Thursday, January 11
Raleigh, NC
9:00 PM
NC State
vs
Clemson
Pack Hosts Another Ranked Foe as Clemson Visits PNC Arena
1/10/2018 8:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NC State faces a ranked opponent for second consecutive home game
Tickets | ESPN | ACC Network Extra | Live Stats | NC State Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball hosts No. 19/17 Clemson Thursday evening at 9 p.m. in PNC Arena.
The game will be televised on ESPN with Mike Couzens and Cory Alexander on the call. Wolfpack fans can also listen to the game on the Wolfpack Sports Network with announcers Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes calling the action.
NC State enters the game coming off a 96-85 win over second-ranked Duke, while Clemson has opened the season with a 14-1 record and is one of just three teams still undefeated in ACC play.
Pack Tracks
-NC State captured its first ACC win of the season Saturday evening as it knocked off second-ranked Duke, 96-85. The Pack rode a balanced offensive attack to victory, placing six players in double figures led by Torin Dorn and Omer Yurtseven who both scored 16 points. Duke entered the game leading the nation with a +13.1 rebounding advantage, but the Pack had a +2 advantage in rebounding on Duke.
-Welcome to the ACC, Coach Keatts: In his first season as head coach of the Pack, Kevin Keatts is getting a quick look at how tough the ACC gauntlet can be. His NC State team opened the ACC schedule with two road games, the first Pack team since 2007-08 to start ACC play with consecutive road games and the Pack's ACC home-opener was against preseason favorite Duke. In addition, the Pack started a streak Saturday where its next three opponents are in the top-five of the RPI. NC State played Duke (RPI:1) Saturday, Clemson (RPI:5) on Thursday and Virginia (RPI:2) on Sunday.
-With victories over No. 2 Arizona, 90-84, on Nov. 22 and Saturday's win over No. 2 Duke, 96-85, this year's NC State team has become the first in program history to secure two wins in the regular season over teams ranked second or better in the national rankings.
Constant Defensive Pressure leading to Opponent Turnovers
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts came to Raleigh promising that his program would pressure the opponents full court and create turnovers.
-The Pack has forced nine of its 16 opponents this season into 16+-turnovers. Four times, the Pack has forced opponents into 20 or more turnovers in a single game. The last NC State team to force opponents into 20 or more turnovers four times in a season was the 2009-10 team. The last seven NC State teams (2010-11 team through 2016-17 team) only twice forced opponents into 20 turnovers (2010-11 team forced East Carolina into 20 turnovers on 11/18/10 and 2016-17 team forced Virginia Tech into 20 turnovers on 1/4/17). In Keatts first four games at NC State, his teams forced opponents into 21 (VMI), 24 (Charleston Southern), 27 (Bryant) and 22 (Presbyterian) turnovers.
-The 27 turnovers NC State forced Bryant into on Nov. 14 are the most turnovers the Pack has forced an opponent to commit since Mount St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
-In the first four games this season, the Pack forced its opponents into more turnovers than made field goals.
-In 16 games, the Pack has forced 257 turnovers. The 16.1 turnovers forced per game ranks tied for 42nd in NCAA Dl and are the second most forced turnovers by a team from the ACC.
-NC State recorded 14 steals in Tuesday's win over Bryant. It's the most steals in a 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 130 steals in 16 games this season, a mark that ranks second in the ACC and 47th overall in NCAA DI.
Healthy Freeman Becoming an Offensive Force
NC State senior Lennard Freeman had offseason leg surgery prior to the 2015-16 season and after playing through pain, elected to have offseason leg surgery again prior to the 2016-17 season and sat out the year to recover. Now fully healthy, Freeman has started his senior season with an offensive outburst.
-A career 3.6 points per game average coming into the season, Freeman has reset his career-high three times this season and is averaging 11.7 points per game through 15 games. He opened the year with 15 points against VMI, had 20 against Bryant and then had 23 in the Pack's win against Presbyterian.
-Freeman is shooting a team-best 71.4 percent from the field this season. Freeman would lead the ACC in FG percentage, but falls short of the minimum number of field goal makes to rank among ACC leaders.
-In 103 career games coming into this season, Freeman had only scored in double figures six times, he's scored in double figures in 10 of 16 games this season.
