North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Travel To Wake Forest
2/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC STATE WOLFPACK (15-7, 5-6) vs.
WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS (13-11, 4-7)
Tuesday * Feb. 15, 2000 * 8:00 p.m.
Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,407) * Winston-Salem, N.C.
BROADCASTS
TV: Raycom/JP - Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Billy Packer (color)
Radio: Wolfpack-Capitol Sports Radio Network - 36 Stations (WPTF-680 Flagship); Coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off. Gary Hahn (play-by-play) and Tony Haynes (color).
On The Internet: www.gopack.com
WOLFPACK RENEWS OLDEST RIVALRY: NC State and Wake Forest will renew the Wolfpack's longest series when the teams meet for the 207th time tonight. NC State holds a 122-84 lead in the series, which dates back to the school's first season of basketball in 1910-11. NC State's first ever scheduled basketball game was rained out. It was to be part of a basketball-football doubleheader against Virginia Tech on Thanksgiving Day in 1910 in Norfolk, Va. But NC A & M, as NC State was named at that time, did not have an indoor practice facility and had to practice outdoors in an open field in what is now Pullen Park. So, the Wake Forest Baptists became NC State's first basketball opponent on Feb. 16, 1911. Wake Forest, which had started basketball in 1906, cruised to a 33-6 victory in that game, then A&M College exacted revenge on Feb. 21 in the first ever collegiate basketball game played in Raleigh, a 19-18 win for the Farmers.
NC STATE VS WAKE FOREST: More recently, the Wolfpack has won two straight in the series, including a 76-56 victory over the Deacons in the ESA on Jan. 16. NC State shot 51.3 percent from the field in that game and kept the Deacons scoreless for 7:11 at the end of the first half. Sophomore guard Anthony Grundy scored a career-high 30 points in the game, while the Pack made 31-of-37 (83.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Wake Forest has won 15 of the last 20 meetings between the teams and nine of the last 12 games played in Winston-Salem. NC State's average margin of victory in its last three wins in Winston-Salem has been four points and has included two overtime games. The Wolfpack and Deacons played the longest game in ACC history on March 4, 1989, a 110-103 four-overtime victory for NC State. On Feb. 17, 1997, C.C. Harrison drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pack a 60-59 win over the fourth-ranked Deacons. Last year NC State won two of the teams' three meetings. The Pack defeated Wake Forest 70-59 on Jan. 28, 1999 in Reynolds Coliseum, then had a disappointing 29-point loss (74-45) to the Deacs in Winston-Salem in the final game of the regular season. The Wolfpack shot just 30.4 percent and hit just five field goals in the first half. The rubber match in the opening round of the ACC Tournament went NC State's way, 66-52. Justin Gainey and Anthony Grundy combined to score 29 points and NC State won despite shooting 34.4 percent from the field.
ABOUT THE WOLFPACK: NC State is 15-7 overall, 5-6 in the ACC. The Wolfpack is on a three-game slide having lost games at Virginia and Maryland and vs. North Carolina and is below .500 in the ACC for the first time this season. NC State is second in the ACC in scoring defense (63.6 ppg) and is forcing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game. Sophomore guard Anthony Grundy leads a balanced Wolfpack team in scoring at 13.1 ppg., while Damon Thornton and Damien Wilkins are averaging 10.8 and 10.2 ppg respectively
A WIN: Would break the Pack's three-game losing streak and give NC State three-straight wins over the Demon Deacons. It would also be the NC State's first ACC road win this season. The Pack had one ACC road win a year ago (defeating Georgia Tech 51-50) and is 5-24 in ACC road games over the last four seasons. A win would also be NC State's sixth conference victory this season, matching last season's ACC win total. The last time NC State had more than six conference victories was in 1990-91, when the Pack went 8-6 in conference play. NC State has improved its overall and ACC win total in each of Herb Sendek's four seasons as head coach. A Wolfpack victory would also mark the first time NC State has swept the season series with Wake Forest since the 1988-89 season.
A LOSS: Would be NC State's fourth straight conference loss, the Pack's longest losing streak since dropping six consecutive games from Jan. 12-28, 1997 (to Maryland, UNC, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech and UVa).
