North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Hosts Clemson Wednesday Night In Pivotal ACC Battle
1/27/2015 12:00:00 AM
| NC State (13-8, 4-4) vs. Clemson (11-8, 3-4) | ||
| Date | Wednesday, Jan. 28 | |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena - Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | ACC Network Affiliates (WRAL) (Bob Rathbun, Mike Gminski) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Clemson | |
| Season Statistics | Clemson | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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PROMOTIONS
Malik Abu Trading Cards (Sections 115 and 129)
Bojangles Giveaway to 500 Students (outside student gates)
The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. RATINGS GAME
As the calendar creeps forward to February, the college basketball ratings metrics become more clear. The Wolfpack is currently No. 44 in ESPN's Daily RPI, with the nation's third-strongest schedule and a conference strength of schedule of fourth. Only Kansas and VCU have played a more challenging schedule than NC State. Mark Gottfried's team owns five wins against the RPI top 80, including an 87-75 win over Duke. Four regular season games against the current RPI top 75 remain: at home against Virginia and Syracuse and on the road vs. Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill.
2. FROM ONE STYLE OF PLAY EXTREME TO THE OTHER
After playing against the ACC's highest scoring offense in Notre Dame, NC State will be facing a much different style of play when Clemson visits Raleigh Wednesday night. Clemson, unlike Notre Dame, prefers a slower, defensive-minded approach. The Tigers are last in the ACC in scoring (62.8) while ranking fourth in points allowed (61.5).
3. MAKING SHOTS AND BLOCKING SHOTS
In ACC play, NC State ranks second in the conference with a .469 field goal percentage. 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). Additionally, the Pack is the ACC's top shot-blocking team in league play with 5.38 rejections per game.
4. NEED PERIMETER SCORING
It's no secret NC State's on-court success is driven by its perimeter players, primarily leading scorers Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner. In NCSU's 13 wins this season, Lacey and Turner combine for 33.2 points per game on .474 field goal shooting and 8.9 rebounds per game. In eight losses, the duo combines for 24.8 points on .392 shooting and 6.6 rebounds.
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 10.8 points per game on .565 shooting over the last five contests, including tying his career best of 17 points vs. UNC-Chapel Hill. Additionally, freshman Abdul-Malik Abu averaged 13.5 points on .632 shooting during NC State's last two games.
