NC State basketball opponent scouting report: Campbell

NC State basketball 1-0 after demolishing Austin Peay, 99-50, in Monday’s season opener. Next is an in-state non-conference opponent. Campbell comes to Raleigh for a 7 p.m. tip Friday evening at PNC Arena. The game can be seen online on ACC Network Extra.

Here is a rundown of what to expect from Campbell.

Subscribe to The Wolfpacker today with our limited-time offer for potential new subscribers: $10 deal for premium access until 8/31/23

Campbell overview

Campbell also opened the season Monday, with the Camels taking care of business against non-Division I affiliated Saint Augustine’s, 79-62. After a sluggish start, Campbell created separation with a 15-1 run to end the first half, building a 17-point advantage at the break. They would lead by as much as 26 points in the second half.

NC State is 11-1 all-time against Campbell. The two teams met during the Covid-season on Dec. 19, 2020, which was a 69-50 win for the Wolfpack. Former head coach Mark Gottfried’s second of two Sweet 16 teams for NC State basketball also defeated Campbell, 81-66, in 2013.

Both of those Camels squads were coached by Kevin McGeehan, who enters year 10 at the helm. Campbell has had a winning record in five of the past six seasons, including a 16-13 mark last year overall (8-8 in league play). That team was partially led by Cedric Henderson, who entered the transfer portal in the offseason and became a NC State basketball recruiting target before signing with Arizona.

Henderson was one of three starters to leave that team.

Campbell was picked in the Big South Conference preseason poll tied for sixth in the 10-team league.

Rankings

ESPN’s BPI: Campbell checks in at No. 195 (out of 362 teams). NC State basketball is No. 55.

KenPom.com: The Camels are No. 196. The Pack is No. 70.

Three Campbell players to watch against NC State basketball

Fifth-year senior guard Ricky Clemons: The former invited walk-on from Millbrook High in Raleigh is now a preseason Big South All-Conference selection after averaging 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last season. He had a co-team-high 13 points and added 7 rebounds in the season-opening win over Campbell.

Clemons is not known as a shooter, making 15 career threes and shooting 28.3 percent beyond the arc, but the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has the respect of his peers. He was named to the Big South All-Tournament team in 2021.

Senior guard Devon Dunn: Dunn may not start against NC State, but he will provide offense whenever he gets into the game. He made a trio of three-pointers against Saint Augustine’s.

Last year, after opting out of the previous campaign, Dunn made 42 threes while averaging 9.8 points per contest as the second-leading scorer at Fairleigh Dickinson. He averaged 7.6 points and shot 41.8 percent on threes while making Northeast Conference All-Rookie team in 2020.

Senior forward Jay Pal: The 6-foot-9, 190-pounder played the past two seasons at Jacksonville State, starting 22 games in that span for teams that collectively went 39-20 and made the NCAA Tournament this past March.

Against Saint Augustine’s, Pal also contributed 13 points and had a team-high 8 rebounds. Pal also proved to NC State that he is not afraid to shoot, attempting 4 threes in that contest.

Three things NC State basketball should expect from Campbell

1. A lot of subbing: NC State went with a tight eight-player rotation in the opener before the game was out of hand. Campbell used nine players, but no one played more than 27 minutes or fewer than 15 amongst that group.

2. Good defense: The Camels held their hat on defense a year ago. Only 7 times in 29 games did an opponent score more than 70 points against Campbell. They were 18th nationally in scoring defense at 62.0 points per contest.

3. The potential for a lot of threes taken: NC State should be prepared to defend the three-point line. Against Saint Augustine’s, 24 of the 49 attempted shots for Campbell were three-pointers. Eight of the primary nine players took at least one trey.