WOLFPACK INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS VS Wake:
GETTING OVER THE HUMP: Though NC State has not won an ACC game on the road this season, the Pack has played well away from home. NC State has had a lead in every conference road game this season except Clemson, where the Wolfpack fell behind in the early-going. The Pack had leads of at least seven points at Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Maryland. NC State has held a lead in the final seven minutes in three of those games. On The Road
Opponent Biggest Lead (Time) Last Lead (Time) North Carolina 8, 34-26 (2:19, 1st) 2, 34-32 (1:14, 1st) Duke 7, 27-20 (7:50, 1st) 2, 81-79 (4:36 OT) Maryland 17, 22-5 (13:46, 1st) 1, 73-72 (2:39, 2nd) Virginia 8, 35-27 (2:46, 1st) 2, 66-65 (6:07, 2nd)
INJURY BUG BITES AGAIN: NC State has been plagued by injuries over the last four seasons. Two years ago it was foot injuries. This year, four players have missed time with knee problems. Within the last two weeks, junior Ron Kelley and freshman Marshall Williams both had arthroscopic knee surgery. Kelley had the procedure to repair damaged articular cartilage in his left knee on Jan. 30 and was expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Williams had surgery to repair a partial tear of meniscus cartilage on Feb. 10 and was expected to miss at least three weeks. Earlier this season, junior forward Kenny Inge suffered a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament in his left knee and missed four games from Nov. 26-Dec. 17. The injury did not require surgery. Senior forward Tim Wells missed much of the preseason due to tendinitis in his left knee, then dislocated his left shoulder shortly after returning to practice. In 1997-98, NC State had seven different players miss a combined 69 games due to injury. Last season, the Wolfpack lost guard Archie Miller for the season due to a back injury. Here is a look at NC State's injuries over the past four seasons:
Player Injury Season (Games Out) Marshall Williams knee 1999-00 (2) Ron Kelley knee 1999-00 (4) Kenny Inge knee 1999-00 (4) Tim Wells knee, dislocated shoulder 1999-00 (3) Cornelius Williams foot 1998-99 (1) Adam Harrington sprained ankle 1998-99 (1) Damon Thornton hip/groin 1998-99 (0*) Archie Miller back surgery 1998-99 (30) Justin Gainey strained back muscle 1997-98 (3) Damon Thornton broken foot (right) 1997-98 (29) Ron Anderson broken foot (left) 1997-98 (27) Ron Kelley sprained foot (right) 1997-98 (7) Tim Wells stress fracture, shoulder 1997-98 (5) Luke Buffum broken foot 1997-98 (7) Damon Thornton hip 1996-97 (9) 11 different players 132 total games * - did not practice regularly until Jan. 1
KELLEY'S ABSENCE FELT: NC State has felt the absence of center Ron Kelley, who is averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds this season. NC State has been outrebounded in three of the last four games after being outrebounded just four times before Kelley's knee injury. In addition, NC State has also given up an average of 32 *Points in the Paint* with Kelley sidelined in the last four games compared to 22.5 *Points in the Paint* with Kelley in the lineup. Opposing centers (Lonnie Baxter, Brendan Haywood and Travis Watson) have averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in the last three games, while NC State's Damon Thornton has fouled out of two of those three contests. Thornton has averaged almost five minutes less of playing time in the last three games than in other ACC contests due to the foul trouble.
INGE BREAKS OUT: Junior forward Kenny Inge scored a season-high 25 points vs. UVa, the second-highest total of his career. Inge had averaged just 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the six prior contests, but attempted a season-high 15 field goals and 11 free throws vs. the Cavaliers. For the season, Inge is averaging 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. He averaged 11 ppg in each of his first two seasons. A big part of his scoring drop can be attributed to a drop in free-throw attempts. Prior to this year Inge had averaged 5.6 FTAs per game, but this season he is getting to the line just 3.9 times per game. Almost 33 percent of Inge's career points have come from the free-throw line (287-of-876).
CRAWFORD CHIPS IN: With Ron Kelley and Marshall Williams sidelined with injuries, freshman guard Clifford Crawford made a big contribution in the Pack's game at Virginia. Crawford, 6-3 of Winston-Salem, N.C., finished with season-highs in points (12) rebounds (8) and assists (3). He also played 23 minutes in the game, more than he had played in the previous 11 games combined. Crawford entered the game averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds this season and just 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds in ACC play. The Wolfpack has played at least nine people in each game this season and is getting an average of 19.7 ppg off the bench this season. Wolfpack reserves have outscored opponent reserves 433-253.
