Wolfpack, Tar Heels Meet For 229th Time

NC State (10-7, 0-4) at #5/5 UNC Chapel Hill (15-2, 4-0)
Date	Saturday, Jan. 16
Time	12 p.m. ET
Location	Dean Smith Center – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Tickets	StubHub
Television	ESPN/WatchESPN (Dave O'Brien, Dick Vitale)
Radio	Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes)
Game Notes	NC State \| UNC-CH
Season Statistics	NC State \| UNC-CH
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Social Media	@PackMensBball \| Facebook

MEDIA INTERVIEWS FROM PRACTICE

THE STARTING 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game

1. WOLFPACK vs. TAR HEELS, NO. 229
Saturday's contest is the 229th meeting between the two rivals, NC State's third-most played rivalry in men's basketball (behind Wake Forest and Duke). In the most recent edition of the series, the Wolfpack went into the Smith Center last February and won 58-46, a victory that solidified the Pack's postseason resume and propelled the team to a Sweet 16 run. The 46 points scored by UNC-CH was the lowest offensive output by the Tar Heels in the Smith Center and UNC-CH shot just .345 on the night. The Pack and the Tar Heels have played at least twice a year each season since 1919-20 and the series dates back to 1912.

2. POINT GUARD SHOWDOWN
Fans of standout point guard play are in for a treat this Saturday when two of the top point guards in the ACC take the court. Cat Barber is currently the ACC's leading scorer (22.5 ppg) and ranks fourth in assists per game (4.88) while playing an ACC-high 38.65 minutes per contest. Across from Barber will be Marcus Paige, who averages 15.1 points and 4.1 assists per game. In last year's Wolfpack victory in Chapel Hill, Barber totaled 15 points, four rebounds and four assists against Paige's seven points and seven assists.

3. THIS IS JUST ROUND ONE
The two flagship universities of North Carolina will meet once more this season after Saturday's game at the Smith Center. NC State, under the ACC's current basketball scheduling structure, NC State is paired with rivals UNC Chapel Hill and Wake Forest as home-and-home partners each year. The Wolfpack and Tar Heels will meet in PNC Arena Wednesday, Feb. 24. Additionally, UNC-CH is the third consecutive home-and-home partner NC State has seen, following Wake Forest last weekend and Florida State on Wednesday (State's fourth travel partner is Duke). NC State is the ACC's only team scheduled to play both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke twice this season.

4. COIN TOSS GAMES AGAINST TOUGH OPPONENTS
A reasonable mind could consider the Wolfpack's 0-4 ACC record as deceiving. The Pack has lost its four conference games by a combined total of 20 points, with one setback coming in overtime. NC State led by 14 in the second half before falling in OT at Virginia Tech in the league opener, then had the ball in the final seconds trailing by three points against both Louisville and Florida State. Last Sunday at Wake Forest, the Wolfpack owned a second-half lead before being edged 77-74. NC State has been within one score of winning or tying the game in the final minute of each of its ACC games. Furthermore, NC State has no bad losses, with six of the team's seven setbacks coming against the top 70 of the ESPN.com Daily RPI. NC State's doesn't have a lost outside of the RPI's top 115.

5. BOTH TEAMS WILL GO GET IT
Both NC State and UNC-CH crash the offensive boards at a prolific rate. The Wolfpack, which leads the ACC by collecting 15.82 offensive rebounds per game, grabs 38.5 percent of its missed shots (14th in the nation). The host Tar Heels grab 38.6 percent of its misses, which is the 13th-best rate in the country.

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