N.C. State basketball 2015-16 season preview

Overview: Despite losing its top scorer Trevor Lacey to the NBA, N.C. State will still be a formidable squad in the ACC this season behind two experienced guards and a young and talented frontcourt. 

The Wolfpack will be without Lacey, Ralston Turner and Desmond Lee this year, with Lacey's departure the biggest blow. Although he was not the team’s lone offensive option a year ago, Lacey was the one player everyone in the gym knew would have the ball with time winding down, and despite everyone having this knowledge, he still managed to knock down the big shots for the Wolfpack.

This year, N.C. State will look to replace that role with an improved point guard in Anthony "Cat" Barber, who took enormous strides to become one of the league’s best defensive guards in his sophomore campaign. Barber will be expected to shoulder more of the offensive load, but he won’t be alone in the backcourt, as N.C. State also added guard Terry Henderson, a West Virginia transfer who averaged 9.8 points per game last season. But besides those two, the N.C. State backcourt is light on experience and talent, so the health of Henderson and Barber will be something to watch throughout the year as they rack up the minutes.

Also back in Raleigh are 6-foot-7 twins Cody and Caleb Martin, along with BeeJay Anya, Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu—who will be this team’s player to watch, as his offensive development throughout the course of the 2014-15 campaign gave Wolfpack fans some promise heading into the offseason. In terms of dark horses, look for 6-foot-7 freshman Maverick Rowan to see the floor this season. He’s been touted as one of the most gifted offensive players in the Class of 2015, so if N.C. State runs into some midseason shooting woes, don’t be surprised if Rowan's name starts to pop up more and more.