BACKCOURT BOOST: Crawford and sophomore guard Archie Miller combined for seven assists and no turnovers against UVa in 37 minutes of action. Starters Justin Gainey and Anthony Grundy totaled three assists and six turnovers in 59 minutes. A game earlier against North Carolina, Gainey and Grundy combined for 11 assists and two turnovers.
GRUNDY SLUMPING: Sophomore Anthony Grundy is stuck in a shooting slump, hitting just 32.7 percent (16-of-49) of his field goals, 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from three-point range, and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from the free-throw line in the last four games. In addition, Grundy has missed nine straight free throws dating back to the final three minutes of the Maryland game on Feb. 6. He has not scored in the first half of either of the past two games. The 6-2 guard from Louisville, Ky., has been the Wolfpack's most consistent scorer this season, averaging a team-high 13.6 ppg. He has been in double figures in 18 of 21 games this season. Grundy joined the team at midseason last season and went on to earn All-ACC Tournament honors.
DAMON DOMINATES: Junior Damon Thornton is averaging 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds this season and ranks among league leaders in rebounding (6th) and blocked shots (1.7, 7th). Over the past five games, Thornton is averaging 14 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, while shooting 60 percent (30-of-50) from the field. He had a career-best 23 points vs. Arizona State.
THORNTON FINALLY HEALTHY: A big part of Thornton's success can be attributed to the fact that he is healthy for the first time since early in his freshman season, The 6-8 junior from Norfolk, Va., had the first healthy offseason and preseason of his college career this summer and fall, and has regained much of the explosion he showed as a freshman, when he earned ACC All-Freshman honors and finished second in the voting for Rookie of the Year (to UNC's Ed Cota). Thornton missed the final nine games of 1997 season with a hip injury, then broke his foot three games into the 1998 season and received a medical redshirt. Last year, he did not begin practicing regularly with the team until January due to a strained ligament in his hip/groin area.
DOUBLING UP: Thornton recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Maryland, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He is sixth in the ACC this season in double-doubles and has 10 career double-doubles. Thornton also had double-doubles vs. Western Carolina (11-13), Yale (16-10) and Old Dominion (16-10). He has had double-digit rebounds in two other games as well - vs. Florida State (12 rebs.) and Liberty (10 rebs.). Kenny Inge ranks third in the ACC with 16 career double-doubles but does not have a double-double this season. Inge had 10 boards at Maryland, his first double-digit rebound game this season.
THORNTON AMONG SCHOOL LEADERS IN FG %: While NC State has struggled shooting the ball this season, Damon Thornton has continued his accurate touch, making 57.2 percent (99-of-173) of his shots from the field. Thornton now ranks second in school history in career field-goal percentage at 57.9 percent (263-of-454). He is also being more aggressive on the offensive end, averaging 7.9 shot attempts per game this season. Prior to this season, Thornton had averaged 4.8 field-goal attempts per game.
SWAT WATCH: NC State had a season-best 11 blocks vs. Maryland on Feb. 6, its highest total since blocking 11 shots vs. UNC-A in a 99-60 win on Jan. 22, 1990. The last time NC State blocked more than 11 shots in a game was on Feb. 8, 1988, when the Pack had 12 swats vs. Baptist. Center Damon Thornton is averaging three blocks over the last four games. With two blocks vs. UNC, he passed Charles Shackleford to move into seventh place all-time in school history with 103 career blocks. He has 36 blocks this season.
GRUNDY NETS CAREER-HIGH 30 POINTS VS DEACS: Grundy scored a career-high 30 points in the Pack's 76-56 win over Wake Forest on Jan. 16, and has been in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games. His 30 points was the highest single-game scoring effort by a Wolfpack player since C.C. Harrison scored 31 points at North Carolina on Feb. 21, 1998.
SCORING POINT: Gainey is averaging 12.6 ppg in the last five games. In the Wolfpack's loss at Clemson on Jan. 26, Gainey failed to score for the first time in 51 starts. Since then, he has made 48.9 percent (22-of-45) of his field-goal attempts and 50 percent (10-of-20) of his three-point attempts. Gainey had a season-high 21 points at Maryland, going 6-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. NC State is 25-7 in the last four years when Gainey scores in double-figures. The Pack is 8-2 when Gainey's in double figures this season.
