North Carolina State University Athletics
MBB Hosts Clemson on Saturday
1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State Hosts Clemson: NC State returns to home ACC action this Saturday, when the Wolfpack plays host to No. 24 Clemson at noon. The Wolfpack (12-5, 1-2 ACC) is coming off of a 88-81 win at No. 25 Florida State on Tuesday, and will be facing a ranked opponent in the Tigers (14-3, 2-1 ACC) for the second straight game.
The game will be broadcasted on Raycom with Steve Martin and Mike Gminiski.
The Series Versus Clemson: Saturday’s matchup will be the 141st meeting between NC State and Clemson with the Wolfpack holding a 95-45 lead in the series, including a 45-12 advantage in games played in Raleigh, including a slight 4-3 edge in games at the RBC Center between the two teams.
Clemson has won the last four games in the series, but NC State has won eight of the last 13 games in the series. Saturday's game will be the third time the two squads have faced off in Raleigh during the last five seasons, with Clemson claiming victory in the previous two, in 2007 (87-76) and in 2008 (71-64).
Last Season Versus Clemson: NC State fell in its first ACC contest of the season, 63-51, at Clemson on January 10. The Pack struggled in the first half, starting the game just 1-15 from the field enroute to just 17 first-half points. The Pack came out of the lockerroom on fire, score 12 points on its first four possessions to tie the score at 31-31. But NC State would never capture the lead, as Clemson would answer with a 10-2 run and never surrender the lead the rest of the way. NC State had its worse shooting performance of the season (31.5 percent), and scored its fewest points in a regular season ACC game since the 1999-00 season.
Last Time Out for NC State: Playing its first ranked opponent, NC State downed No. 25 Florida State, 88-81, for its first ACC win Tuesday night in Tallahassee. Freshman Scott Wood went 7-of-11 from three-point range in scoring 31 points, the third-most ever for a freshman at NC State. Florida State started the game on an 11-7 run, but the Pack responded with a 16-1 run and held FSU without a field goal for 6:33 in claiming a 23-11 lead. The Seminoles cut it to four with 6:43 left, but Wood hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead to 10 at 65-55, and the Pack would make 17-of-20 free throws down the stretch. Farnold Degand got his first start and had 13 points, while Julius Mays was 10-of-10 on free throws and had 12 points.
Pack Versus Ranked Foes: Saturday's game against No. 24 Clemson will mark the second ranked opponent for NC State this season, and the first at home. NC State knocked off No. 25 Florida State on Tuesday night in its first game against a ranked foe this season, and picked up an ACC road win at a ranked foe for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
In Coach Lowe's first three seasons, the Pack complied a record of 6-17 against all ranked foes. NC State was 3-6 at home, 1-10 away, and 2-1 on a neutral court. Lowe's home wins were against No. 3 UNC in 2007, No. 21 Miami in 2008, and No. 7 Wake Forest last season.
You Have to Respect Wood: NC State's opponents have foudn out as of late they have to respect the outside shooting of freshman Scott Wood. Wood was thrust into the Pack's starting lineup in the preseason, and started off strong averaging 9.0 points in the first four games of the season. He then went into a bit of a slump, scoring just 2.8 points over the next five outings, including struggling from three-point range hitting just 2-of-18 attempts.
Wood has returned to his early season form, averaging 12.8 points over the last eight games shooting 26-of-54 (.481) from three-point range. Wood has made 23 three-pointers over the last six games, and has at least two three-pointers in seven straight games.
Wood's breakout game came at Florida State, when the freshman poured in 31 points in helping the Pack upset No. 25 FSU, 88-81. Wood was 7-of-11 from three-point range, and his scoring total and made three-pointers were both the third-best game for a Wolfpack freshman in school history. He also pulled down a season-high seven rebounds.
Aside from his eye-opening performance at Florida State, Wood has also hit five three-pointers at UNC Greensboro, and has buried four long range bombs against Florida.
Three-Point Range Found: NC State has taken advantage of opponents double-teaming Tracy Smith in the post, as the Pack's perimeter game has been red hot.
NC State has averaged 8.6 three-pointers a game the last seven games, connecting on at least 10 apiece Winthrop, UNCG, Holy Cross, and at No. 25 Florida State. In the last seven games, the Pack has hit 60-of-140 (.429) percent from long range, only once hitting fewer than seven in a game.
A strong game from three-point range has helped the Pack to victory, as NC State has hit 40.5 percent (83-205) of its three-pointers in the 12 wins, but just 28.7 percent (27-94) in its 5 losses. The Pack has also shot better from long range away from Raleigh, as in the eight road/neutral games NC State has hit 42.0 percent (58-138) compared to only 32.3 percent (52-161) in the nine home games this season.
Degand Makes the Switch: After playing his first two seasons at NC State exclusively at point guard, redshirt senior Farnold Degand is spending much of his senior campaign at shooting guard. With Degand seeing time at the two-guard position, it allows the Pack to have at least two primary ball handlers on the court at the same time.
Degand's first season with the Pack was cut short, as he suffered a torn ACL only 10 games into the 2007-08 season. Degand returned last year to play in 24 games, making 11 starts, and averaged 4.7 points.
Degand did not pley in the Pack's first six games (coaches decision), but made his season debut at Marquette and helped the Pack in the comeback win with six points and two assits in 14 minutes. He has averaged 19.4 minutes in his 11 games this season.
Degand's role has increased over the last few games, and he got his first start of the season in the win at No. 25 Florida State. In the win over the Seminoles, Degand scored 13 points, including hitting 6-of-8 free throws.
Against Holy Cross, where he started the second half, he set a new career-high with nine assists and had 12 points.
Over the last six games, Degand has scored 8.8 points and averaged 23.7 minutes while connecting on 9-of-16 three-pointers (.563).
This is the first time that Degand has said his knee is back to full strength since he was injured.
