Thursday, December 17
Saint Louis, MO
8 PM
NC State
at
Saint Louis
Pack Back in Action Thursday Night at Saint Louis
12/16/2020 1:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game against the Billikens will be the first for NC State in two weeks
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team returns to action for the first time in two weeks when it travels to Saint Louis to take on the Billikens on Thursday evening.
The game is scheduled for tipoff at 8 p.m. EST and will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+ and the Fox Sports Go app. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Tracks
- NC State returns to action Thursday for the first time in two weeks. Since late on Sunday evening, Nov. 29, when the Pack's game against William & Mary was canceled, the Pack has had five games canceled or postponed in the last 17 days.
- Last time out, NC State overwhelmed UMass Lowell, defeating the River Hawks, 90-59, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Ct.
- It's the third-time in four seasons with Kevin Keatts as head coach that the Pack have opened the season 3-0.
- The Pack has a balanced offensive attack in the early part of this season. The team has eight players averaging at least 6.7 points per game and the team's bench has contributed at least 30 points in every game and is averaging 34.7 points per game.
- The Pack has opened the season with shooting performances over 50 percent in all three games. Last season in 32 games, NC State only had six games where it shot over 50 percent from the field. The Pack's 53.4 percent shooting so far this season is the best mark in the ACC. NC State's top-seven scorers this season are all shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
Thursday Storylines
- NC State will only have nine players available on Thursday night. In the first three games of the season, the Pack played at least 11 players in the first half of all three games.
-Saint Louis connections: Junior forward Jericole Hellems is from Saint Louis and played at basketball powerhouse Chaminade High School. He ranks third all-time on the program's career scoring list behind only NBA stars Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum. NC State redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates and Saint Louis sophomore guard Yuri Collins are cousins.
- The Pack is 34-6 (.850) against non-conference opponents in regular season play under Keatts. Since dropping contests to unranked Tennessee (Vols were unranked at time of game, but finished season #13), Northern Iowa and UNCG (went 27-8 and received NCAA Tourney bid) in his first season with the Pack in 2017-18, Keatts and NC State have only lost non-conference regular season games at #22 Wisconsin (79-75) #16 Memphis on a neutral court (83-78) and at #12 Auburn (79-73). The Pack has a 32-3 (.914) against unranked non-conference opponents under Keatts and has won 23 consecutive games against unranked non-conference opponents.
- NC State has turned defense into offense quite effectively this season. In three games, NC State is averaging 28 points per game off opponent turnovers and is outscoring its opponents 84-26 in points off turnovers. Saint Louis is averaging 22.8 points per game off opponent turnovers and is outscoring opponents, 114-62, in points off turnovers.
- The Pack will face its toughest test of the season on the boards when it faces the Billikens. Saint Louis is averaging to outrebound its opponent by 9.2 rebounds per game this season. NC State has been outrebounded in two of its three games this season.
- A big question heading into the season for NC State was who would replace Markell Johnson at point guard. Johnson left NC State third all-time in school history in assists and led the ACC in assists twice, including last season with 6.8 assists per game. Through three games, senior Braxton Beverly and Cam Hayes have combined for 28 assists and three turnovers. Beverly with 12 assists and just 1 turnover leads the ACC and ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 12-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Hayes, a true freshman, has 16 assists and two turnovers. His 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio currently ranks third in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA.
NC State - Saint Louis Series
- Thursday marks the second all-time meeting in the series between the two programs.
- Saint Louis won the first meeting, 83-80, in overtime in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The 12th-seeded Pack led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the Billikens got hot from three-point range and NC State missed free throws which allowed the fifth-seed Saint Louis to come back and win. T.J. Warren led the Pack with 28 points.
- NC State is 116-30 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents.
Noting Saint Louis
- The Billikens return five starters and nine of its top-10 scorers from last season's 23-8 team.
- Saint Louis was picked second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and had three players earn a spot on the league's preseason all-conference teams and had two players on the A-10's preseason all-defensive team.
