North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Travels To Purdue For ACC-Big Ten Challenge
12/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (6-0) at Purdue (5-1) | ||
| Date | Tuesday, Dec. 2 | |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Mackey Arena - West Lafayette, Ind. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | ESPNU (Mike Couzens, Stan Heath) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Purdue | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Purdue | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. GOING FOR 7-0
A win at Purdue would lift the Wolfpack to a 7-0 start, the first such start for NCSU under Mark Gottfried. NC State is currently 6-0 to start a season for the first time since 2004-05, when the Wolfpack won its first eight games. If this edition of the Wolfpack beats Purdue and gets to 7-0, it would be the 10th time since the start of the ACC (1953-54) that NC State has started a season with a 7-0 mark.
2. EARLY LOOK AT NC STATE'S RESUME
Although it's early, NC State is starting to build itself quite the tournament resume. CBS Sports ranks the Wolfpack 19th in its RPI rating, ESPN.com charts the Pack 22nd. The Wolfpack has three wins over teams in the top 100, and a fourth over Hofstra (RPI 101). NC State and Miami are the only ACC teams with two victories over current top-30 RPI teams, according to ESPN.com.
3. OPPONENTS FEELING REJECTED
NC State is among the national leaders in blocked shots. The Wolfpack is currently first in the ACC and tied for seventh in the nation (with Purdue) with 6.83 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 a game with six swats. Anya leads the conference with 23 swats, which is also good for eighth in the nation. Only two teams (Kentucky and Texas) in Power 5 conferences have more blocked shots than NC State.
4. PACK IN THE ACC-BIG TEN CHALLENGE
NC State and Purdue will be reuniting in this the 16th edition of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The two teams met in the very first challenge in 1999, with NC State winning 61-59 at Mackey Arena. The Wolfpack also defeated Purdue in 2004. NC State is 6-8 all-time in the event, including a 69-48 rout over Northwestern last season. (NC State didn't play in it in 2008). Historically, the Pack is 113-99 vs. the current membership of the Big Ten.
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 fourth in ACC history to achieve that feat. It marks the first time NC State had made three straight tournaments since 2004-06.