FIXTURE: Many ACC followers remember Justin Gainey as the baby-faced freshman who played every minute of the 1997 ACC Tournament as the eighth-seeded Wolfpack made a run to the championship game. Gainey, who earned all-tournament honors, became the first player in ACC history to play all 40 minutes in four tournament games. Now the team's senior captain, Gainey ranks fourth all-time in school history in minutes played (since 1984) with 3,484 minutes logged. Gainey rarely saw the bench last season, averaging 35.9 minutes per game in ACC play, but this year he has gotten more of a break, logging 29.5 mpg. For his career, Gainey has played an average of 30.9 mpg (116 games). NC State Career Minutes Played
Player Minutes Years
1. Chris Corchiani 4097 1988-91
2. Rodney Monroe 3989 1988-91
3. Ishua Benjamin 3782 1995-98
4. Justin Gainey 3484 1997-
5. Curtis Marshall 3323 1992-96
NOTE: minutes kept since 1984
GAINEY AMONG SCHOOL ASSIST & STEALS LEADERS: Gainey ranks ninth in school history with 311 career assists. He also ranks seventh in school history with 164 career steals. Only seven players in NC State history rank among the school's top 10 in both career assists and steals. Chris Corchiani holds the school record with 1038 career assists and 328 career steals from 1988-91.
GAINEY'S GAME WINNERS: Justin Gainey's 12-footer with 1.8 seconds left against Maryland on Jan. 6 was the senior point guard's third game-winning shot in the last two seasons. Earlier this season, Gainey knocked in a three-pointer with 14 seconds left at Purdue. That shot looked strikingly similar to the senior's game-winner at Georgia Tech last season. Against the Yellow Jackets, Gainey slipped behind a ball screen and drained a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to give Wolfpack a 51-50 lead. Gainey then stole Tech's inbounds pass with two seconds left to seal the win.
BOARD WORK: While defense has been NC State's calling card this season, the team's ability to rebound has also been a determining factor in the 15-6 start. NC State has been outrebounded seven times this season and is averaging nearly 14.5 ppg on second-chance points. Wolfpack freshman Damien Wilkins ranks fourth in the ACC in offensive rebounds at 2.96 per game.
BALANCED ATTACK: NC State has used a balanced scoring attack this season. Anthony Grundy is averaging a team-best 13.1 ppg this season, while Damon Thornton and Damien Wilkins are getting 10.8 and 10.2 ppg respectively. Kenny Inge (9.6), Ron Kelley (9.0), Justin Gainey (8.8) are each averaging better than eight points per game. Eight different players have held team scoring honors this season and four different players have had 20 point outings. The last time NC State had more than three players average in double figures for a season was in 1990-91 when Rodney Monroe (27.0 ppg), Chris Corchiani (16.3 ppg), Tom Gugliotta (15.2 ppg) and Bryant Feggins (13.3 ppg) each averaged in double figures.
WILKINS - INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Freshman Damien Wilkins' quiet all-around play has snuck up on many. Wilkins is among NC State's top three in scoring (10.2 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), assists (49), blocks (14) and steals (32). He also leads the Pack in minutes played at 30.9 mpg. Wilkins is fourth among all conference players in offensive rebounding (2.95 per game). In ACC play, Wilkins ranks eighth in free-throw percentage at 77.4 percent.
LONG-RANGE BOMBER: Sophomore guard Archie Miller made his first two two-pointers of the season vs. North Carolina, finishing with four points. Miller is 2-of-15 from inside the arc this season, 29-of-80 (36.3 percent) beyond it. Miller has scored in double figures in three of the past six games. Ninety-one of his 109 career field goal have been from three-point range.
FREE-THROW TURNAROUND: After shooting just 10-of-27 (37 percent) from the free-throw line against UVa on Jan. 12, NC State has made 71.1 percent (138-of-194) from the line in the past nine games. NC State entered the Wake game on Jan. 16 making just 58.3 percent from the stripe, but has lifted its season free-throw shooting to 63.3 percent. Freshman Damien Wilkins, who entered the Wake game shooting 48 percent from the line, has gone 36-of-44 (81.8 percent) from the line in the last nine games and ranks seventh in the league in free-throw percentage (77.4 percent) in ACC play.
