Styles, Hill have second consecutive big games. This time, the Wolfpack won
When N.C. State picked up Marcus Hill and Dontrez Styles from the transfer portal in the basketball offseason, there were questions about their ability to contribute.
Hill had great numbers on the mid-major level at Bowling Green and wanted a new opportunity. He averaged 20.5 points per game last season, but could he continue that against Power Four competition?
Styles attended North Carolina out of high school, and hit a corner 3-pointer in the 2022 Sweet 16, before transferring to Georgetown last season for a bigger role. He wanted to come home and felt like he could fit into the Wolpack system well.
Now, the transfer duo is carving a big role for itself on the N.C. State roster.
The Wolfpack defeated Florida State 84-74 on Saturday at Lenovo Center in an overtime thriller. Hill and Styles helped lift the team to its victory, with Styles hitting clutch 3s down the stretch and pulling down a pair of offensive rebounds toward the end of regulation. Hill, for his part, shot 8 of 10 from the free-throw line and muscled his way into the lane for buckets and boards.
In the overtime period, they combined for 13 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Hill also made all four free-throw attempts. Plus, their efforts helped N.C. State end Florida State’s 14-game unbeaten streak in overtime games.
“I thought we did some really good things,” Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts said.
“We didn’t particularly shoot it well for the free-throw line, but I thought Marcus Hill, in overtime, made four big free throws. And I thought Dontrez Styles was tremendous in the second half. He made play after play. We got connected. This team needed an early win together. We hadn’t had one, and we needed a nice win together.”
Ben Middlebrooks said the team 100% expected to see Hill and Styles succeed like this.
“You don’t see those guys’ best day every single game, but they do those things every day in practice,” Middlebrooks said. “Everyone on this team can hoop and do different things. Those guys can really score.”
In the last two games, the Wolfpack has been led by one of the two transfers. On Wednesday night against Texas, Styles topped the stat sheet with 17 points and his teammate followed behind with 16. Roles were reversed on Saturday when Hill capped out at 23 points and Styles notched 21.
Hill scored 39 points on 14-of-23 shooting with 10 rebounds and three assists in the team’s two games this week.
Styles contributed 38 points on 14-of-25 shooting. He added seven rebounds, one assist, three steals and a pair of blocks.
They combined for 77 of the Wolfpack’s 143 points, or nearly 54% of the team’s offense, in the last two games.
The two were in a more chipper mood after beating Florida State than they were after losing to Texas.
“It’s a way better feeling,” Styles said. “When you have those numbers and don’t win, it doesn’t matter. Doing that and helping the team win, that’s my biggest thing I want to do coming into today, and that’s what happened. I thank God for it, and we’ll keep going.”
Hill showed off a big smile after his second consecutive double-figures game, sharing similar feelings to his teammate.
“It hurt. All I want to do is win,” Hill said. “The points didn’t really matter because we lost. Today, it felt real good. I can go home and be happier.”
The duo’s success comes after a largely disappointing trip to San Diego for the Rady Children’s Invitational. N.C. State lost to BYU and Purdue, in a rematch of the 2024 Final Four, partially because Styles and Hill struggled to find the hole.
They both shot 3 of 12 from the field across those two games, combining for 6 of 24 on the weekend. Styles finished with six points and three rebounds, while Hill scored nine points and added an assist.
“Did he go to San Diego? Was he there?” Keatts said joking about Styles. “He’s worked hard. Players don’t like to look bad, and he and Marcus — let’s talk about Marcus, too — the last two games have been really good for us.”
Styles said being at Carolina and Georgetown prepared him for this season and everything he hopes to accomplish. And Hill he keeps betting on himself and his preparation.
“I work too hard. I knew for sure it’d be a good season,” Hill said.
More than the individual success, getting the win was important for N.C. State. It needed to earn its first win over a Power Four program and prove to itself that it can do it. It had been in every game it’s played, but it couldn’t finish.
It finally took that step forward, thanks to the Wolfpack’s new twosome.
“We had been down. We have felt terrible after those games, after that stretch,” Middlebrooks said. “We just knew we had to come out. For us, this was basically a must-win. I think that really helped for myself and the rest of the team, to have an extra spark.”
