Pack Returns to Reynolds Coliseum for Annual Heritage Game

Wednesday, December 5

Raleigh, NC

7 pm

NC State

Western Carolina

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Pack Returns to Reynolds Coliseum for Annual Heritage Game

12/4/2018 4:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

James. T. Valvano Arena will be formally dedicated to the legendary coach who guided the Wolfpack to the 1983 national championship in pregame ceremony

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RALEIGH, NC – The NC State men's basketball team (7-1) returns to Reynolds Coliseum Wednesday for the program's annual Heritage Game and will host Western Carolina at 7 p.m.

Always a popular game with the NC State fanbase, this season's edition of the Heritage Game will also feature a pregame ceremony as former men's basketball head coach Jim Valvano will join Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Kay Yow in being recognized at historic William Neal Reynolds Coliseum. During a ceremony prior to the game, James. T. Valvano Arena will be formally dedicated to the legendary coach who guided the Wolfpack to the 1983 national championship.

Fans can watch the pregame ceremony and game on ACC Network Extra. Andrew Sanders and Chris Corchiani will call the action. Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes will be on the call for fans listening on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

James T. Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum
Historic William Neal Reynolds Coliseum will now share its name with another icon of NC State Athletics, as former men's basketball head coach Jim Valvano will join Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Kay Yow in being recognized at the famed venue. As part of NC State's $1.6 billion Think and Do the Extraordinary campaign, a group of generous supporters of NC State Athletics joined together to honor the life and contributions of the late Valvano by making a $5 million pledge to name the arena in Reynolds Coliseum. This gift will go towards the Capital campaign goals of Wolfpack Club and support the $35 million Reynolds Coliseum renovation project.

Jim Valvano was hired as the head men's basketball coach at NC State on March 27, 1980. His 1983 squad delivered a memorable and historic run to the national title, playing under the mantra of "Survive and Advance."

In 10 seasons leading the NC State program he guided the Wolfpack to seven NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of trips to the Elite Eight and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in addition to the 1983 national title. His squads won the 1983 and 1987 ACC titles.

The naming is a fitting tribute in a space where his teams shared so much success, turning Reynolds Coliseum into one of the most difficult venues in the nation for opposing teams. In his 10 years, his squads went 121-37 (.766) at Reynolds Coliseum.

Parking on Wednesday Night
- Fans will have multiple options for parking on Wednesday night. The Reynolds Coliseum Parking Deck will be available for fans to start parking in for the game at 5 p.m. Once the Reynolds Deck is full, other parking lot options for fans include the West Deck and Dan Allen Deck. Both of those lots will also be available for fans starting at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Pack Tracks
- NC State led wire-to-wire on Saturday evening to defeat Vanderbilt, 80-65, in the HoopHall Miami Invitational.
- Junior guard Markell Johnson led the Pack in scoring for the second consecutive game, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and a game-best seven assists. Johnson scored 15 points in a 3 minute and 59 second span in the second half. NC State led 60-58 with 6:40 to play when Johnson went on his spurt. The Cleveland, Ohio, native scored 12 consecutive points for NC State and 15 of its next 16 points. By the time Johnson's streak was over, NC State's lead had gone from 60-58 to 76-62.
- The win on Saturday marked the 100th career victory for NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. Keatts has a career record of 100-41 and is 28-13 in his second season as head coach of the Pack.
- NC State is averaging 32.5 points per game from its bench this season. It has outscored the opponents bench by 147 points (260-113).
- Through games of Dec. 3, NC State ranks 15th out of 351 NCAA Division l teams in scoring offense (87.5) and 26th in scoring defense (61.4). They are the only team in the country to rank in the top 30 of both categories. NC State's scoring margin of 26.1 points per game ranks tied for second in the NCAA.
- In the Pack's seven wins it has held its opponents to 21.7% three-point shooting (28-of-129). For the season, NC State ranks 12th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to 26% shooting.

NC State - Western Carolina Series
- Wednesday marks the 15th meeting all-time between the two programs.
- NC State leads the all-time series, 14-0.
- The two teams have met 11 times in Reynolds Coliseum, the Pack has scored in triple digits in eight of the 11 contests and is averaging 101.9 points per game against the Catamounts when the teams meet in Reynolds Coliseum.

Wednesday Storylines
- Wednesday's game will open with a special ceremony as James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum will be formally dedicated to the legendary coach who guided the Wolfpack to the 1983 National Championship.
- A win on Wednesday would give NC State an 8-1 record for the first time since the 2014-15 team started 8-1.
- Turnovers: The Pack ranks 18th in the NCAA in turnover margin at +5.1 and 32nd in the NCAA in turnovers forced per game (17.0). Western Carolina ranks 342nd in the NCAA in turnover margin at -6.9 per game. The Catamounts rank 351st in the nation in turnovers per game at 18.9. NC State has had the same number or fewer turnovers than its opponents in all eight games this season, while WCU has had more turnovers than its opponent in eight of its nine games this season.
- Three-Point Shooting: WCU has hit at least seven three-pointers in every game this season and is averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game. The Pack has held seven of its eight opponents to six three-pointers or less. NC State opponents are shooting 26% (39-of-150) from three-point range this season.
- Balanced scoring attack for the Pack: Torin Dorn is the only Pack player to score in double figures in all eight games this season. In NC State's eight games there have been 30 double-digit scoring performances by nine different players. Only Blake Harris (scored 8 points against Mount St. Mary's and UNC Asheville) has not reached double figures yet for the Pack.