North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Hosts Pittsburgh Saturday At Noon
1/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (10-4, 1-0) vs. Pittsburgh (10-3, 0-0) | ||
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 3 | |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena - Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | ACC Affiliates (Mike Gleason, Dan Bonner) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Pittsburgh | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Pittsburgh | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
|
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. REMEMBER NC STATE HAS ONE WIN ALREADY
While ACC play begins in earnest this weekend, NC State is already atop the standings at 1-0. The Wolfpack defeated Wake Forest 78-65 at home back on Dec. 6 and have had that 1-0 league record for nearly a month. There was one other league game scheduled in December, a xxx Notre Dame victory at Florida State. NC State has 17 games remaining on the regular season schedule, including eight home games.
2. WOLFPACK LED BY THE BACKCOURT
NC State is led by its three-guard attack, with Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Cat Barber combining to score 42.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Lacey is among the ACC's leaders in points per game (17.1). Turner, who scored 33 points vs. Tennessee, scores 12.9 points per game. Barber, State's starting point guard, is scoring 12.4 per contest and leads the team in assists.
3. PITT SPLIT
Last year was NC State's first season having Pittsburgh as an ACC opponent. The Wolfpack split its two meetings with the Panthers, picking up a critical road on March 7 of last year. That game featured 41 points by T.J. Warren and was a catalyst in lifting NC State into the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Pittsburgh's first ACC game ever was at PNC Arena on Jan. 4, a game the Panthers won 74-62. NC State actually opened that game with a 17-2 lead before Pittsburgh rallied to win.
4. OPPONENTS FEELING REJECTED
One thing NC State has done at an elite level so far this season is block shots. The Wolfpack stands second in the ACC and 13th in the nation with 6.00 blocked shots per game. NCSU is led in this area by BeeJay Anya, who stands ninth in the country with 3.21 blocks per game. The Pack has five outings with seven or more blocked shots. Among ACC teams, only Louisville (6.62) has more blocks than NC State.
5. INCREASED PRODUCTION FROM KYLE
Kyle Washington's numbers have increased over the last two games. The 6-9 sophomore is averaging 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds on .500 shooting in the last two contests. Washington posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. Louisiana Tech on Dec. 23 and tallied 10 points and six rebounds in NC State's game vs. Cincinnati. He has also made eight of his last nine free throws and currently shoots .800 at the line on the season.
