North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Back in Action Sunday at Wake Forest
2/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State (12-11, 2-7 ACC) at Wake Forest (8-16, 1-8 ACC)
Feb. 13, 2011 • 1 p.m.
Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) • Winston-Salem, N.C.
TV coverage: ACC Network
NC State Game Notes | GameTracker
NC State Travels to Wake Forest: NC State (12-11, 2-7 ACC) wraps up a stretch of playing four of five ACC games on the road, when it visits Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Demon Deacons (8-16, 1-8 ACC) are coming off a 74-73 home loss to Miami on Wednesday, and have lost eight of their last nine games, all in ACC play.
This game will be televised on the ACC Network with Steve Martin and Dan Bonner.
The Series Versus Wake Forest: The NC State-Wake Forest rivalry is the oldest series in Wolfpack history, dating back to the 1910-11 season. The two squads have faced each other a total of 232 times, and NC State leading the overall series 133-99.
The Pack holds a 94-53 advantage in games played in Raleigh, and also holds a 14-8 edge when the two teams have faced off on a neutral court. Wake Forest has emerged victorious 38 times in the 63 games played in Winston-Salem (38-25).
NC State has won 11 of the last 18 games against Wake, and the Pack is 1-3 at Wake under Sidney Lowe (winning in Lowe's first season in 2006-07).
Under Lowe, the Pack posts a 6-3 record against Wake. NC State swept the season series in Lowe's first season, and each team has won on its home court each of the last four seasons, including NC State's 90-69 win earlier this year at the RBC Center.
Earlier This Season Versus Wake Forest: NC State opened ACC play with a 90-69 win over Wake Forest at the RBC Center on January 8. The Pack opened the game on a 6-0 run, and never lost the lead, with the lead reaching as high as 29 points late in the second half. The 90 points are the most in an ACC game under Sidney Lowe and the Pack also started its ACC slate with a win for the first time under Lowe. Tracy Smith recorded his first double-double since last season, as he has 23 points and 11 rebounds. C.J. Leslie finished with 19 points, while C.J. Williams tied a career-best with 16 points.
Last Time Out for NC State: Five minutes into the game last Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke went on a 21-2 run and never lost its lead as the No. 5 Blue Devils downed NC State, 76-52. Duke went into the half with a commanding 53-24 lead, shooting 64.5 percent and forcing the Pack into 12 first-half turnovers. The Pack improved its play in the second half, outscoring Duke 28-23 and holding the Blue Devils to just 19.4 percent shooting, but never got the lead under 21 points. Richard Howell led the Pack with 18 points, on 9-of-11 shooting, while Lorenzo Brown pitched in with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Pack's Tough Schedule: Over the first nine games of ACC play, NC State has faced tough competition. NC State's first four road opponents (BC, FSU, Clemson, UNC) have combined to win 70.1 percent (33-15) of their ACC contests this season, giving NC State the toughest ACC road schedule this season in conference play.
When talking about teams the Pack has lost to, NC State's seven losses were to teams that have a combined 68.8 percent (47-20) winning percentage. Maryland is the only league school whose opponents post a better winning percentage.
Finding Help on the Boards: Rebounding has been an issue for the Wolfpack over the last several games, as NC State has been outrebounded in six straight contests.
In the last six games, NC State has lost the rebouding edge. The Pack has a -9.7 rebounding margin over the last six games, pulling down 33.5 boards to the opponent's 43.2.
Prior to these last six games, the rebounding trend was quite different. In 10 of the previous 11 games prior to the current stretch, NC State won the rebounding battle, and the one game it lost was by only one rebound. In those 11 games, NC State was averaging 40.5 rebounds compared to 30.9 for the opponent, and was outrebouding its foes by an average of 8.8 per game.
One Returns, One Sits: While one Wolfpack freshman returned to action at Duke, another freshman sat out the game.
After missing two games with viral-like symptoms, point guard Ryan Harrow returned to action at Duke and played 15 minutes off the bench. Before he was sidelined, Harrow took over the Pack's point guard duties. He averaged 31.0 minutes in the three games before he got sick.
While Harrow returned, classmate C.J. Leslie was suspended for the Duke game for a violation of team rules. Sidney Lowe has stated that Leslie will be back in action at Wake Forest after missing one game.
Smith Set to Reach Another Milestone: In the ACC season opener against Wake Forest, senior Tracy Smith scored his 1,000th career point. Smith currently has 1,125 career points, which ranks 37th in school history. He is 13 points shy of passing Ben McCauley and moving into 36th place.
He is also six rebounds shy of 500 for his career. He would become the 25th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
