NC State
Winthrop
Wolfpack Hosts Unbeaten Winthrop Friday Night
11/26/2015 1:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (3-2) vs. Winthrop (4-0) | ||
| Date | Friday, Nov. 24 | |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | GoPack.com | |
| Television | ESPN3 (Andrew Sanders, Chris Corchiani Sr.) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Winthrop | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Winthrop | |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball | Facebook | |
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The Starting 5Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. COMING HOME AFTER A MARQUEE WINÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
NC State is bringing the momentum of a neutral-court win over a nationally-ranked opponent back home to PNC Arena for a stretch of home games. The Wolfpack's overtime win over LSU in the Barclays Center is followed by three consecutive home games. Friday's game against Winthrop is the start of a stretch that will see the Pack also host Michigan and Patriot League favorite Bucknell before final exams. Four of the Wolfpack's next five games are at PNC Arena.
2. CAT'S CLASSICÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Cat Barber was named to the all-tournament team at the Legends Classic after leading the team to a 3-1 record in the event. Barber ran the Wolfpack in Brooklyn to the tune of 15 assists against three turnovers while averaging 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Barber made 24 of his 26 foul shots at the Barclay Center, including the final six free throws that put the LSU victory on ice. He also assisted on the Pack's last field goal of the game, a game-changing, fast-break lay-up by Maverick Rowan. In his postgame comments, Mark Gottfried called his point guard's play in Brooklyn "phenomenal."
3. DOUBLE TROUBLEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
While going up against freshman phenom Ben Simmons of LSU, it was the Martin twins who came out on top. Caleb and Cody Martin combined for 30 points and 19 rebounds, as Caleb Martin made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points while his older brother posted his first career double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds). The twins also combined for seven assists and five steals while each played 37 minutes. Cody drew the primary responsibility of slowing down the 6-10 Simmons who totaled four points on 1-for-6 shooting before fouling out. With Simmons playing with four fouls in overtime, the Wolfpack isolated Cody Martin vs. Simmons, who committed his final foul when the Wolfpack twin attacked him on the offensive end.
4. 20 YEARS AGO TO THE DAY Â Â Â Â Â
Coincidentally, NC State and Winthrop met on the hardwood exactly 20 years before Friday's game. The Wolfpack cruised past Winthrop 97-48 on Nov. 27, 1995 at Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack, which led by 25 at halftime, got 23 points and 10 rebounds from 1996 NBA Draft pick Todd Fuller and 20 points from Jason Sutton. NC State shot 13-for-28 from 3-point range that night, as Fuller made four long-range shots.Â
5. A ROTATION BUILT FOR MARCHÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Under normal circumstances, a tourney-bound basketball team would pare down its rotation during the postseason. NC State hasn't been afforded those normal circumstances. The Wolfpack is essentially playing a seven-player rotation. In the two games in Brooklyn this week, seven players played all 425 possible minutes (Shaun Kirk appeared for 0:06 of game time vs. Arizona State). NC State's primary seven-player rotation has played 1,014 of the season's 1,025 minutes (98.9 percent). Cat Barber is playing an ACC-leading 39.2 minutes per game, while Caleb Martin and Maverick Rowan are each playing more than 33 minutes per game.
