home games at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina and were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They finished the season 24–12, 9–9 in ACC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament to Virginia. They received a bid to the NIT where they lost in the quarterfinals to Lipscomb.

## Previous season

The Wolfpack finished the 2017–18 season 21–12, 11–7 in ACC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the second round of the ACC tournament to Boston College. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Seton Hall.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Abdul-Malik Abu | 0 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Senior | Boston, MA | Graduated |
| Lennard Freeman | 1 | F | 6'8" | 267 | RS Senior | Washington, D.C. | Graduated |
| Lavar Batts Jr. | 3 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Freshman | Concord, NC | Transferred to UNC Asheville |
| Darius Hicks | 5 | F | 6'7" | 231 | Sophomore | Quitman, MS | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky |
| Allerik Freeman | 12 | G | 6'3" | 210 | RS Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduated |
| Ömer Yurtseven | 14 | F/C | 7'0" | 245 | Sophomore | Istanbul, Turkey | Transferred to Georgetown |
| Sam Hunt | 15 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Greensboro, NC | Graduated |
| Spencer Newman | 31 | G | 6'3" | 186 | RS Freshman | Daphne, AL | Transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| D. J. Funderburk | 0 | F | 6'9" | 205 | RS Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Northwest Florida State College |
| Sacha Killeya-Jones | 1 | F | 6'10" | 221 | Junior | Chapel Hill, NC | Kentucky |
| Eric Lockett | 5 | G | 6'5" | 193 | RS Senior | Atlanta, GA | FIU |
| Wyatt Walker | 33 | C | 6'9" | 240 | Senior | Jacksonville, FL | Samford |
| Blake Harris | 55 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Sophomore | Chapel Hill, NC | Missouri |
* Under NCAA transfer rules, Killeya-Jones will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
* Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris has to sit out until January and will be eligible to start in January during the 2018–19 season. Harris has two and a half years of remaining eligibility.

