North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Presbyterian
Pack Closes Opening Home Stand against Presbyterian
11/15/2017 6:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Pack seeking 4-0 start for first time since 2014-15 season
Tickets | Live Stats | ACC Network Extra | NC State Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State men's basketball team looks to close its season-opening home stretch with an undefeated record Thursday evening as it hosts Presbyterian inside PNC Arena.
The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be shown on ACC Network Extra with Andrew Sanders and former Pack All-American Chris Corchiani on the call. Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes will call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Tickets for the game are still available by visiting GoPack.com/BuyTickets
The game Thursday night is Social Media Night at PNC Arena. Social Media Night activities include:
· Social Media Photo Booth
A photo booth with be available to capture your game day memories until 8pm on the concourse near sections 108 &109.
· Wolfpack Song of the Game - Fans can submit their favorite song for nomination and then vote for their song on twitter via @PackAthletics on game day! Submit your song HERE!
· Social Fan Photo of the Night - Fans can post photos while they are at the game using #PackParadise. One fan will be selected as the Social Media Fan Photo of the Night and will win tickets to the ACC/Big 10 Challenge game against Penn State on November 29 at 7:15 p.m.
· #PackParadise Scavenger Hunt - Fans that post three of the four following photos on social media using #PackParadise throughout the game for a chance to win tickets to the ACC Home Opener against Duke on Jan 6.
· Team warmups
· Tip Off
· Halftime performance
· Selfie at the game
Pack Tracks
-NC State improved to 3-0 on the season with a 95-72 win over Bryant Tuesday night. The Pack had five players score in double figures led by Torin Dorn, who tied his career-high with 26 points. Also registering career-highs for the Pack on Tuesday were senior forward Lennard Freeman (20 points), sophomore forward Darius Hicks (10 points) and sophomore guard Markell Johnson (11 assists).
-The Wolfpack has opened the season with a 35-point victory over VMI, a 22-point win over Charleston Southern and a 23-point win over Bryant. It marks the first time since the 2004-05 season that NC State has opened the year with three consecutive 20+-point wins.
-NC State recorded 14 steals in Tuesday night's win over Bryant. It's the most steals in a single game for NC State since the Pack had 16 steals in a win over Boston College on Jan. 19, 2012. It was a 192 game span between 14+-steal games for the Pack. NC State has 33 steals in three games this season, a mark that ranks tied for the most in ACC.
-Through three games this season, the Pack has forced its opponents into more turnovers than made field goals. NC State opponents have turned the ball over 72 times, while connecting on 66 field goals.
NC State-Presbyterian Series
- Thursday's meeting will mark just the second meeting between the two programs.
- NC State won the only prior contest between the two schools, 50-43, on Jan. 5, 2008.
- The Pack has an all-time record of 60-1 against teams from the Big South conference.
Thursday Storylines
- NC State is seeking a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- A win would give head coach Kevin Keatts the second-best start to an NC State coaching career with a 4-0 record. Sidney Lowe's 2006-07 team started the season 5-0, which is the best start to a head coaching career in NC State basketball history.
- If the Pack wins the game by more than 20 points it would mark the first time since the 2004-05 season that NC State won its first four games of the season by 20+ points each time.
- Turnover Turnaround from Last Season: Through three games, NC State is +41 on the season in turnover margin. Last year's Pack team finished the season -67 in turnover margin.
- NC State forced 27 Bryant turnovers on Tuesday night. It's the most turnovers NC State has forced an opponent to commit since Mt. St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
Noting NC State's Returning and Lost
-Senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu is NC State's leading returning scorer (11.8 ppg.) and rebounder (7.0 rpg.). The Boston, Mass., native has led NC State in rebounding the last two seasons and is aiming to be the first NC State player to lead the Pack in rebounding in three consecutive seasons since Todd Fuller did it from 1993-96. Abu suffered a Grade 2 MCL Sprain in October and did not play in last week's exhibition game against Mars Hill.
-Torin Dorn (18 starts) and Omer Yurtseven (14 starts) also return for the Pack. Dorn averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore, while Yurtseven added 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
- NC State must replace its top three scorers from last season in Dennis Smith, Jr. (18.1), Terry Henderson (13.8) and Maverick Rowan (12.0). The Pack also lost the school's all-time shot block leader in BeeJay Anya (243 career blocks). Smith, Jr., was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Pack player to accomplish this feat since Hawkeye Whitney in 1977. Smith was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth pick of the NBA Draft. Henderson, after having his appeal denied to return to NC State, went through training camp with the Charlotte Hornets and is now on the Greensboro Swarm roster in the NBA G-League. Rowan was the third overall selection of the NBA G-League draft by the Lakeland Magic.
- NC State joins Florida State and Pittsburgh as the only ACC teams to lose its top three scorers from last season.
Yurtseven Selected to Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List
NC State sophomore center Omer Yurtseven has been selected as one of 20 student-athletes to the preseason watch list for this year's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Yurtseven was also on the preseason list that honors the nation's top center last season. A former five-star recruit, Yurtseven averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season.
NC State Adds Five Signees in Fall Signing Period
-NC State signed four-star high school recruits Manny Bates, Saddiq Bey, Jericole Hellems and Ian Steere in the fall signing period and signed juco transfer Derek Funderburk. The four high school players will be freshmen on the 2018-19 NC State basketball team, while Funderburk will be a redshirt sophomore on the 2018-19 team.
-Manny Bates is regarded as one of the best shot blockers in the 2018 class. He plays for Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville, N.C. where he is teammates with fellow signee Ian Steere.
-Saddiq Bey hails from Washington D.C., where he plays for Sidwell Friends School. He averaged 14.2 points per game as a junior to lead Sidwell Friends to a conference championship.
-Jericole Hellems is from Hazelwood, Mo., and plays for Chaminade High School. As a junior, he averaged 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal per game to lead Chaminade to a second consecutive Class 5 State Semifinal berth.
-Ian Steere from Sanford, N.C., plays with Bates at Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville. Steere is a physical player that helped lead his former school, Wesleyan Christian Academy, to a runner-up finish in the North Carolina 3A State Championship last season.
-Derek Funderburk from Lakewood, Ohio, is currently competing at Northwest Florida State Junior College. He signed with Ohio State out of high school and redshirted the 2016-17 season for the Buckeyes. Originally a four-star recruit, Funderburk played high school basketball at Hargrave Military Academy for current NC State assistant coach A.W. Hamilton and was teammates with current Pack freshman Braxton Beverly.
-Signing class is ranked 15th overall and 5th in the ACC by 247Sports.com. Ranked 17th overall and 6th in the ACC by Rivals.com.
