NC State
Miami
Wolfpack Hosts No. 15/13 Miami Saturday Afternoon
1/29/2016 11:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (11-10, 1-7) vs. No. 15/13 Miami (16-3, 5-2) | ||
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 30 | |
| Time | 3 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | GoPack.com | |
| Television | ACC Network Stations (Tim Brant, Dave Odom) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Miami | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Miami | |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball | Facebook | |
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
All branches of our military will be honored all throughout Saturday's game. From the pregame game ball presentation, every timeout and halftime,
NC State will have programming recognizing the various men and women who proudly serve and protect our nation. NC State students in ROTC will compete in a free throw contest at halftime.
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THE STARTING 5Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. THE BIG CATÂ
A leader of a wolfpack is known as the pack's alpha male, and Cat Barber has been every bit of that for NC State this season. The 6-2 junior point guard leads the ACC in scoring (22.8 ppg), free throws made (147) and minutes played (38.5) while also ranking fourth in assists (4.7). His output has bordered on historical. He's the only player in the nation averaging more than 22.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Additionally, there hasn't been an ACC player to reach those marks in more than 20 years. Over the last three games, Barber is averaging 28.7 points and 4.7 assists while shooting .492 from the floor, .545 from 3-point range and 22-for-22 at the foul line.Â
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2. BRING SUCCESS AGAINST MIAMI HOMEÂ Â
NC State has had the majority of its recent success against Miami away from PNC Arena. In February 2014, the Wolfpack won at UM 56-55 but later that month the Hurriances came to Raleigh and evened the score with an 85-70 win. Two weeks later in the ACC Tournament, NC State exacted revenge by ousting Miami 67-58 in Greensboro. In Mark Gottfried's first game against Miami, the Wolfpack won on the road 78-73. The Pack's last home win over Miami came in 2011 when both teams had different head coaches.
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3. EXPERIENCE DIFFERENCEÂ Â
NC State and Miami are on the opposite ends of the experience spectrum. According to basketball analytics site KenPom.com, NC State ranks 305th in the nation in experience with a player average of 1.27 years. Miami, a team that has three senior starters, ranks 38th in the country and second in the ACC in the same experience metric (2.18 years).
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4. ABU COMING OFF CAREER-HIGH NIGHTÂ Â
 Abdul-Malik Abu continues to blossom into a force. The 6-8 sophomore owns nine double-doubles over the last 12 games and scored a career-high 22 points and pulled in 11 rebounds against Georgia Tech. A lob dunk by Abu off an inbounds play was on a version of the ESPN Sportscenter Top 10. He also recently produced 21 points and 13 rebounds against Florida State. Abu stands eighth in the ACC in rebounding (8.6 rpg) and is third in the conference in offensive rebounding (3.48).
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5. PACK HAS 2 WINS OVER RANKED TEAMS ALREADYÂ Â Â
Miami enters Saturday's game ranked in the top 15 in both national polls, making it the fifth nationally-ranked opponent for NC State this month. The Wolfpack went to Pittsburgh, which was ranked in the coaches poll at the time, and won 78-61 and have losses to ranked teams Louisville, Duke and UNC-CH this month. State's other victory against a ranked team came in Brooklyn in November when the Pack out-lasted then-No. 22 LSU 83-72 in overtime. The Wolfpack owns seven wins over ranked teams over the last three seasons.