### Class of 2018 Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Immanuel Bates PF | Fayetteville, NC | Northwood Temple Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ian Steere PF | Fayetteville, NC | Northwood Temple Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 261 lb (118 kg) | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jericole Hellems SF | St. Louis, MO | Chaminade College Prep | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 20, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Chowan | W 111–62 | – | 22 – Daniels | 7 – Dorn | 6 – Johnson | PNC Arena Raleigh, NC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Mount St. Mary's | W 105–55 | 1–0 | 28 – Dorn | 9 – Dorn | 5 – Johnson | PNC Arena (13,632) Raleigh, NC |
| November 10, 2018* 12:00 pm, ACCRSN | | Maryland Eastern Shore Wolfpack Classic | W 95–49 | 2–0 | 22 – Dorn | 10 – Dorn | 7 – Johnson | PNC Arena (13,586) Raleigh, NC |
| November 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | UNC Asheville | W 100–49 | 3–0 | 20 – Daniels | 9 – Daniels | 5 – Beverly | PNC Arena (13,620) Raleigh, NC |
| November 17, 2018* 2:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Maine Wolfpack Classic | W 82–63 | 4–0 | 15 – Dorn | 8 – Bryce | 5 – Johnson | PNC Arena (13,290) Raleigh, NC |
| November 20, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCRSN | | Saint Peter's Wolfpack Classic | W 85–57 | 5–0 | 12 – Dorn | 6 – Tied | 4 – Harris | PNC Arena (13,308) Raleigh, NC |
| November 24, 2018* 5:30 pm, ACCN Extra | | Mercer Wolfpack Classic | W 78–74 | 6–0 | 19 – Dorn | 9 – Dorn | 4 – Beverly | PNC Arena (12,828) Raleigh, NC |
| November 27, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 22 Wisconsin ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 76–79 | 6–1 | 21 – Johnson | 11 – Dorn | 5 – Johnson | Kohl Center (17,012) Madison, WI |
| December 1, 2018* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Vanderbilt HoopHall Miami Invitational | W 80–65 | 7–1 | 19 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 7 – Johnson | American Airlines Arena (5,749) Miami, FL |
| December 5, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Western Carolina Heritage Game | W 100–77 | 8–1 | 21 – Daniels | 5 – Tied | 5 – Harris | Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC |
| December 15, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Penn State Boardwalk Classic | W 89–78 | 9–1 | 18 – Beverly | 8 – Walker | 5 – Tied | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 7 Auburn | W 78–71 | 10–1 | 27 – Johnson | 8 – Daniels | 4 – Johnson | PNC Arena (17,793) Raleigh, NC |
| December 22, 2018* 12:00 pm, ACCRSN | | USC Upstate | W 98–71 | 11–1 | 15 – Lockett | 8 – Tied | 8 – Harris | PNC Arena (14,877) Raleigh, NC |
| December 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 20 | Loyola (MD) | W 97–64 | 12–1 | 17 – Dorn | 8 – Dorn | 7 – Daniels | PNC Arena (15,098) Raleigh, NC |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 18 | at Miami (FL) | W 87–82 | 13–1 (1–0) | 20 – Johnson | 11 – Walker | 6 – Beverly | Watsco Center (6,983) Coral Gables, FL |
| January 8, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 15 | No. 12 North Carolina Rivalry | L 82–90 | 13–2 (1–1) | 21 – Beverly | 10 – Dorn | 4 – Beverly | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| January 12, 2019 12:00 pm, Raycom | No. 15 | Pittsburgh | W 86–80 | 14–2 (2–1) | 19 – Daniels | 10 – Dorn | 5 – Dorn | PNC Arena (17,695) Raleigh, NC |
| January 15, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | No. 17 | at Wake Forest Rivalry | L 67–71 | 14–3 (2–2) | 18 – Dorn | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (10,157) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 19, 2019 2:00 pm, Raycom | No. 17 | at Notre Dame | W 77–73 | 15–3 (3–2) | 23 – Bryce | 9 – Dorn | 4 – Beverly | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,709) South Bend, IN |
| January 24, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | No. 21 | at No. 23 Louisville | L 77–84 | 15–4 (3–3) | 19 – Beverly | 9 – Bryce | 3 – Beverly | KFC Yum! Center (16,322) Louisville, KY |
| January 26, 2019 2:00 pm, Raycom | No. 21 | Clemson | W 69–67 | 16–4 (4–3) | 16 – Johnson | 7 – Bryce | 5 – Beverly | PNC Arena (18,180) Raleigh, NC |
| January 29, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | No. 3 Virginia | L 65–66 $^{OT}$ | 16–5 (4–4) | 14 – Johnson | 6 – Walker | 3 – Daniels | PNC Arena (18,211) Raleigh, NC |
| February 2, 2019 12:00 pm, Raycom | No. 23 | No. 12 Virginia Tech | L 24–47 | 16–6 (4–5) | 7 – Bryce | 12 – Walker | 2 – Johnson | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| February 5, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | | at No. 8 North Carolina Rivalry | L 96–113 | 16–7 (4–6) | 17 – Beverly | 5 – Tied | 4 – Johnson | Dean Smith Center (21,124) Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 9, 2019 2:00 pm, Raycom | | at Pittsburgh | W 79–76 | 17–7 (5–6) | 21 – Bryce | 8 – Dorn | 8 – Johnson | Petersen Events Center (8,950) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 13, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | | Syracuse | W 73–58 | 18–7 (6–6) | 21 – Beverly | 12 – Dorn | 5 – Johnson | PNC Arena (16,335) Raleigh, NC |
| February 16, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 2 Duke Rivalry | L 78–94 | 18–8 (6–7) | 17 – Dorn | 5 – Bryce | 10 – Johnson | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 20, 2019 7:00 pm, ACCRSN | | Boston College | W 89–80 $^{OT}$ | 19–8 (7–7) | 19 – Daniels | 11 – Daniels | 4 – Tied | PNC Arena (14,435) Raleigh, NC |
| February 24, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Wake Forest Rivalry | W 94–74 | 20–8 (8–7) | 25 – Johnson | 9 – Dorn | 5 – Daniels | PNC Arena (16,053) Raleigh, NC |
| March 2, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 18 Florida State | L 73–78 | 20–9 (8–8) | 18 – Funderburk | 9 – Funderburk | 2 – Johnson | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,988) Tallahassee, FL |
| March 6, 2019 9:00 pm, ACCRSN | | Georgia Tech | L 61–63 | 20–10 (8–9) | 17 – Johnson | 8 – Dorn | 5 – Johnson | PNC Arena (15,803) Raleigh, NC |
| March 9, 2019 2:00 pm, ACCRSN | | at Boston College | W 73–47 | 21–10 (9–9) | 14 – Bryce | 9 – Funderburk | 6 – Johnson | Conte Forum (7,279) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN/Raycom | (8) | vs. (9) Clemson Second Round | W 59–58 | 22–10 | 23 – Johnson | 11 – Dorn | 4 – Johnson | Spectrum Center Charlotte, NC |
| March 14, 2019 12:30 pm, ESPN/Raycom | (8) | vs. (1) No. 2 Virginia Quarterfinals | L 56–76 | 22–11 | 13 – Johnson | 7 – Dorn | 2 – Tied | Spectrum Center Charlotte, NC |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | (7) Hofstra First Round – UNC Greensboro Bracket | W 84–78 | 23–11 | 26 – Johnson | 11 – Bryce | 5 – Johnson | Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC |
| March 24, 2019* 7:30 pm, ESPNU | (2) | (6) Harvard Second Round – UNC Greensboro Bracket | W 78–77 | 24–11 | 16 – Bryce | 7 – Bryce | 5 – Johnson | Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC |
| March 27, 2019* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | (2) | (5) Lipscomb Quarterfinals – UNC Greensboro Bracket | L 93–94 | 24–12 | 34 – Dorn | 10 – Walker | 5 – Johnson | Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV^ | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 23 | — | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV' | RV' | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 22 | RV | — | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^AP rankings not released for Week 1 'Coaches rankings not released for Week 1 or Week 2