Pack Hosts Wake Forest Sunday

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RALEIGH, NC – The NC State men's basketball team (19-8, 7-7 ACC) hosts Wake Forest (10-15, 3-10 ACC) Sunday evening inside PNC Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm on ESPNU with Anish Shroff and Cory Alexander on the call.

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

Pregame TJ Warren Ceremony
Former NC State men's basketball All-American TJ Warren will be honored in a pregame ceremony. The recognition will start at 5:45.

Warren was a lottery selection of the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 NBA Draft following a stellar two-year career at NC State. He was just the third player in ACC history to finish the season leading the conference in scoring and field goal percentage on his way to collecting ACC Player of the Year honors from both coaches and media in 2014. His 24.9 points per game average that season is the fifth-highest single season mark in program history.

Warren's jersey will become a permanent fixture inside PNC Arena after a pregame ceremony that will feature a video tribute to his NC State career.

NC State Wearing adidas Celebrating Black Culture Uniforms
In celebration of black history month NC State will be wearing special adidas Harlem Renaissance inspired uniforms.

Considered one of the most influential movements in African American history, the Harlem Renaissance was a creative movement that kindled a new cultural identity. In this era, the Renaissance ballroom became a place that epitomized basketball culture as local teams perfected their game on the same wooden floors that were also used for ballroom dance events and jazz shows.Inspired by the wooden floors of the ballrooms where basketball became culture, each adidas team jersey also includes patterns which mimic the fabrics and prints of the 1920s that became a means of self-expression and community pride. Each uniform features a unique bean stitch texture around the team name, the word "BALLROOM" on the inner waistband of each short, and a "Celebrating Black Culture" patch.

Pack Tracks
- The Pack defeated Boston College, 89-80, in overtime Wednesday evening. Devon Daniels came off-the-bench to lead NC State in scoring (19), rebounding (11), steals (5) and tied for team-high honors in assists (4).
- Sophomore guard Braxton Beverly has made four or more three-pointers in four of the last five games. The Hazard, Ky., native is averaging 15.6 points per game during that stretch and is shooting 47.4 from three-point range. Has committed just three turnovers in 176 minutes of action in the last five outings. Beverly ranks third in the ACC in conference-only games with 40 three-pointers.
- CJ Bryce leads the Pack in scoring in ACC play at 13.3 points per game. He ranks 22nd 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 relies on a balanced scoring attack as five different players have led the team in scoring in conference play and only once (Markell Johnson vs. Clemson and Virginia) in conference play has the Pack had the same leading scorer in consecutive games.
- The Pack's bench is averaging 30.6 points per game and has outscored the opponent's bench by 391 points this season. NC State's bench has had 35 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 18-3 when its bench scores over 20 points.

NC State – Wake Forest Series
- The Pack leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 143-106. NC State has a 13-5 record against the Demon Deacons in PNC Arena.
- Wake Forest defeated the Pack, 72-68, on Jan. 15 in Winston-Salem. NC State only had two players reach double figures in scoring (Torin Dorn - 18 & CJ Bryce - 17) which is one of two times this season (Virginia Tech) the Pack failed to have three or more players score in double figures.

Sunday Storylines
- Closing strong: Since becoming a head coach at UNCW in the 2014-15 season, Kevin Keatts teams have a record of 26-13 (.667) in regular season games in the months of February and March. His first team at NC State last season won five of its last six regular season games on its way to an 11-7 conference record. This year's NC State team enters Sunday's game having won three of its last four games.
- A win on Sunday would be the Pack's 20th of the season and give head coach Kevin Keatts four consecutive 20 win seasons in his five years as a Division l head coach.
- Senior guard Torin Dorn has stepped up his play in the last four games. The Charlotte native is averaging 15.8 points on 53.1% shooting and 8.0 rebounds per game in the Pack's last four outings.
- Sunday's game is a matchup of the top-two teams in offensive rebounding in ACC play. Wake Forest is averaging 14.54 offensive rebounds per game in conference play, while the Pack is averaging 13.93 offensive rebounds per game in ACC play. NC State grabbed 18 offensive rebounds in the first game against Wake Forest, but shot just 37.0 percent from the field which is its third-lowest field goal percentage of the season.
- NC State leads the ACC and ranks 16th in the NCAA in forcing opponents into turnovers this season (16.6 per game), but in the first meeting Wake Forest only committed 11 turnovers. It's tied for the second-fewest turnovers the Demon Deacons have committed in ACC play.
- Heading into Sunday, the Pack's opponents have made more free throws than NC State has attempted in seven of the last 10 games. NC State has only attempted more free throws than its opponent four times in ACC play. Through 14 conference games, NC State's opponents have attempted 106 more free throws (343-to-237) than the Pack and is outscoring NC State by 81 points at the free throw line. Wake Forest outscored NC State 23-7 at the foul line in the first meeting.
- Sophomore forward DJ Funderburk was 9-for-9 from the foul line in the win over Boston College and enters Sunday's game having hit 22 of his last 23 free throws. He is shooting 79.5% from the foul line for the season and has risen to 6th in the ACC in free throw percentage.
- When the Pack shoots 35% or better from three-point range this season it is 16-4. NC State is 6-2 in conference play when it shoots at least 35% from three-point range, but 1-5 when it does not.

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Players Mentioned

Braxton Beverly

Devon Daniels

Torin Dorn

D.J. Funderburk

Markell Johnson