North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Opens ACC Play Vs. Wake Saturday
1/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State (10-4, 0-0 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (7-8, 0-0 ACC)
January 8, 2011 • 2:30 PM
RBC Center (19,700)
TV Coverage: ACC Network
NC State Game Notes | Wake Forest Game Notes
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Editor's note: Fans are encouraged to arrive to the RBC Center early. The first 5,000 fans will receive a Richard Howell trading card compliments of South Light and Drug Free NC. For more information visit GoPack.com/tradingcards.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- For the third time in four seasons, NC State opens the ACC season with two of its first three league games on the road.
Three years ago, the Wolfpack opened conference play at top-ranked North Carolina and No. 24 Clemson, losing both games, followed by a two-point home win over Miami. Last season, it lost to Wake Forest on the road and Virginia at home, then beat Florida State on the road to start the ACC season.
The difference this time around, as the Wolfpack prepares to play Wake Forest Saturday at 2:30 p.m., is that for the first time in Sidney Lowe's five-year tenure as head coach of his alma mater, his team will play its ACC-opener in the friendly surroundings of the RBC Center.
"It's good to play that first one at home, which we haven't done since I've been here," Lowe said. "It's a good way to start the conference season."
Coming up are road games at Boston College Tuesday and at Florida State next Saturday, but at least the Pack can get its feet wet in league play at home.
"It gets you started off the right way," Lowe said.
The Wolfpack (10-4 overall) is currently riding a four-game winning streak, its longest of the season, heading into the contest. Coverage begins on the Wolfpack Sports Network with the pregame show at 2 p.m. Airtime on the ACC Television Network is slated for 2:30 p.m. with Tim Brando and Mike Gminski.
Playing at home feels especially good now that senior forward Tracy Smith has been back in the lineup for two games now, after missing 10 consecutive games with a knee injury. The preseason first-team All-ACC selection scored 16 points in his return against San Diego and 15 against Elon, with a total of eight rebounds in the two games.
But his positive influence on the rest of his teammates has tangible, especially with sophomore forward Richard Howell who has scored 23 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the Pack's last two games.
He is also a stabilizing influence on the trio of freshmen in the Pack's lineup.
"Everything that we talked about with this team coming into the season was with Tracy in the lineup," Lowe said. "It was a different team with him out. His coming back is welcomed. He stabilizes our team, especially on offense."
On Wednesday, Smith scored 15 points against Elon, while freshmen C.J. Leslie and Ryan Harrow had 19 and 18 points, respectively, as the Wolfpack scored 50 points in the second half of the 87-72 victory.
He also has a positive influence on defense, where the Wolfpack is improving in Lowe's eyes.
"Our defense is pretty good right now," said the coach. "I think we can still get better, but I have been pleased with it. We've held teams in the 30s in shooting percentage the last three games, and that's where we want to keep it."
That's encouraging for the coach, since last season his team got progressively better as its defense improved. In the Pack's final nine games of the season, it held its opponents to 57 points or less in five of its six victories.
Saturday's game is the 100th anniversary of the rivalry between the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons. NC State's entire first season, back in the winter of 1911, consisted of two games against Wake Forest, which at the time was located just 20 miles north of Raleigh.
Wake won the first game 33-6 in Wake Forest, but NC State took the second game 19-18 in the only intercollegiate game ever played at Pullen Hall, an on-campus student activities building that predated Thompson Gymnasium, Reynolds Coliseum and the RBC Center.
The Wolfpack owns a 132-99 edge overall in the series and a 93-53 advantage in games played in Raleigh.
By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
