Date/Time/Network Information Released for NC States Final Four Rematch vs. Purdue

During the Final Four run, NC State head coach Kevin Keatts admitted that DJ Burns changed his perspective on running an offense with a true post player.

You can't blame him. Burns was a unique big whose offensive skills were almost unmatched in college basketball. But it showed Keatts that an offensive-minded post player with a back-to-the-basketball position can move the defense just as much as a guard who can create off the dribble.

I think there will be more balance instead of an offense that is hell-bent on getting a lot of shots and allowing their defenders to dominate the ball. I think that will be evident in the way the roster is constructed.

For one thing, Mike O'Connell is back, and if he plays anywhere near as well as he has recently, he will be NC States' PG and court leader from the start. Of course, having him on the court will also slow things down and make the offense a little more calm and calculated.

That was the difference in my opinion down the stretch. A lot less forced or contested shots. A lot less messing around at the free throw line with the dribble looking for gaps to force a drive into. And more patience, moving the basketball and testing the defense with passes into the post.

Keatts lost Burns, who was really good at playing the point from the post. But the reason he was able to do that was because the defense couldn't bring doubles (he was a great passer) and at the same time he was a real threat to score from the block (he was a great scorer).

They don't replace that, but the signing of Huntley-Hatfield shows that the offensive focus will be more in the post. Huntley-Hatfield was underused in Louisville and I think Keatts will ask him to play the same role as Burns. Get the ball on the block, stay patient, look for cutters, read the defense and react. Huntley-Hatfield can score down there and I think in this system he will really start to show all of his skills.

If Huntley-Hatfield can do about 75% of what Burns did offensively, he'll likely have the same overall value to the Pack. Brandon's defense will be 10x better than DJ's ever was, and that will take a lot of pressure off the other guys defending the pick and roll.

Replacing Burns is one thing, but then you also have to replace Mohamed Diarra.

Diarra was a rebounding machine for NC State down the stretch and his ability to sink the three-pointer or score off the miss was crucial to their run, so what do you do without him?

Now, NC State was by no means a dominant rebounding team, either during the season or during their run. Diarra grabbed double-digit rebounds almost every night during that run, but Burns didn't grab many rebounds and neither did the guards. Diarra averaged almost 8 rebounds per game that season and the second best was Middlebrooks at 4.4 per game.

Huntley-Hatfield, meanwhile, averaged 8 rebounds per game. After that, you have to rely on the team's rebounding. Mike James (transfer guard) is a massive body who will do well on the boards. He averaged 5 rebounds per game. Dontrez Styles (transfer forward) averaged 6 rebounds per game at Georgetown. There's also Dennis Parker Jr., who is a good rebounder for his size. The wild card here is Ismael Diouf, the big Canadian who hasn't signed up yet.

Diof is a 6'1″ striker who, according to sources, will get a chance to gain some real match practice this season.

Diof was drafted number 1 in the Canadian League, but decided to go to NC State to pursue his NBA dreams.

Diof is a more skilled and less physical version of Diarra, but if he succeeds, he will allow the Pack to return to looking like it did during his run, with a capable big and a gigantic 4-man who can stretch the field while also helping out on the boards.