ACC Tipoff: 3 takeaways from NC State’s Kevin Keatts, Jayden Taylor, Michael O’Connell

CHARLOTTE — N.C. State basketball enters the 2024-25 season as the leader of the pack in the ACC.

Coming off an ACC Tournament championship and Final Four run, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts will try to replicate that success with a mostly-new group led by returning guards Michael O’Connell and Jayden Taylor.

A trio of freshmen and five transfers also joined N.C. State as the program chases a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

One of 18 teams in the league, the Wolfpack attended ACC Tipoff on Wednesday, signaling the unofficial start of the season for the conference. Keatts, O’Connell and Taylor were in Charlotte to represent the program.

Here are some takeaways from that trio as college basketball season gets closer on the calendar.

Jayden Taylor talks NC State’s rivalry with Duke, UNC; plus Wolfpack’s identity

During its magical run last season, N.C. State knocked off Duke early in the ACC Tournament before beating North Carolina in the championship game. The Wolfpack faced the Blue Devils again in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, ending the season of a rival.

“We all want to be the best, and I feel like we kind of established ourselves this year as a team not to be looked over just because we’re in a triangle with Duke and North Carolina,” Taylor said.

“We’re N.C. State. That’s just the attitude that we have. We’re here to play. We’re here to compete.”

When asked about the identity of the Wolfpack under Keatts, Taylor emphasized the importance of the program’s non-negotiables.

“If you’re coming to N.C. State, non-negotiable is playing hard and just talking every day and being confident. You can’t come here if you’re not going to play hard. That’s one thing that Coach K harps on every day, is at least come out and compete,” Taylor said.

“I would say that’s really what the culture is, honestly. If you’re not making shots, how can you impact the game in other ways? How do you get the deflections, rebound? I feel like just competing. That’s the culture we’ve built here.”

Kevin Keatts thinks ACC deserves more teams in NCAA Tournament

The ACC has sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons. Keatts believes the league should get “nine or 10 teams into the tournament every single year.”

“The reason we’re going to the Final Four is because we have a great conference and we’re battle-tested,” Keatts said.

When breaking down how he thinks the committee has viewed teams, Keatts pointed to the ACC’s need for success in November and December during the nonconference slate.

“As a conference we have to try to go on and schedule better November and December if that’s going to be a major criteria as far as how many teams we get in there,” he said.

“It’s a little frustrating because you know you’re playing 20 ACC games, and those 20 games are pretty tough. I would invite anybody outside of our conference to come and play in any of our home venues. They’re tough to play in.”

Michael O’Connell relives shot vs Virginia

Michael O’Connell won’t soon be forgotten for his March heroics in the ACC Tournament against Virginia. The veteran guard is still getting questions about the 3-pointer that prevented the Wolfpack’s season from ending in the nation’s capital. It proved to be the most critical moment during N.C. State’s nine-game winning streak in elimination games.

“It’s definitely a cool moment when I see the video where people bring it up. It’s something that I kind of get to relive a little bit in my head and talk to people about or just see the video and just kind of think about what was going on in that moment and what it’s led to,” O’Connell said.

“I’m definitely grateful for that moment. It’s definitely something I’ll carry with me forever.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ACC Tipoff: NC State basketball’s Kevin Keatts talks ACC Tournament