NC State
Wake Forest
Wolfpack-Wake Forest Rivalry Renews Sunday Night
1/9/2016 12:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (10-5, 0-2) at Wake Forest (9-5, 0-2) | ||
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 10 | |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Lawrence Joel Coliseum – Winston-Salem, N.C. | |
| Tickets | StubHub | |
| Television | ESPNU/WatchESPN (Anish Shroff, Cory Alexander) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Wake Forest | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Wake Forest | |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball | Facebook | |
Â
THE STARTING 5Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
Â
1. RENEWING A CLASSIC RIVALRYÂ Â
While much is made of NC State's rivalry with UNC Chapel Hill, the Pack has actually played against Wake Forest and Duke much more often. Sunday night's game at Wake Forest will be the 242nd meeting all-time between the two schools, which are located 104 miles apart. NC State owns a 139-102 advantage (NC State has also played Duke 241 times and UNC-CH 228 times). The Pack and Wake Forest have split the last six meetings, but the Wolfpack has won eight of the last 11.
WATCH: Relive Recent NC State-Wake Forest Moments
2. CAT DADDY PUTTING UP MONSTER NUMBERSÂ
Not only is Cat Barber (referred to affectionately by Mark Gottfried as 'Cat Daddy') leading the ACC in points per game (22.7) and 20-point performances (10), but he has filled the stat sheet consistently all season for the Wolfpack. Barber, the 6-2 point guard who was a preseason second team All-ACC pick, is the nation's only player averaging 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He is second in the nation in minutes played (38.87), having sat for just 1:49 of game time over the past seven games combined. Barber has played the entire contest six times this season.
Â
3. WE WILL SEE THEM AGAINÂ Â
Under the conference's current basketball scheduling structure, NC State is paired with Wake Forest and UNC Chapel Hill as permanent home-and-home partners. The Pack and Demon Deacons will meet again Saturday, Feb. 13 at PNC Arena. Currently, the Pack will play those two rivals twice each year in addition to facing two other league opponents twice. This season, NC State is set to play Duke and Florida State twice each. NC State is the ACC's only team scheduled to play both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke twice this season.
Â
4. PACK ATTACKING THE GLASSÂ Â Â Â
The Wolfpack has outrebounded 12 of its 15 opponents this seaosn and ranks 15th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (38.5%). Louisville entered Thursday's game second in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, but it was the Wolfpack that controlled the glass with a 19-12 edge in offensive rebounds. In total, NC State pulls in 43.0 rebounds per game, the highest total in the ACC. The Pack is sixth in the ACC in rebounding margin (+6.7)
5. GAINING THE EXPERIENCE FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS Â Â Â Â Â
The experience gained this season by the young Wolfpack squad could pay dividends for the program's future. According to the popular basketball metrics website KenPom.com, the Wolfpack stands as the 305th most-experienced team (or 46th least-experienced) in the country. The team, when minutes played are weighted by each player's eligibility class, averages just 1.27 years of experience. The national average is 1.70 and the average experience of the 15-team ACC is 1.48.
