North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack-Tar Heels Renew Rivalry Tuesday Night
2/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (16-11, 7-7) at UNC-Chapel Hill (19-8, 9-5) | ||
| Date | Tuesday, Feb. 24 | |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Dean Smith Center - Chapel Hill, N.C. | |
| Tickets | Ticketts | |
| Television | ACCN (WRAL) (Tim Brant, Dan Bonner) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | UNC-CH | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | UNC-CH | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. WOLFPACK-TAR HEELS, EPISODE 228
Wednesday's contest is the 228th meeting between the two rivals, NC State's third-most prolific rivalry in men's basketball (behind Wake Forest and Duke). The Tar Heels edged the Pack 81-79 five weeks ago at PNC Arena. Last year, the two teams dueled in an 85-84 overtime classic a year ago in a game that saw T.J. Warren score 36 points and Marcus Paige finish with 35. The Pack and the Tar Heels have played at least twice a year each season since 1919-20.
2. THIRD TOUGHEST IN THE NATION
According to ESPN.com's Daily RPI, NC State has played the nation's third-toughest schedule. Only Big 12 leader Kansas and UNC-Chapel Hill have played a more challenging schedule than NC State. After 14 ACC games, NC State's conference strength of schedule is No. 6 in the country. The Pack has already played nine games against the current RPI top 50, highlighted by quality wins over Duke, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Boise State. Overall, the Wolfpack has six wins against top 75 teams (Duke, Louisville, Boise State, Pitt, Louisiana Tech and Tennessee) and nine of NC State's 11 losses are to teams in the top 70 of the RPI.
3. PERIMETER POWER
There's no question NC State is led by its starting perimeter players Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Cat Barber. The trio combines to average 40.9 points per game on .442 shooting with 10.7 rebounds per game. The Wolfpack is 6-2 this season when all three of those players scores in double figures, including the last two games. The Pack also owns an 8-1 record when Lacey, Turner and Barber combine for 45 points. the Pack Lacey has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 contests and Barber is scoring 18.6 points per game over the last five games.
4. MORE MINUTES FOR LENNARD
Lennard Freeman is a solid rebounder, heady defender and screens and passes well within NC State's offense. His minutes have trended up recently, similar to last season when the 6-8 forward played 20.0 minutes in the 2014 postseason. This season, NCSU is 9-2 when Freeman plays 20 or more minutes. The Pack owns a 7-1 record when he grabs at least eight rebounds and 8-1 when he leads the team in rebounding.
5. LAST YEAR'S RESUME vs. NOW
At this point in the season last year, NC State owned a single top 50 RPI victory, a December road win at Tennessee. The Wolfpack went on to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament and advance to the tourney's second round. This year's squad own four wins vs. the RPI top 50, including wins over Duke (RPI 4) and Louisville (RPI 18).
