North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Hosts No. 20/12 Duke Saturday On CBS
1/22/2016 9:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (11-8, 1-5) vs. #20/12 Duke (14-5, 3-3) | ||
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 23 | |
| Time | 2 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | SOLD OUT | |
| Television | CBS (Greg Gumbel, Bill Raftery) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Duke | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Duke | |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball | Facebook | |
SATURDAY'S GAME SPONSOR - Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
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THE STARTING 5Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
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1. PACK vs. DUKE IN RALEIGHÂ Â
NC State has great success against Duke at PNC Arena in recent years. The Wolfpack has beaten the Blue Devils in Raleigh in three of the last four meetings, including when Duke was ranked No. 2 last season (87-75) and when it was No. 1 in 2013 (84-76). In 2010, NC State won 88-74 over a Duke team that would go on to win the national title. In all, Duke is 1-4 in PNC Arena dating back to 2010. This includes a 1-3 mark against NC State and an NCAA Tournament loss to Mercer in 2014.
MORE: Beating Duke In Raleigh
2. HOME-AND-HOME ONCE AGAINÂ
 NC State and Duke played each other twice each year in the regular season from the 1923-24 season until 2005-06. In recent years, due mainly to conference realignment, there have been eight instances in which the two schools were scheduled to play once. Duke is a rotational home-and-home opponent for NC State this season, with the other being Florida State. Saturday's game is the 242nd edition of the NC State-Duke rivalry, with NC State owning 99 wins over Duke.
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3. THE ACC'S TOP TWO SCORERSÂ Â
Saturday's game will feature the ACC's top two scoring leaders in Cat Barber and Duke's Grayson Allen. Barber has been one of the most productive guards in college basketball this season. The 6-2 junior leads the conference in scoring (22.3 ppg), minutes per game (38.42) and free throws made (139) while also standing fourth in assists per game (4.84). Allen is second in the ACC with 20.1 points per game. Barber and Allen are the only two players in the conference to boast three outings with 30 or more points this season.Â
4. BETTER DEFENSIVELY THAN YOU MIGHT THINKÂ
Traditionally, NC State is not known for gaudy defensive numbers, but the Wolfpack has quietly performed quite well defensively. The Wolfpack this season allows 69.9 points per game which is near the middle of the conference and fewer than what Duke allows. NC State allows opponents to shoot just .412 on the year, ranking fifth in the ACC. Opponents are shooting just .433 on 2-point attempts this season, which is second in the ACC and 32nd in the country. Last Saturday, NC State held UNC Chapel Hill to 67 points, tying the Tar Heels' lowest scoring output of the season. Pittsburgh managed just 61 points against the Wolfpack, its third-lowest scoring total this year.
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5. PACK CAN CLEAN UP ON THE GLASSÂ Â
NC State has established itself as an elite offensive rebounding team, leading the ACC with 15.74 offensive rebounds per game. The Wolfpack grabs 39.1 percent of its missed shots, which ranks 11th in the nation. Statistically, this area bodes well for NC State as Duke is 14th in the ACC in defensive rebounding percentage (grabbing 66.9% of available defensive rebounds). In the league, only Syracuse has a lower defensive rebounding percentage than Duke. NC State owns 10 games with 16 or more offensive rebounds and pulled in 21 against Virginia Tech and 20 against Florida State. Those offensive rebounds have translated into 15.3 second-chance points per game for the Pack.Â
