North Carolina State University Athletics
#PackMadness: Wolfpack Opens Tourney Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh
3/10/2015 12:00:00 AM
| #7 NC State (19-12, 10-8) vs. #10 Pittsburgh (19-13, 8-10) | ||
| Date | Wednesday, March 11 | |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, N.C. | |
| Tickets | TicketMaster | |
| Television | ESPN2 (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg) | |
| 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  |
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The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. TOURNEY TIME
NC State tied for sixth in the ACC's regular season standings and will be the No. 7 seed in this week's ACC Men's Basketball Championship in Greensboro. The Wolfpack opens with Pittsburgh, a team it defeated 68-50 in Raleigh back on Jan. 3. NC State has hit its stride heading into the postseason, having won five of its last six games. A win over Pitt would set up a Thursday night quarterfinal contest vs. No. 2 seed Duke.
2. `MARCH' GOTTFRIED
Under Mark Gottfried, NC State has thrived in college basketball's most exciting month. The Wolfpack is 16-8 in March under the fourth-year coach, including a 6-3 mark in the ACC Tournament. Gottfried is one of three ACC coaches all-time (Everett Case, Vic Bubas) to take each of his first three teams to the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament.
3. PREPARED FOR THE POSTSEASON
Heading into the postseason, few teams across the nation are as prepared as Mark Gottfried's Wolfpack. NC State played the nation's fifth-toughest schedule in the regular season, with its non-ACC schedule ranking 25th and its league schedule ranking 20th. The Pack played 17 games against teams in the top 70 of the RPI at the end of the regular season. Overall, the Wolfpack has eight wins against top 70 teams (Duke, Louisville, Boise State, Pitt, Louisiana Tech, Richmond and UNC-CH, Syracuse) while losing only twice to teams worse than 100 in the RPI.
4. WOLFPACK IN THE #ACCTOURNEY AND GREENSBORO
NC State, a charter member of the ACC is making its 62nd appearance in the tournament, owns a 69-51 conference tournament record with 10 tournament titles. This is the seventh time (and second year in a row) the Pack has been the tourney's No. 7 seed. The Wolfpack owns a 23-22 all-time tournament record in Greensboro.
5. PACK RUN BY ITS BACKCOURT
NC State will go as far in the postseason as its backcourt will take it. Trevor Lacey, named All-ACC by both coaches and media, teams with Cat Barber and Ralston Turner to combine for 41.3 points on .430 shooting and 8.1 assists. The Wolfpack is 9-2 this season when all three of those players scores in double figures, including the last two games. The Pack also owns an 10-1 record when Lacey, Turner and Barber combine for 45 points.