-The game against Presbyterian on November 16 was the 107th career game in an NC State uniform for Freeman. It was the first time in those 107 games that Freeman led NC State in scoring. Freeman led the Pack in scoring for the second time in his career with 19 points in a 103-71 win over South Carolina State on Dec. 2.
-Has already scored 187 points this season, the most points he has ever scored in a single season in his career. He surpassed his previous single-season scoring mark in 12 games this season.
Bench Production
- NC State's bench is averaging to score 25.4 points per game this season. The Pack's bench has outscored the opponents bench, 379-253 this year.
- NC State's bench has outscored the opponents bench in 11 of 16 games this season.
- In the win over No. 2 Arizona at the Battle 4 Atlantis, NC State's bench outscored Arizona's, 39-6. Braxton Beverly had 20 points off-the-bench for the Pack in the win, while Omer Yurtseven had 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
- Against Penn State, NC State's bench outscored the Nittany Lions, 39-9. The Pack's bench consisting of Yurtseven, Sam Hunt and Lavar Batts, Jr., combined to shoot 12-for-15 from the field (80 percent), including 9-for-10 from three-point range.
Pack Rewriting NC State/PNC Arena Record Books in Kevin Keatts First Season
- NC State has already broke three PNC Arena records and one program record in the first few months of the Kevin Keatts era. This season marks the 19th season NC State has called PNC Arena home. The arena opened on October 29, 1999.
- NC State's 116 points against Jacksonville on Dec. 22 is the most in PNC Arena history. (Previous mark was 113 set by UNC-Chapel Hill against Mount St. Mary's on March 21, 2008.) It is the most points in a game for NC State since defeating UNC Asheville, 120-71, on Dec. 20, 1995.
- NC State's 19 three-pointers against Jacksonville on Dec. 22 are the most in PNC Arena history and the most in program history. The previous high in PNC Arena was 17 three-pointers by ECU on Nov. 15, 2011 against Northwestern. The previous program high was 18 against Florida State on Feb. 10, 1992.
- NC State's 31 assists against South Carolina State on Dec. 2 are the most in PNC Arena history. The previous high was 28 set twice prior to this season. The Pack had 28 assists in the win over Jacksonville on Dec. 22. In two of the first nine games at PNC Arena in the Kevin Keatts era, the Pack had the most and tied-for-second most assists in a game in the 19-year old arena.
- NC State's 52-point win over Jacksonville on Dec. 22 (116-64) is the second-largest margin of victory in PNC Arena history (55; NC State 99-44 over Campbell on Nov. 26, 2004 is largest). It's the largest margin of victory for NC State since Dec. 1, 1998 vs. Army (+61, 94-33).
- NC State forced Bryant into 27 turnovers on Nov. 14. It ranks as the third-most turnovers in a game in PNC Arena history. It's the most turnovers the Pack has forced an opponent to commit since Mount St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
Freshman Braxton Beverly Shining in Freshman Season
-Freshman guard Braxton Beverly has seen his production go up as the Hazard, Ky. native has gotten more comfortable playing at the college level this season. Beverly wasn't cleared to play for NC State this season until Tuesday, Nov. 14 after initially being declared ineligible by the NCAA.
-Beverly currently ranks fourth in the ACC with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio. The freshman guard has had only one game this season with more turnovers than assists and has had one turnover or fewer in eight of the 14 games he's played in this season.
-After only having 10 assists in the first six games of the season (1.7 per game), Beverly has 52 assists in the last eight games (6.5 per game)
-For the season, Beverly is shooting 37.7 percent from three-point range, but he has been feast or famine from three-point range this season. He has not connected on a three-pointer in five of 12 games this season. In those five games he is a combined 0-for-14 from three-point range. Beverly has made multiple three-pointers in the other nine games he has played on this season. In the nine games he's made a three-pointer, he is averaging to hit 2.9 per game and is shooting 47.3% (26-for-55) from long-range.
Shooting Success for Pack Trio
-NC State's Torin Dorn, Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven have all been efficient scorers for the Pack this season.
-Dorn is shooting 55.2 percent from the field this season (80-for-145) and has shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 16 games, including six of the last seven games.
-Freeman is shooting 71.4 percent from the field this season (70-for-98) and has shot 50 percent or better in every game, but one this season.
