North Carolina State University Athletics
Thursday Night: Wolfpack Hosts Jacksonville
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (2-0) vs. Jacksonville (1-2) | ||
| Date | Thursday, Nov. 20 | |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena - Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | Regional Networks | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Jacksonville | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Jacksonville | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
|
PROMOTION: Terry Henderson Trading Cards (Available at Sections 115 & 129)
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. RALSTON HITTING HIS MARKS
In NC State's season opener vs. Jackson State, Ralston Turner surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. In Monday night's game vs. Hofstra, the 6-5 senior struck for a career-best 24 points. Turner shot 8-for-15 from the floor against Hofstra and made five 3-pointers. Turner, in his fifth year after playing two seasons at LSU before coming to State, averaged 10.5 points per game last season.
2. NC STATE'S BACKCOURT HOLDING COURT
After two games this season, one apparent strength for NC State is the team's backcourt. Cat Barber and Trevor Lacey are averaging a combined 39.0 points and 13.0 rebounds with 16 assists and just three turnovers. The duo combined for 47 points, eight assists and four steals in the Pack's 93-68 victory over Jackson State. Barber poured in a career-high 25 points with six rebounds and six assists (and no turnovers). Lacey, making his NC State debut, scored 22 points (20 in the first half) on 8-for-10 shooting. That production continued vs. Hofstra with Barber posting a solid all-around game (15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Lacey having his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
3. NC STATE AT HOME
The Wolfpack is 180-68 all-time at PNC Arena. NC State went 12-6 at PNC last season and 17-1 there in 2012-13. Mark Gottfried owns a 39-13 record in the arena, which is the eighth-largest in all of college basketball.
4. 15 YEARS AND A DAY
Thursday night's game will mark exactly 15 years and one day since NC State began playing at what is now PNC Arena. The first game there was Nov. 19, 1999, a 67-63 win for the Wolfpack over Georgia. That Georgia team was coached by Jim Harrick, a long-time mentor to Mark Gottfried dating back to the 1980s. That first season, NC State would win its first 14 games in what was known as the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena.
5. 3 SEASONS, 3 NCAAs
Mark Gottfried, in his fourth season at NC State, will be working toward mentoring his team into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. The Wolfpack has made the Big Dance in each of his first three seasons, making Gottfried the first Pack coach and just the third in ACC history to achieve that feat. It marks the first time NC State had made three straight tournaments since 2004-06.
