North Carolina State University Athletics
4-0 Wolfpack Opens Holiday Weekend With Richmond
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (4-0) vs. Richmond (2-1) | ||
| Date | Wednesday, Nov. 26 | |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena - Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | ESPN3 (Patrick Kinas, Stan Lewter) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Richmond | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Richmond | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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PROMOTION: 1st 5,000 Fans: Chris Brickhouse Trading Cards (Available at Sections 115 & 129)
Halftime: Grains of Time
TICKET SPECIALS: Weekend And Pick Your Packs Now On Sale
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. GOING FOR FIVE
A win Wednesday would lift the Wolfpack to a 5-0 start, the first such start for NCSU under Mark Gottfried. NC State is currently 4-0 to start a season for the first time since 2009-10, when the Wolfpack started 5-0. That team ended up 20-16 and in the NIT. If this edition of the Wolfpack beats Richmond and gets to 5-0, it would be the 10th time since 1984 NC State has started a year 5-0.
2. OPPONENTS FEELING REJECTED
NC State is among the national leaders in blocked shots. The Wolfpack is currently (tied for) first in the ACC and sixth in the nation with 8.33 blocked shots per game. Led by BeeJay Anya's school-record 10 rejections, NC State recorded 14 blocked shots in a 79-43 win over Jacksonville. The Pack also owns two games with seven blocks and an outing with five. Anya leads the conference with 19 swats, which is also good for fourth in the nation.
3. BOARD WORK
NC State's early results on the rebounding front suggest the Wolfpack is much improved on the glass. NC State ranked 326th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage (64.3%) last season. After four games, that number has improved to 75.4%, which ranks third in the ACC. NC State currently leads the ACC in defensive rebounds per game with 33.0. Individually, NC State is led on the boards by Lennard Freeman. The 6-8 sophomore is pulling in 9.5 rebounds per game and has 35 rebounds over the last three games.
4. STRENGTH IN THE BACKCOURT
One apparent strength for NC State is the team's backcourt. Cat Barber, Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner are the team's leading scorers, with the trio combining to score 40.8 points per game. Each player has at least one game with 21 points or more. Barber poured in a career-high 25 points with six rebounds and six assists against Jackson State and Turner went for a career-high 24 vs. Hofstra. Lacey scored 22 points (20 in the first half) against Jackson State and led NCSU wtih 21 points vs. South Florida. Barber and Lacey are also the team's primary ballhandlers.
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.
