NC State
Wake Forest
Barber Honored As Pack And Wake Match Up Saturday
2/12/2016 12:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| NC State (12-12, 2-9) vs. Wake Forest (10-14, 1-11) | ||
| Date | Saturday, Feb. 13 | |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET | |
| Location | PNC Arena – Raleigh, N.C. | |
| Tickets | GoPack.com | |
| Television | FS South/Carolinas (Steve Martin, Dan Bonner) | |
| 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 | |
VIDEO COURTESY WAVY-TV
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THE STARTING 5Â -Â The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. HIS NAME IS CAT BARBER
Recently named to the Naismith Trophy watch list, Cat Barber is having a season that would rank among the all-time great performances in school and ACC history. The 6-2 guard is leading the ACC in scoring with 23.5 points per game and he's on pace to become the second player in ACC history to average 23 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 4.5 apg (Kenny Anderson in 1990-91). Barber has a league-best six games with 30 or more points, including four in ACC play. His 16 games with 20 or more points is far and away the best in the ACC, as nobody else has more than 11. Additionally, he is also leading the conference in free throws made (172) and minutes per game (38.7) and is third in free throw percentage (.869) and fourth in assists (4.7).
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Cat's last four games: 32ppg, 54%fg, 92%ft and 47%3-pt.@PackMensBball
— NCSU Wolfpack Radio (@PackRadio) February 12, 2016
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2. RENEWING A CLASSIC RIVALRY
 In its basketball history, the Pack has neither played nor beaten any team any team more than Wake Forest. Saturday's game will be the 243rd meeting between the two schools, with NC State holding a 139-103 edge. The two rivals, located 104 miles apart, have played at least twice each year since the 1910-11 season except in 1929. In recent years, the home team has had the upper hand. NC State has won 10 straight games over Wake Forest in Raleigh dating back to February 2005. Â
3. PACK-WAKE: ROUND 2
Cat Barber totaled 26 points and seven assists and the Pack came back from 14 down to fall short 77-74 at Wake Forest back on Jan. 10. The game featured four ties and eight lead changes. Wake's Devin Thomas had 20 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. NC State trailed 73-63 with 1:53 left before making it a three-point game in the final minute. The Wolfpack shot 54 percent in the second half and Caleb Martin set a career high with 11 rebounds.
4. BATTLE OF THE BIGS
While both NC State and Wake Forest start three guards, Saturday's game will pit two of the ACC's better post players against each other. Wolfpack sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu (12,9 ppg, 8.8 rpg) owns 11 double-doubles this season and is averaging 15.1 points per game in league play. Wake Forest will counter with senior Devin Thomas, who scores 16.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the ACC with 9.8 rebounds per game.Â
5. QUICK TURNAROUND
NC State won't have much time Saturday and Sunday to think about the result vs. Wake Forest. The Pack flies to Charlottesville, Va., Sunday afternoon for an ESPN Big Monday contest at No. 7 Virginia. It's NC State's second two-day turnaround in league play, with the previous stretch coming at the beginning of February. Both of those two-day turnarounds featured the second game on the road.