-Yurtseven is shooting 61.2 percent from the field this season (79-for-129) and has shot 50 percent or better in 13 of 16 games, including 12 of the last 13 games.
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball hosts No. 19/17 Clemson Thursday evening at 9 p.m. in PNC Arena.
The game will be televised on ESPN with Mike Couzens and Cory Alexander on the call. Wolfpack fans can also listen to the game on the Wolfpack Sports Network with announcers Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes calling the action.
NC State enters the game coming off a 96-85 win over second-ranked Duke, while Clemson has opened the season with a 14-1 record and is one of just three teams still undefeated in ACC play.
Pack Tracks
-NC State captured its first ACC win of the season Saturday evening as it knocked off second-ranked Duke, 96-85. The Pack rode a balanced offensive attack to victory, placing six players in double figures led by Torin Dorn and Omer Yurtseven who both scored 16 points. Duke entered the game leading the nation with a +13.1 rebounding advantage, but the Pack had a +2 advantage in rebounding on Duke.
-Welcome to the ACC, Coach Keatts: In his first season as head coach of the Pack, Kevin Keatts is getting a quick look at how tough the ACC gauntlet can be. His NC State team opened the ACC schedule with two road games, the first Pack team since 2007-08 to start ACC play with consecutive road games and the Pack's ACC home-opener was against preseason favorite Duke. In addition, the Pack started a streak Saturday where its next three opponents are in the top-five of the RPI. NC State played Duke (RPI:1) Saturday, Clemson (RPI:5) on Thursday and Virginia (RPI:2) on Sunday.
-With victories over No. 2 Arizona, 90-84, on Nov. 22 and Saturday's win over No. 2 Duke, 96-85, this year's NC State team has become the first in program history to secure two wins in the regular season over teams ranked second or better in the national rankings.
Constant Defensive Pressure leading to Opponent Turnovers
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts came to Raleigh promising that his program would pressure the opponents full court and create turnovers.
-The Pack has forced nine of its 16 opponents this season into 16+-turnovers. Four times, the Pack has forced opponents into 20 or more turnovers in a single game. The last NC State team to force opponents into 20 or more turnovers four times in a season was the 2009-10 team. The last seven NC State teams (2010-11 team through 2016-17 team) only twice forced opponents into 20 turnovers (2010-11 team forced East Carolina into 20 turnovers on 11/18/10 and 2016-17 team forced Virginia Tech into 20 turnovers on 1/4/17). In Keatts first four games at NC State, his teams forced opponents into 21 (VMI), 24 (Charleston Southern), 27 (Bryant) and 22 (Presbyterian) turnovers.
-The 27 turnovers NC State forced Bryant into on Nov. 14 are the most turnovers the Pack has forced an opponent to commit since Mount St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
-In the first four games this season, the Pack forced its opponents into more turnovers than made field goals.
-In 16 games, the Pack has forced 257 turnovers. The 16.1 turnovers forced per game ranks tied for 42nd in NCAA Dl and are the second most forced turnovers by a team from the ACC.
-NC State recorded 14 steals in Tuesday's win over Bryant. It's the most steals in a 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 130 steals in 16 games this season, a mark that ranks second in the ACC and 47th overall in NCAA DI.
Healthy Freeman Becoming an Offensive Force
NC State senior Lennard Freeman had offseason leg surgery prior to the 2015-16 season and after playing through pain, elected to have offseason leg surgery again prior to the 2016-17 season and sat out the year to recover. Now fully healthy, Freeman has started his senior season with an offensive outburst.
-A career 3.6 points per game average coming into the season, Freeman has reset his career-high three times this season and is averaging 11.7 points per game through 15 games. He opened the year with 15 points against VMI, had 20 against Bryant and then had 23 in the Pack's win against Presbyterian.
-Freeman is shooting a team-best 71.4 percent from the field this season. Freeman would lead the ACC in FG percentage, but falls short of the minimum number of field goal makes to rank among ACC leaders.
-In 103 career games coming into this season, Freeman had only scored in double figures six times, he's scored in double figures in 10 of 16 games this season.
-The game against Presbyterian on November 16 was the 107th career game in an NC State uniform for Freeman. It was the first time in those 107 games that Freeman led NC State in scoring. Freeman led the Pack in scoring for the second time in his career with 19 points in a 103-71 win over South Carolina State on Dec. 2.
