Pack Hosts USC Upstate Saturday at Noon

RALEIGH, NC – The NC State men's basketball team (10-1) returns to PNC Arena Saturday when it hosts USC Upstate at noon.

The game will be televised on Regional Sports Network. NC State fans in North Carolina can watch the game on Fox Sports South. A complete list of affiliates showing the game can be found here.

NC State fans can also follow the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network with Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes on the call.

Marketing Initiatives on Saturday
- Holiday mug giveaway for the first 750 fans at section 124 and section 129 marketing tables.
- Winter Wonderland in Arena Club West: Ornament making, snacks, pictures with Olaf from 11 am-to-noon.
- Pictures with Santa Wuf & Ms. Wuf at section 129 on the concourse from 11 am-to-noon.

Pack Tracks
- NC State defeated No. 7 Auburn, 78-71, on Wednesday evening behind a career-high 27 points for junior guard Markell Johnson. He scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half and finished the game 5-of-8 from long range. He also had a team-high four assists and a season-best three steals in the win. Sophomore guards Braxton Beverly and Devon Daniels assisted Johnson in the scoring load with each player finishing with 15 points. Beverly scored 14 of his 15 points in the first half while Daniels scored all 15 of his points in the second half.
- NC State is now 4-1 against opponents ranked in the top-10 since Kevin Keatts became head coach. The win was the Pack's first victory at home over a top-10 ranked non-conference opponent since beating Kentucky, 54-51 in Reynolds Coliseum on Feb. 2, 1986.
- Four different players have led NC State in scoring this season. Braxton Beverly (1x) Devon Daniels (2x), Torin Dorn (5x) and Markell Johnson (3x) have also led the Pack in scoring. NC State relies on a balanced scoring attack. All 10 players on the roster have scored in double figures in at least one game this season and six of the players are shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
- NC State leads the ACC and ranks fifth in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 51.6%. The Pack has shot better than 50 percent in seven of 11 games this season. NC State's three-point field goal percentage of 41.1% is second in the ACC and ranks ninth in the NCAA.

NC State - USC Upstate Series
- Saturday marks the second all-time meeting between the two programs.
- NC State won the first meeting, 79-60, on Dec. 11, 2010

Saturday Storylines
- A win on Wednesday would give NC State a 11-1 record for the first time since the 2005-06 team started the season with a 12-1 record.
- The Pack has won 10 consecutive games inside PNC Arena. A win on Saturday would give the Pack its longest winning streak at PNC Arena since NC State won 12 games from Feb. 29, 2012 to Jan. 26, 2013.
- Both teams are holding their opponents to under 30 percent three-point field goal shooting this season. The Pack ranks eighth in the NCAA holding opponents to 26.5 percent shooting from long range, while USC Upstate ranks 52nd in the NCAA at 29.8 percent three-point shooting for its opponents.
- NC State's largest deficit of the season is seven points (against Mercer on 11/24) and the Pack has only trailed in the second half of two games this season (Wisconsin and Penn State). NC State trailed Penn State by one in the second half before going on a 22-6 run to take control of the game. The Pack led Wisconsin for the entire second half until the Badgers took the lead with two minutes to go. Wisconsin did not make it a two possession game until under 10 seconds remained.

Pack leads the ACC in Field Goal Percentage
- The NC State men's basketball team is shooting 51.6 percent from the field this season to lead the ACC and rank fifth in the NCAA in field goal percentage.
- The Pack has shot above 50 percent in seven of its 11 games this season. It shot a season-high 60.7 percent in the win over Penn State on Dec. 15. NC State shot 70.8% (17-of-24) in the second half against the Nittany Lions.
- NC State's top-three scorers are all shooting over 50 percent from the field: Torin Dorn (53.3%), Markell Johnson (60.9) and CJ Bryce (51.8%). Johnson has shot above 50 percent from the field in every game but one this season and ranks second in the ACC in field goal percentage.
- DJ Funderburk (61.2%), Eric Lockett (56.7%) and Wyatt Walker (63.6%) are also shooting 50 percent or better from the field as six of NC State's 10 players are shooting at least 50% from the field.

Pack Dangerous from Three-Point Range
- The Pack has been hitting its three-pointers to start the season. NC State has had double-digit three-pointers in six games this season. NC State ranks second in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (8.82) and in three-point field goal percentage (41.1%). The Pack's three-point percentage ranks ninth in the NCAA.
- All 10 NC State players on the roster have hit at least one three-pointer this season. Eight of the 10 players (Braxton Beverly, CJ Bryce, Devon Daniels, Torin Dorn, Blake Harris, Jericole Hellems, Markell Johnson, and Eric Lockett) have made two or more three-pointers in a game this season.
- Last season, NC State only had 10 or more three-pointers in two of the first 16 games of the season. The Pack has done it in six of 11 games to start this season.

Junior Markell Johnson = Efficient Offense
- Junior guard Markell Johnson is shooting 60.9 percent from the field this season, including 50 percent from three-point range. He ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (highest ranked guard) and is second in three-point field goal percentage.
- Johnson has hit 32-of-44 (72.7%) of his two-point field goal attempts this season.
- The reigning ACC assist champion (7.3 assists per game last season) is leading the team and ranks sixth in the ACC with an average of 4.3 assists per game.
- The Cleveland, Ohio native has worked on his shot and has developed into a player defenses have to respect from long range. In 30 games as a freshman, he shot 25% (12-of-48) from three-point range. Last season in 26 games, he hit 27 three-pointers, shooting 40.9% (27-of-66) from three-point range.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Braxton Beverly

Devon Daniels

Torin Dorn

D.J. Funderburk

Blake Harris

Jericole Hellems

Markell Johnson

Eric Lockett

Wyatt Walker