Pack Hosts #6 Louisville Saturday at PNC Arena

Saturday, February 1

Raleigh, NC

2 PM

NC State

Louisville

1/31/2020 10:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball

NC State Game Notes (PDF)

NC State has defeated a top-10 team inside PNC Arena the last two seasons

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (14-7, 5-5 ACC) opens February by hosting sixth-ranked Louisville (18-3, 9-1 ACC) Saturday at 2 p.m. inside PNC Arena.

The game will be televised by ESPN with Wes Durham and Sean Farnham on the call.

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

Military Appreciation Day
NC State has partnered with Support U.S. Armed Forces to collect paper items to support veterans and their families at the Pack's annual Military Appreciation Day presented by Harris Teeter Saturday at PNC Arena.

Support U.S. Armed Forces will be collecting items at the gate in a donation drive to benefit military families. Ticket holders are asked to bring items such as household paper goods, toilet paper, facial tissue, paper plates, paper towels, trash bags and zip-loc bags to donate as they enter PNC Arena on Saturday.

Donation bins will be located at the North, South and East entrances to PNC Arena.

Pack Tracks
- NC State had its 11-game home win streak snapped on Monday night when it dropped a 75-65 decision to North Carolina.
- Junior forward D.J. Funderburk led four NC State players in double figures with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds. Devon Daniels added 17 points, Markell Johnson finished with 12 and Jericole Hellems contributed 10 points.
- After missing the previous two games because of a concussion, freshman forward Manny Bates returned to the NC State lineup against the Tar Heels. In 16 minutes off-the-bench, the Fayetteville, N.C. native had five blocked shots. Bates broke the program record for most blocked shots by a freshman in just 15 games this season. He leads the ACC and ranks 8th in the NCAA with an average of 3.05 blocked shots per game. In the two games with
- Funderburk has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games. The Cleveland, Ohio native leads the conference in field goal percentage (58.8%) in ACC play and is the team's leading scorer (14.6) and rebounder (7.3) in conference play. He has shot over 50 percent in 15 of 19 games this season. The junior forward is shooting 70% from the field (21-of-30) over the last four outings and in 11 home games this season he is shooting 68.4% from the field (54-of-79).

Saturday Storylines
- Saturday's game will mark the 10th time NC State has faced a top-10 team under head coach Kevin Keatts. The Pack is 4-5 against top-10 teams in the Keatts era, including a 2-1 mark against Top-10 foes in PNC Arena. In PNC Arena, the Pack has defeated #2 Duke, 96-85, on 1/6/18, defeated #7 Auburn, 78-71, on 12/19/18 and lost to #3 Virginia in overtime, 66-65, on 1/29/19.
- In last season's game at Louisville, NC State committed 23 turnovers in losing to the Cardinals. It remains the most turnovers NC State has ever committed in the 90 games of the Kevin Keatts era. NC State finished the game -8 in turnover margin and has an 11-13 record in the Keatts' era record when it loses the turnover battle
- In the first 15 games of the season, NC State only failed to score over 70 points one time (69 vs. Wisconsin), but in the last six games NC State has only scored over 70 points one time and has only scored more than 60 points twice. The Pack is shooting 44.8% to rank 5th in the ACC this season, but is shooting just 39.6% in the last six games, including just 26.2% from three-point range.
- Over the last five games, NC State has held opponents to an average of just 3.4 three-pointers per game while shooting just 23.3% from long-range. Louisville averages to make 8.2 three-pointers per game and leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the NCAA with a 39.1% three-point field goal percentage.
- Hazard, Ky., native Braxton Beverly has shot well against his home-state school. In two career games against the Cardinals, Beverly averages 16 points per game on 66.7% (12-of-18) shooting, including 66.7% on three-pointers (8-of-12). NC State is 9-1 this season when Beverly hits two or more three-pointers in a game. The Hazard, Ky., native is one three-pointer away from tying for 10th on the program's all-time three-point field goal list.
- In 10 ACC games, the Pack has attempted 161 free throws while its opponents have made 161 free throws. In its five conference losses, NC State's opponents are averaging to attempt 24 free throws a game compared to just 14.8 attempts for the Pack.
- Junior forward D.J. Funderburk will enter NC State's career field goal percentage list with one more field goal. For his career, Funderburk is 199-of-338 (58.9%) shooting. He needs 200 made field goals to be ranked on NC State's career list. The Cleveland, Ohio native will enter the list near the top of the chart. The Pack's all-time leader in field goal percentage is Kevin Thompson (1990-93 - 58.8%)
- Injuries continue to be a story of the Pack's ACC season. In 10 conference games, only twice (Dec. 7 at Wake Forest and Jan. 18 vs. Clemson) has NC State started the game with all of its nine scholarship players available. And while it started the Jan. 18 game vs. the Tigers with everyone, Manny Bates was injured eight minutes into the game and Pat Andree was hurt in the final minute. Only Braxton Beverly, Devon Daniels and Jericole Hellems have appeared in every game for NC State this season. In 21 games, NC State has had eight different starting lineup combinations. Last season, NC State only had seven different starting lineup combinations in 36 games.

NC State - Louisville Series
- Louisville leads the series with the Pack, 12-10. NC State is 6-4 against the Cardinals in Raleigh.
- Last season in a battle of ranked teams, #23 Louisville defeated #21 NC State, 84-77, in KFC Yum! Arena. Kentucky native Braxton Beverly led the Pack with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Markell Johnson did not play in the game for NC State.