-Has already scored 187 points this season, the most points he has ever scored in a single season in his career. He surpassed his previous single-season scoring mark in 12 games this season.
Bench Production
- NC State's bench is averaging to score 25.4 points per game this season. The Pack's bench has outscored the opponents bench, 379-253 this year.
- NC State's bench has outscored the opponents bench in 11 of 16 games this season.
- In the win over No. 2 Arizona at the Battle 4 Atlantis, NC State's bench outscored Arizona's, 39-6. Braxton Beverly had 20 points off-the-bench for the Pack in the win, while Omer Yurtseven had 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
- Against Penn State, NC State's bench outscored the Nittany Lions, 39-9. The Pack's bench consisting of Yurtseven, Sam Hunt and Lavar Batts, Jr., combined to shoot 12-for-15 from the field (80 percent), including 9-for-10 from three-point range.
Pack Rewriting NC State/PNC Arena Record Books in Kevin Keatts First Season
- NC State has already broke three PNC Arena records and one program record in the first few months of the Kevin Keatts era. This season marks the 19th season NC State has called PNC Arena home. The arena opened on October 29, 1999.
- NC State's 116 points against Jacksonville on Dec. 22 is the most in PNC Arena history. (Previous mark was 113 set by UNC-Chapel Hill against Mount St. Mary's on March 21, 2008.) It is the most points in a game for NC State since defeating UNC Asheville, 120-71, on Dec. 20, 1995.
- NC State's 19 three-pointers against Jacksonville on Dec. 22 are the most in PNC Arena history and the most in program history. The previous high in PNC Arena was 17 three-pointers by ECU on Nov. 15, 2011 against Northwestern. The previous program high was 18 against Florida State on Feb. 10, 1992.
- NC State's 31 assists against South Carolina State on Dec. 2 are the most in PNC Arena history. The previous high was 28 set twice prior to this season. The Pack had 28 assists in the win over Jacksonville on Dec. 22. In two of the first nine games at PNC Arena in the Kevin Keatts era, the Pack had the most and tied-for-second most assists in a game in the 19-year old arena.
- NC State's 52-point win over Jacksonville on Dec. 22 (116-64) is the second-largest margin of victory in PNC Arena history (55; NC State 99-44 over Campbell on Nov. 26, 2004 is largest). It's the largest margin of victory for NC State since Dec. 1, 1998 vs. Army (+61, 94-33).
- NC State forced Bryant into 27 turnovers on Nov. 14. It ranks as the third-most turnovers in a game in PNC Arena history. It's the most turnovers the Pack has forced an opponent to commit since Mount St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
Freshman Braxton Beverly Shining in Freshman Season
-Freshman guard Braxton Beverly has seen his production go up as the Hazard, Ky. native has gotten more comfortable playing at the college level this season. Beverly wasn't cleared to play for NC State this season until Tuesday, Nov. 14 after initially being declared ineligible by the NCAA.
-Beverly currently ranks fourth in the ACC with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio. The freshman guard has had only one game this season with more turnovers than assists and has had one turnover or fewer in eight of the 14 games he's played in this season.
-After only having 10 assists in the first six games of the season (1.7 per game), Beverly has 52 assists in the last eight games (6.5 per game)
-For the season, Beverly is shooting 37.7 percent from three-point range, but he has been feast or famine from three-point range this season. He has not connected on a three-pointer in five of 12 games this season. In those five games he is a combined 0-for-14 from three-point range. Beverly has made multiple three-pointers in the other nine games he has played on this season. In the nine games he's made a three-pointer, he is averaging to hit 2.9 per game and is shooting 47.3% (26-for-55) from long-range.
Shooting Success for Pack Trio
-NC State's Torin Dorn, Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven have all been efficient scorers for the Pack this season.
-Dorn is shooting 55.2 percent from the field this season (80-for-145) and has shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 16 games, including six of the last seven games.
-Freeman is shooting 71.4 percent from the field this season (70-for-98) and has shot 50 percent or better in every game, but one this season.
-Yurtseven is shooting 61.2 percent from the field this season (79-for-129) and has shot 50 percent or better in 13 of 16 games, including 12 of the last 13 games.
Players Mentioned
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