GETTING TO THE LINE IMPORTANT: NC State is 13-0 this season when attempting more free throws than its opponents in games, 2-7 when getting to the line fewer times than foes. The Wolfpack is averaging 23.9 FTAs per game. NC State matched a season-high with 37 free throw attempts against Wake Forest on Jan. 16, making a season-best 31 (83.8 percent).
DOING IT DEFENSIVELY: Defense has been the catalyst to NC State's 15 wins this season. NC State is holding opponents to just 63.6 ppg (second in the ACC). Wolfpack opponents are shooting 40.7 percent from the field, while committing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game. 18of NC State's 22 opponents have committed at least 15 TOs, led by Liberty's 31 turnovers, the most by a Wolfpack opponent since Florida Atlantic had 35 turnovers on Nov. 22, 1996.
SCORELESS STRETCHES: NC State's defense has been able to hold several of its opponents without a field goal for long stretches during games this season. Against Florida State, the 'Noles had three stretches of more than six minutes without a field goal.The Wolfpack held UNC Asheville without a field goal for 11:47. Against Yale, the Pack held the Bulldogs without a field goal for 9:55 in the first half. Ten of NC State's opponents have been held without a field goal for stretches of at least five minutes or more.
Opponent Longest Stretch w/o FG Georgia 4:13 Old Dominion 14:57 Stetson 7:57 Purdue 7:31 Providence 4:55 UNC Asheville 11:47 Liberty 5:25 Tulane 4:44 Yale 9:55 W Carolina 3:40 Maryland 4:08 North Carolina 7:50 Virginia 4:06 Wake Forest 10:23 Duke 7:52 Georgia Tech 4:49 Clemson 8:34 Arizona State 4:23 Florida State 7:46 Maryland 4:22 North Carolina 3:23 Virginia 3:26
DEFENSE LOCKS UP FSU: NC State had an outstanding defensive performance in its 68-58 win over Florida State. The Pack held FSU to 32.7 percent (17-of-52) field-goal shooting, the lowest outing by an ACC opponent since Clemson shot 30.6 percent (15-of-49) from the field on Jan. 18, 1997. FSU had a season-low 18 points at halftime and went without a field goal for three stretches of at least six minutes. The Seminoles had made just 12 field goals with 2:00 remaining in the game. Earlier this season, the Pack held Virginia to 17 field goals in a 65-62 win on Jan. 12.
WILLIAMS MAKES THE BIG PLAYS: With 0.8 seconds left at No. 5 Duke, freshman Marshall Williams made the biggest play of his short Wolfpack career. Point guard Justin Gainey intentionally missed a free throw and Williams tipped the ball into the basket, tying the game at 79 and sending it into overtime. Williams' driving layup with 3.3 seconds left cut the lead to three points. He finished the game with 12 points. He also had 12 points vs. Georgia Tech, going 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Williams made two free throws after the Yellow Jackets had cut the NC State lead to four points, 62-58, with 42 seconds left, sealing the victory.
PACK-DEVILS BATTLE TO OT: NC State's 92-88 overtime loss at No. 5 Duke had 16 lead changes and 15 ties, including 10 lead changes in the second half. The Devils took a 79-74 lead after NC State was assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout that the Wolfpack did not have. Freshman Marshall Williams then converted a layup with 3.3 seconds left to cut the Devils lead to three points, then followed Justin Gainey's intentionally missed free throw at the horn to send the game into overtime. The Blue Devils pulled away in OT, but NC State cut the lead to two points with 4.8 seconds left before two free throws from Duke's Nate James sealed the win.
CHARTING DEFLECTIONS: Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek charts deflections as a barometer for defensive play and the Wolfpack has averaged 47.9 deflections per contest this season. Last year, NC State averaged 40 deflections per game. Center Damon Thornton leads the team in deflections, more than nine per contest.
PICKPOCKETS: NC State ranks third in the ACC in steals, averaging 9.5 thefts per game. Justin Gainey and Anthony Grundy rank among league leaders in steals at 2.1 (4th) and 1.8 (7th) respectively. Over the past three games, Gainey is averaging 3.3 steals per contest. Grundy had a season-best seven steals vs. Georgia, while Gainey had five steals against FSU and Liberty. Freshman Marshall Williams also had five steals vs. Yale and North Carolina. As a team, NC State had a season-high 19 steals vs. Liberty, matching the second-best total in school history.
