NC State
Duke
Pack Heads to Durham to Take on No. 2 Duke
2/15/2019 10:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State has won last two meetings against the Blue Devils
ESPN | WatchESPN
RALEIGH, NC – The NC State men's basketball team faces a ranked opponent for the fourth time in six games when it faces second-ranked Duke Saturday evening inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm on ESPN with Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Allison Williams on the call.
NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Tracks
- The Pack defeated Syracuse 73-58 Wednesday night for its second consecutive victory. Junior guard Braxton Beverly tied his career-high with 21 points while senior guard Torin Dorn registered his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead NC State.
- Over the last three games, Braxton Beverly is shooting 59.1% (13-of-22) from three-point range. The Hazard, Ky., native is averaging 18.3 points and has committed zero turnovers in 98 minutes of action in the last three outings. Beverly ranks second in the ACC in conference-only games with 35 three-pointers.
- C.J. Bryce leads the Pack in scoring in ACC play at 13.0 points per game. He ranks 23rd in the ACC in scoring in conference games. Georgia Tech is the only ACC team that has its leading scorer in conference play average less than Bryce. The Pack ranks fourth in the ACC in conference games at scoring at 73.5 points per game. The Pack relies on a balanced scoring attack as five different players have led the team in scoring in conference play. All 10 players on the roster have scored in double figures in at least one game this season.
- The Pack's bench is averaging 30.9 points per game and has outscored the opponent's bench by 355 points this season. NC State's bench has had 33 individual double-digit scoring performances. The Pack has scored 40+ points off the bench in eight games this season, including a school-record 62-point performance in the win over USC Upstate on Dec. 22. The Pack is 1-5 when its bench scores less than 20 points and 17-2 when its bench scores over 20 points.
NC State - Duke Series
- Duke leads the all-time series between the two programs, 146-101.
- NC State has defeated the Blue Devils in the last two meetings between the programs. Last season, the Pack defeated No. 2 Duke, 96-85, in PNC Arena. NC State had six players score in double figures as the Pack shot 50.7 percent and hit 23-of-25 (92%) free throw attempts.
Saturday Storylines
- A win would give the Pack three straight wins against Duke. The last time NC State defeated the Blue Devils three consecutive times was 1987-1988. The Pack defeated Duke in the 1987 ACC Tournament and then swept the 1987-88 regular season series against the Blue Devils.
- Saturday will be the 16th time in the 59 games Kevin Keatts has been head coach that the Pack will face a team ranked in the top-25. The Pack is 6-9 against ranked opponents with Keatts as head coach, including a 4-3 record against teams ranked in the top-10.
- Junior guard C.J. Bryce has stepped up his play in road ACC games. In six conference road games, Bryce is averaging 16.8 points per game and is shooting 50% from the field and 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from three-point range. Counting just the last four ACC road games (Notre Dame, Louisville, North Carolina and Pitt), Bryce is averaging 18.5 points per game and shooting 55.1% from the field and shooting 72.2% (13-of-18) from three-point range.
- Duke and NC State rank 1st and 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounding. The Blue Devils rank fifth in the NCAA, averaging 14.0 offensive rebounds per game while the Pack ranks 13th in the NCAA at 13.6 offensive rebounds per game. Duke's Zion Williamson leads the ACC in offensive rebounding at 3.63 per game. NC State does not have a player rank in the top-10 in ACC in offensive rebounding as the Pack has six different players averaging over 1 offensive rebound per game. Wyatt Walker (51), DJ Funderburk (50) and Torin Dorn (50) lead the Pack in offensive rebounding.
- NC State and Duke rank 1st and 2nd in the ACC in forcing its opponents into turnovers. The Pack leads the ACC, forcing opponents into 16.72 turnovers per game, while Duke ranks second in the ACC, forcing opponents into 16.08 turnovers per game.
- The Pack has shot better from long distance in road games than home games in ACC play. NC State has hit double-digit three-pointers in three of six conference games, including a season-best in number (14) and percentage (51.9%) in the win at Pitt last Saturday. Overall, the Pack is shooting 38.3% from three-point range and averaging 9.5 three-point field goals in six conference road tests.
- Heading into Saturday, the Pack's opponents have made more free throws than NC State has attempted in six of the last nine games. NC State has only attempted more free throws than its opponent three times in ACC play. Through 12 conference games, NC State's opponents have attempted 100 more free throws (300-to-200) than the Pack and is outscoring NC State by 79 points at the free throw line.
