Senior Day, Home Finale Set For Wednesday Night

NC State (14-15, 4-12) vs. Boston College (7-22, 0-16)
Date	Wednesday, March 2
Time	9 p.m. ET
Location	PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C.
Tickets	GoPack.com
Television	Regional Networks (FS South) (Wes Durham, Cory Alexander)
Radio	Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes)
Game Notes	NC State \| Boston College
Season Statistics	NC State \| Boston College
Live Stats	GoPack.com
Social Media	@PackMensBball \| Facebook

Chase Cannon still has the picture. Jay Lewis, a former NC State player who graduated in 2013, threw up the '3' hand signal after hitting the freshman Cannon on the right wing. Cannon put the exclamation point on an 80-63 win at Reynolds Coliseum, and his first career points for the Wolfpack still stand out in his memory.

"Reynolds always seems like it's packed. The crowd erupted when I hit that '3'," Cannon said. "It was my first points ever and I don't think anything has compared to that. It was a cool moment."

Cannon, who graduated in May 2015 with a degree in business finance and has collected a litter of academic awards during his career, will be suiting up Wednesday night at PNC Arena for the final time. He estimates 16 friends and family members may be in attendance for the game, NC State's final home game of the season.

While it's his final time wearing the home whites in Raleigh, Cannon will still be around. He's currently in the MBA program at NC State and will be on campus next year finishing the graduate degree.

"It'll be weird because basketball is a built-in part of every day," he said. "Not having practice and not traveling for games, it'll be a lot different."

Cannon, a native of Morehead City, N.C., grew up following NC State and says J.J. Hickson was his favorite player when he was young. Attending Wolfpack basketball camps in the summer and looking up to Scott Wood, Cannon says it was surreal after a few years being on the same team with Wood when he walked onto the Wolfpack as a freshman in 2012.

"I kind of connected with him the most, and it was really cool that four years later, here I am, walking onto the team and playing with him in practice," Cannon said.

Soon, he'd find himself in the middle of a court storm after NC State took down No. 1 Duke in January 2013.

"I had just walked onto the team and everything was still pretty new to me," the senior said. "We had them early on in ACC play and there was a lot of hype around the game. Beating them and having the fans rush the court – that whole experience of the entire campus being electric for the next 24 hours – made you realize how NC State basketball was kind of on a different level."

Following his graduation last spring, Cannon spent last summer as an intern for an independent financial advising company, and he's currently looking into internship opportunities for this summer. While his college basketball days are winding down, playing four years in the Wolfpack program coupled with his success in the classroom are sure to help him thrive in the finance world.

"It definitely helped with time management. It helps you stay busy," Cannon said. "Being in a graduate program and playing basketball has helped me get my priorities straight and helped me focus. It's also helped me learn how to work with a team. It's always good to know how to work along with others."

THE STARTING 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game

1. CAT'S HISTORICAL SEASON
There have been several standout individuals across the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, but only Cat Barber has had a season that's truly historic. The 6-2 junior is leading the ACC in scoring with 23.2 points per game (league-best 23.3 ppg in ACC play) and is on pace to become the second player in ACC history to average 23 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 4.0 apg (Kenny Anderson in 1990-91). Barber has a league-best eight games with 30 or more points, including six in ACC play. He averaged 23.4 points per game during the month of February, including a 38-point effort against Wake Forest and a 32-point night against UNC Chapel Hill. Additionally, he is also leading the conference in free throws made (215) and minutes per game (38.59) and is third in free throw percentage (.870) and eighth in assists (4.31).

2. HAT TIP TO THE SENIORS
Before Wednesday's contest, NC State will recognize its lone senior player - Chase Cannon - as well as senior student manager Hunter Henderson. Cannon, who has appeared in 24 games in his four seasons, graduated last May with a degree in business finance and is enrolled in NC State's MBA program. He owns a 4.0 GPA and is an ACC Honor Roll member. Henderson, a native of Wilmington, has been a manager for the Wolfpack for three years and will graduate in May with a degree in sport management.

3. THAT WARREN GUY WAS PRETTY GOOD
Those surrounding NC State basketball will never forget Boston College's last trip to Raleigh, a 78-68 Wolfpack win on March 8, 2014. T.J. Warren, in what would be his last game at PNC Arena, exploded for 42 points on 14-for-23 shooting and a 14-for-17 mark at the foul line. He also grabbed 13 rebounds in the win, which clinched a 9-9 league record that season. The 42 points for Warren was a career high, edging the 41 points he had scored in the previous game six days earlier. Warren and the Pack would go on to win two games in the 2014 ACC Tournament and another in the NCAA Tournament.

4. ONE MORE SWAT TIES THE SCHOOL RECORD
BeeJay Anya now has 206 career blocked shots, one shy of tying the school record (207 by Thurl Bailey). The 6-9 junior led the ACC in blocked shots last season (2.53 per game) and is currently ranks second in the league by just .01 blocks per game. Anya is currently 25th in the nation with 2.38 blocks per game.

5. POSTSEASON UPDATE
While there is a home game against Boston College and a road game at Notre Dame ahead, some postseason basketball details are already known. The Pack will play Tuesday, March 8 at noon against Wake Forest in the first game of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. A victory over Wake Forest would put the Wolfpack in a 2 p.m. game on Wednesday, March 9. NC State will be taking the court in the 2016 adidas Made in March Uniform Collection, which features the latest adidas basketball footwear including special editions of the Crazylight Boost 2.5 Low and D Lillard 2 in team colors. The game uniforms feature the same lightweight, sweat-wicking technology used in the NBA.

Players Mentioned

BeeJay Anya

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