North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Hosts Top 10 Team Notre Dame Sunday Night
1/24/2015 12:00:00 AM
| NC State (13-7, 4-3) vs. No. 8/9 Notre Dame (18-2, 6-1) | ||
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 25 | |
| Time | 6:30 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena - Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Sold Out | |
| Television | ESPNU (Adam Amin, Brad Daugherty) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Notre Dame | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Notre Dame | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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PROMOTIONS
Military Appreciation Day, presented by Kangaroo Express
Caleb Martin Trading Cards - Sections 115 and 129
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. RESUME BUILDER
Sunday's contest against another top-10 opponent serves as another opportunity for NC State to build its tournament profile. The Wolfpack is currently No. 41 in ESPN's Daily RPI, with the nation's sixth-strongest schedule and a conference strength of schedule of 14. NC State owns two wins against the RPI top 50 and five wins against the top 100. The latest bracket projections at ESPN.com and CBSSports.com have the Wolfpack in the Big Dance. The home game vs. Notre Dame is NC State's third straight home contest against a ranked team. It's the first time NC State has hosted three ranked teams in a row since 2001 when the team played four straight ranked teams at home (#12 Maryland, #5 UNC, #12 Syracuse, #6 Virginia).
2. SECOND IN THE ACC IN SHOOTING
After seven conference games, NC State is second in the ACC with a .469 field goal percentage in league play. NC State has shot better than 55 percent twice in league play, and better than 51 percent three times. NCSU converted 55.3 percent of its shots vs. Wake Forest in December, then shot 55.0 percent in its win over Duke. The Wolfpack also leads the ACC in field goals made in league play (187).
3. PACK BRAVED ELEMENTS FOR WIN AT NOTRE DAME LAST YEAR
Last January, NC State traveled through the polar vortex that saw sub-zero temperatures and multiple feet of snow at Notre Dame to win 77-70 at the Joyce Center. While the road victory came early in the conference season, it later proved to be an important part of NC State's tournament resume. The triumph at Notre Dame was one of six true road wins for Mark Gottfried's team last season.
4. PERIMETER ATTACK
NC State is led by its three-guard attack, with Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Cat Barber combining for 40.9 points per game on .453 shooting. Lacey, fifth in the ACC in scoring with 16.7 points per game, combines with Turner (13.5 ppg) to form the ACC's top 3-point shooting combination with 97 made 3-pointers. Barber, State's starting point guard and a former McDonald's All-American, is scoring 10.7 per game and leads the team in assists.
5. INCREASED POST PRODUCTION
One question for this year's NC State squad has been finding the right combinations and match-ups for the team's four post players. The Wolfpack bigs, led by Kyle Washington, have produced more in recent games. Washington is averaging 11.2 points per game on .531 shooting over the last five contests. Additionally, freshman Abdul-Malik Abu is coming off a career-best performance of 19 points Thursday night at Miami.
