North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Heads to Wisconsin for ACC/Big Ten
11/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Editor’s Note: ESPN will be celebrating Jimmy V week all this week on its networks. Jim Valvano’s ESPY speech will be introduced by Sidney Lowe, Dereck Whittenburg and Terry Gannon and will air across all ESPN networks at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. Also, ESPN Classic will air two "Never Give Up" marathons which include NC State games:
Wed., Dec. 1 9 a.m. - 1988 NC State vs. Duke
11 a.m. - 1983 ACC Tournament Semifinal: North Carolina vs. NC State
1 p.m. - 1983 ACC Tournament Final: NC State vs. Virginia
3 p.m. - 1983 NCAA Tournament Regional Final: NC State vs. Virginia
5 p.m. - 1983 NCAA National Championship: NC State vs. Houston
Tue, Dec. 7 11 a.m. - 1983 NCAA National Championship: NC State vs. Houston
Nov. 30, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State begins a two-game road trip, starting Wednesday with a 7:15 p.m. visit to Madison, Wisc., to face Wisconsin in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Wolfpack (4-1) will have its first true road game of the season, as NC State has posted a 2-1 mark away from Raleigh at the Charleston Classic. The Badgers (4-2) are returning to Madison for the first time since their first two games of the season, and are coming off a championship-game appearance at the Old Spice Classic against Notre Dame this past Sunday.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch and Dan Dakich.
The Series Versus Wisconsin: This will be only the second meeting between the two schools. Wisconsin won the previous matchup, 65-56, in 2005 when the teams faced off in the Sweet 16 at the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y.
NC State is 36-19 all-time against teams from the Big Ten., including 1-2 under Lowe.
Taking ‘The Challenge’: NC State has posted a 5-5 record in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 1999-2000. The Wolfpack has won four of its five home games in the challenge and has gone 1-4 on the road, winning at 19th-ranked Purdue in 1999-2000. NC State did not play in the event in 2008-09 (only 11 ACC teams compete each year).
NC State has faced a ranked Big Ten opponent three times, all on the road. The last time, NC State fell at No. 10 Michigan State, 81-58, in 2007-08. The Pack defeated No. 19 Purdue in 1999-2000, and lost at No. 14 Iowa during the 2005-06 season.
The Wolfpack has allowed just 62.5 points per game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
NC State's all-time ACC/Big Ten Challenge Results:
Year Opponent Result Diff.
1999-00 @ No. 19 Purdue W, 61-59 +2
2000-01 Penn State W, 84-76 +8
2001-02 @ Ohio State L, 50-64 -14
2002-03 Northwestern W, 74-47 +27
2003-04 @ Michigan L, 61-68 -7
2004-05 Purdue W, 60-53 +7
2005-06 @ No. 14 Iowa L, 42-45 -3
2006-07 Michigan W, 74-67 +7
2007-08 @ No. 10 Michigan St. L, 58-81 -23
2008-09 Did not play
2009-10 Northwestern L, 53-65 -12
Last Year in the Challenge: NC State suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Northwestern, 65-53, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the RBC Center on Dec. 1. The Pack started the game making just three of its first 17 shots, and fell behind 15-6 midway through the first half. Northwestern would build its lead to as many as 14 points late in the first half, but the Pack would close the score to 47-43 with 8:55 left after an 8-0 run The score got no closer, as NC State hit just 2-of-18 from three-point range, and the 53 points were the fewest in 37 games. Tracy Smith had a game-high 23 points, while Javier Gonzalez added 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Last Time Out for NC State: A balanced NC State offense overcame Fairleigh Dickinson's 2-3 zone, as the Wolfpack returned to the RBC Center for a 77-67 win Saturday night. NC State held a 10 point halftime lead, but the Knights outscored the Pack 9-3 in the first four minutes of the second half. Scott Wood then hit back-to-back three-pointers, sparking a 10-0 run to keep NC State up for good. Freshman Lorenzo Brown led the Pack with 13 points and six NC State players scored at least eight points.
Smith Out of Action: NC State will be without the services of last season's top scorer and rebounder, Tracy Smith, until some time in December. After playing only six minutes against East Carolina in the Charleston Classic on Nov. 18, Smith returned to Raleigh to get an evaluation on his knee. Smith then underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 19, where the joint was debrided and no major damage was found. He is expected to be out of action for three weeks from, the date of surgery.
Filling in for Smith: With Tracy Smith out of action, a pair of sophomores have seen an increased role in the Pack's front court. DeShawn Painter has gotten the starting nod at center for Smith.
In the four games since Smith was injured, Painter has averaged 9.5 points and 8.7 rebounds in 23.8 minutes. He recorded his first career double-double when he came off the bench and had 12 points and 10 rebounds against East Carolina, new career-highs in each category. Last time out against Fairleigh Dickinson, Painter also matched his career high with 12 points.
Last season, Painter averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds, seeing action in 26 of the 36 games.
Jordan Vandenberg has also seen an increase in playing time without Smith in the lineup, as he has averaged 12.0 minutes over the last four games and 16.5 minutes over the last two contests.
Freshmen Trio: In the Pack's first five games of the young season it has been the nationally-ranked freshman class that has led the offensive charge. The three freshmen have combined to score 42.9 percent of the team's total points, as the three rookies are three of the Pack's top four scorers on the season, all averaging double figures.
Lorenzo Brown currently leads the Pack in scoring at 12.6 points a game, while Ryan Harrow is third at 10.8 and C.J. Leslie fourth with 10.0.
NC State's freshmen class was ranked No. 5 nationally by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, while ESPN had the Pack at No. 7.
Taking Care of the Ball: NC State has taked care of the ball this season, and is currently ranked third in the ACC in turnover margin (+4.0). The Pack's average of 11.8 turnovers a game is second in the ACC, as NC State has had 11 or fewer turnovers in three of the first five games.
Senior point guard Javier Gonzalez currently leads the ACC in assist/turnover ratio, as he has dished out 14 assists to just four turnovers (3.5) in the first five games.
Struggles From Long Range: While the Pack has limited its turnovers this season, NC State has struggled from three-point range so far. Through the first five games, NC State has hit just 30.5 percent (25-82) from three-point range, ranking 10th in the ACC.
Javier Gonzalez and Scott Wood have combined to shoot 40.8 percent (20-49), but the rest of the team is just 15.2 percent (5-33) combined.
Balanced Attack: One glance at the ACC stats and there is only one NC State player ranked in the top-20 in scoring: Lorenzo Brown at 19th. The Wolfpack offense has been a balanced attack this season, with four players averaging double figures ranging from 12.6-10.0.
Through the first five games this season, NC State has had four different players lead the team in scoring. In the season stats, it's the Pack's youth that is leading the way. NC State's top-six scorers on the season are either freshmen or sophomores.