SOLID AS A ROCK: Call him the *Prudential Man.* That's how Herb Sendek refers to point guard Gainey, who he says is *rock solid.* Gainey may be the poster-child for improvement as he has continued to get better throughout his career. Gainey increased his three-point and free-throw shooting percentages by at least 10 points each last season. He went up an incredible 22 percent at the free-throw line (from 65.4 percent in '98 to 87.4 percent last year), finishing with the third-highest percentage in school history. Gainey also improved his field-goal percentage by five points (from 37.1 percent in '98 to 42.7 percent last year). After shooting a career-best 34.1 percent (28-of-82) from three-point range last season, Gainey is making 39.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc this year. As a freshman, Gainey began the year by committing 24 turnovers in the Pack's first 16 games, but had just eight TOs in the final 10 games.
POINTS IN THE PAINT: The Wolfpack has had a decisive advantage over its opponents in the paint this season. Through 22 games, NC State has 632 *Points in the Paint* compared to 533 for its foes. Against Arizona State, the Wolfpack had a 38-14 lead in the paint.
NONCONFERENCE WIN STREAK EXTENDED: With its 79-68 win over Arizona State on Jan. 29, NC State has now won 47 straight regular-season games against nonconference opponents at home. The Wolfpack's last loss in the regular season to a nonconference opponent at home was Dec. 10, 1994, when the Pack fell 96-91 to third-ranked Kansas. Since Herb Sendek took over as NC State's head coach in 1996, NC State is 32-0 against nonconference foes at home during the regular season. NC State did drop postseason NIT games against West Virginia (76-73, 3/17/97), Georgia (61-55, 3/17/98) and Princeton (61-58, 3/15/99). In the 90's, NC State is 70-11 against nonconference foes at home during the regular season.
IF YOU BUILD IT: NC State's attendance has skyrocketed in the 19,722-seat ESA this season. Since moving from 12,400-seat Reynolds Coliseum, the Pack has already set a single-season mark for attendance with 255,104 in 15 homes games (two home games remain). The previous best for season attendance was 188,282 in 18 home games during the 1987-88 season. NC State is averaging 17,007 fans per game this season compared to a previous best of 12,120 fans in 10 home games during the 1974-75 season. For ACC games the average attendance is 19,454. This year's average attendance has increased 6.207 per game. NC State ranked 30th in the nation last year in Division I attendance, averaging 10,800 spectators per game. Based on last year's figures, NC State would rank among the top eight schools in the nation in average attendance.
BACK IN TOP 25: NC State was ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 25 in the coaches' poll on Jan. 24, marking the first time NC State has been in both polls since Dec. 12, 1989, when the Pack was No. 15 in the UPI poll and No. 16 in the AP. The No. 21 ranking in the AP poll was NC State's highest ranking since being No. 19 in the Jan. 16, 1990 top 20. Earlier this season, NC State was ranked No. 25 in the AP poll on Dec. 20, but fell out of the rankings following its loss to Tulane on Dec. 22. It had been 293 games (3,618 days) since NC State was ranked in the top 25.
WILLIAMS WINS ACC ROOKIE HONORS DEC. 20: While Damien Wilkins has garnered much of the attention handed to NC State's freshman class, newcomers Marshall Williams and Clifford Crawford have also played prominent roles in NC State's early success. Williams was named the ACC Rookie of the Week Dec. 20 after scoring a team-high 17 points off the bench against Liberty. He finished the game 5-of-11 from the field, while adding four rebounds and two steals. He earned his first career start (in Anthony Grundy's absence) against Yale and finished with 10 points.
WILKINS EARNS ROOKIE HONORS DEC. 6: NC State freshman Damien Wilkins was named the ACC's Rookie of the Week on Dec. 6 following two outstanding all-around performances vs. Purdue and Providence. Against the Boilermakers, Wilkins finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. He recorded the first double-double of his career against Providence with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He led NC State in nearly every statistical category against Stetson on Nov. 26, recording team highs in points (22), rebounds (8), assists (5) and steals (3). Against Tulane, Wilki