- Saint Louis is off to a 5-0 start this season, including an 85-81 win over LSU in November.
The game is scheduled for tipoff at 8 p.m. EST and will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+ and the Fox Sports Go app. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Tracks
- NC State returns to action Thursday for the first time in two weeks. Since late on Sunday evening, Nov. 29, when the Pack's game against William & Mary was canceled, the Pack has had five games canceled or postponed in the last 17 days.
- Last time out, NC State overwhelmed UMass Lowell, defeating the River Hawks, 90-59, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Ct.
- It's the third-time in four seasons with Kevin Keatts as head coach that the Pack have opened the season 3-0.
- The Pack has a balanced offensive attack in the early part of this season. The team has eight players averaging at least 6.7 points per game and the team's bench has contributed at least 30 points in every game and is averaging 34.7 points per game.
- The Pack has opened the season with shooting performances over 50 percent in all three games. Last season in 32 games, NC State only had six games where it shot over 50 percent from the field. The Pack's 53.4 percent shooting so far this season is the best mark in the ACC. NC State's top-seven scorers this season are all shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
Thursday Storylines
- NC State will only have nine players available on Thursday night. In the first three games of the season, the Pack played at least 11 players in the first half of all three games.
-Saint Louis connections: Junior forward Jericole Hellems is from Saint Louis and played at basketball powerhouse Chaminade High School. He ranks third all-time on the program's career scoring list behind only NBA stars Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum. NC State redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates and Saint Louis sophomore guard Yuri Collins are cousins.
- The Pack is 34-6 (.850) against non-conference opponents in regular season play under Keatts. Since dropping contests to unranked Tennessee (Vols were unranked at time of game, but finished season #13), Northern Iowa and UNCG (went 27-8 and received NCAA Tourney bid) in his first season with the Pack in 2017-18, Keatts and NC State have only lost non-conference regular season games at #22 Wisconsin (79-75) #16 Memphis on a neutral court (83-78) and at #12 Auburn (79-73). The Pack has a 32-3 (.914) against unranked non-conference opponents under Keatts and has won 23 consecutive games against unranked non-conference opponents.
- NC State has turned defense into offense quite effectively this season. In three games, NC State is averaging 28 points per game off opponent turnovers and is outscoring its opponents 84-26 in points off turnovers. Saint Louis is averaging 22.8 points per game off opponent turnovers and is outscoring opponents, 114-62, in points off turnovers.
- The Pack will face its toughest test of the season on the boards when it faces the Billikens. Saint Louis is averaging to outrebound its opponent by 9.2 rebounds per game this season. NC State has been outrebounded in two of its three games this season.
- A big question heading into the season for NC State was who would replace Markell Johnson at point guard. Johnson left NC State third all-time in school history in assists and led the ACC in assists twice, including last season with 6.8 assists per game. Through three games, senior Braxton Beverly and Cam Hayes have combined for 28 assists and three turnovers. Beverly with 12 assists and just 1 turnover leads the ACC and ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 12-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Hayes, a true freshman, has 16 assists and two turnovers. His 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio currently ranks third in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA.
NC State - Saint Louis Series
- Thursday marks the second all-time meeting in the series between the two programs.
- Saint Louis won the first meeting, 83-80, in overtime in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The 12th-seeded Pack led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the Billikens got hot from three-point range and NC State missed free throws which allowed the fifth-seed Saint Louis to come back and win. T.J. Warren led the Pack with 28 points.
- NC State is 116-30 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents.
Noting Saint Louis
- The Billikens return five starters and nine of its top-10 scorers from last season's 23-8 team.
- Saint Louis was picked second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and had three players earn a spot on the league's preseason all-conference teams and had two players on the A-10's preseason all-defensive team.
- Saint Louis is off to a 5-0 start this season, including an 85-81 win over LSU in November.
Players Mentioned
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