North Carolina State University Athletics
MBB Faces Clemson at ACC Tournament Thursday
3/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State in the ACC Tournament: NC State has played 107 games all-time in the ACC Tournament, and enters the 57th annual ACC Tournament with a 61-46 (.570) all-time mark in the event, which dates back to 1954. The Pack is the third-winngest team in tournament history (behind North Carolina and Duke), and also ranks third in tournament titles with 10.
The Pack as the 11th Seed: This year marks the first season that NC State will enter the ACC Tournament as the 11th seeded team.
The Pack Versus the 6th Seed: NC State currently holds a record of 4-6 against the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament, and has lost four of the last five such games. This will be the first time that the Pack comes in as a lower seed, as the Pack as been either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in every other matchup against the sixth seed.
The Pack is also 0-3 all-time against the No. 6 seed in Greensboro (1978, 1980, 2004).
NC State has not faced a No. 6 seed since the 2004 tournament when the second-seeded Pack fell to Maryland in Greensboro. The Pack's last win against the No. 6 seed came back in 1985, downing Clemson in Atlanta.
The Pack in First Round Action: NC State will be playing in the first round of the ACC Tournament for the 11th time. The Pack is currently 5-5 in first round action.
Sidney Lowe downed No. 21 Duke in 2007 as the Pack was the 10th seed playing seventh seeded Duke. In 2008, the Pack fell to Miami playing as the 12th seed in first round action, and last year NC State was the 10th seed and lost to Maryland in the first round.
The Pack in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro: The ACC Tournament will be played in Greensboro for the 22nd time, and the Pack curently holds a record of 19-19 in those games. The Pack won the ACC Championship in Greensboro in both 1973 and 1974.
The ACC Tournament will be played in Greensboro for the third time since 2003. The Pack has gone 3-3 in those last three trips to Greensboro, including an ACC Tournament finals appearance in 2003.
Head coach Sidney Lowe will be coaching in his first ACC Tournament in Greensboro, but as a player with the Pack he played two different tournaments at the Greensboro Coliseum. In his freshman season in 1980 the Pack lost in the quarterfinals to Duke, and in 1982 the Pack beat Maryland but then fell to North Carolina in the semifinals.
The Pack Versus Clemson at the ACC Tournament: Clemson and NC State will be meeting for only the eighth time at the ACC Tournament, and the first time since 1994. NC State curently holds a 5-2 advantage against the Tigers in the ACC Tournment.
The last time the two teams met, No. 8 seeded Clemson beat the No. 9 seed Pack in Charlotte in 1994. The Pack had won the three previous meetings between the schools (1963, 1985, 1988). The only meeting between the two teams in Greensboro, was a NC State win in 1988 when the Pack was the No. 2 seed and Clemson was seventh.
The Series Versus Clemson: Thursday’s matchup will be the 142nd meeting between NC State and Clemson with the Wolfpack holding a 95-46 lead in the series. The Wolfpack holds the advantage in games at neutral sites 19-5, and the Pack also holds the series lead in games in Raleigh (45-13) and at Clemson (31-28).
Clemson has won the last five games in the series, but NC State has won eight of the last 14 games in the series. Prior to Clemson winning the last five, the Pack has won eight of the previous nine with the last Wolfpack win coming at Clemson in 2006. Coach Sidney Lowe is 0-5 all-time against the Tigers.
Earlier This Season Versus Clemson: Down by as many as 18 points in the second half, NC State cut the lead down to one point in the final minutes but could not over take the lead, as No. 24 Clemson held on to defeat the Pack 73-70 at the RBC Center on January 16. NC State was down 45-28 at the half, and fell behind 49-31 with 18:06 left. But the Pack battled back the rest of the half, and cut Clemson's lead to 71-70 with 1:52 left. The Pack would not score the rest of the game, and missed a pair of three-pointers in the final 5.7 seconds that would of tied the game. Julius Mays came off the bench to lead the Pack with 17 points, while freshman Richard Howell recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Last Time Out for NC State: NNC State concluded its regular season winning for the third time in the last four games, as the Pack downed Boston College 66-54 on Senior Day at the RBC Center last Sunday. The first half featured five ties and three lead changes, as NC State went into the half with a slight 24-23 lead. In the second half, NC State shot 59.1 percent (13-22) from the floor, and had zero turnovers. The Eagles held a 47-43 lead with 7:10 left, but the Pack would go on a 19-5 run and grab a 62-52 lead with 2:14 remaining. Tracy Smith led the Pack with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Dennis Horner and C.J. Williams both added 14 points.
Sidney Lowe as a Coach in the ACC Tournament: Head coach Sidney Lowe enters his fourth ACC Tournament with a career record of 3-3.
Lowe got his coaching career at the ACC Tournament off to a fast start in 2007, as the Pack won its first three games and advanced to the ACC Championship game in Tampa. NC State became only the second team in tournament history to start in the first round and advance to the finals (NC State also accomplished that feat in 1997).
That season was also the first time NC State won three straight all against higher seeded squads. Lowe also became the first person in ACC history to win an ACC Tournament as a player and then coach in an ACC title game as well.
In 2008, the Pack was the 12th seed, and fell to Miami, 63-50 in Charlotte. Last year in Atlanta, NC State as the 10th seed lost to seventh-seeded Maryland.
Lowe Finds Success in Tournaments: NC State has found success playing in tournaments under Sidney Lowe, as the Pack has captured team titles at both in-season tournaments the Pack has played in the last four years.
The Pack started this season strong, as NC State was the only team to go 4-0 and win the Glenn Wilkes Classic. In the 2007-08 season, the Pack won the Old Spice Classic with a 3-0 record.
In postseason play under Lowe, the Pack advanced to the ACC Tournament finals and the NIT quarterfinals in his first season in 2007.
In Lowe's four seasons at NC State, the Pack is 12-4 in both in-season and post season tournaments.
Smith Earns All-ACC Second-Team Honors: Junior Tracy Smith was named to the All-ACC second-team. Smith earns the Pack's highest such honor since Julius Hodge was also named to the second-team in 2005.
Smith finished the regular season leading the ACC in field goal percentage, as he has connected on 53.9 percent (195-of-362) of his shots this season. Smith is also currently seventh in scoring (17.0 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (7.7 rpg) in the conference statistics.
