North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Opens Regular Season with Visit from Georgia Southern
11/10/2016 10:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State is 21-1 all-time against Sun Belt foes
The NC State men's basketball team will open its 107th season of play Friday night as it hosts Georgia Southern at PNC Arena. Tipoff is schedule for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ACC Network Extra.
Noting the Pack:
- The Wolfpack was picked to finish sixth in the preseason ACC poll that was announced on October 26. NC State returns two starters in Abdul-Malik Abu and Maverick Rowan, that both averaged 12.9 points per game last season and also returns the school's all-time leading shot blocker, BeeJay Anya.
- Senior guard Terry Henderson is also back for NC State. Henderson played at West Virginia in his first two seasons in college, averaging 11.7 points per game as a sophomore in 2013-14 for the Mountaineers. He sat out the 2014-15 season as a transfer to NC State. Last season, he started the season-opener against William & Mary, but suffered an injury six minutes into the game and missed the rest of the season. Henderson started in both of NC State's exhibition games this season.
- Friday night will mark the regular season debut for many Pack newcomers, including Dennis Smith, Jr., and Torin Dorn. Smith was a consensus five-star recruit when he signed with the Wolfpack last year. He was voted as the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and is on the Bob Cousy Preseason Watch List. Dorn sat out last season as a transfer from UNC-Charlotte. As a freshman with the 49ers in 2014-15, Dorn averaged 12.0 points per game and led UNC-Charlotte in scoring en route to being named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year. Also expected to make their Wolfpack debuts are freshmen Darius Hicks and Markell Johnson.
Noting Georgia Southern:
- The Eagles went 14-17 last season, but they were the youngest team in the country, starting three sophomores and two freshmen.
- Georgia Southern returns all five starters, eight of the nine players who were in the rotation and 94 percent of its scoring and rebounding from last season.
- The Eagles were picked to finish fourth out of 12 teams in the preseason Sun Belt poll.
- Sophomore guard Tookie Brown is the Eagles leading returning scorer. Brown averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season as he was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Sun Belt.
The Series:
- This will be the fourth meeting all-time between NC State and Georgia Southern. The Wolfpack won the first three games between the two programs.Â
- NC State won the last meeting, 75-57, on December 12, 2009.
- The first game between the programs was on December 4, 1972. NC State won the game 144-10. David Thompson led the Wolfpack with 40 points in the game. The 144 points is tied for the most points scored in a single game in NC State history. The 244 combined points between the two teams is the most combined points in an NC State game in program history.
How to Watch:
-Fans can catch all the action online through ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN. Visit WatchESPN.com or download the WatchESPN app to view the game on a computer or mobile device. Andrew Sanders (play-by-play) and Chucky Brown (analyst) are on the call for Friday's opener.
- Fans can also listen live on the Wolfpack Sports Network to hear Patrick Kinas and Tony Haynes call the action.
Tickets:
Tickets are still available and can be purchased online through GoPack.com/BuyTickets or by calling the NC State Ticket Office at 919-865-1510
