Pack Heads to Clemson for First ACC Road Contest

RALEIGH, NC – The NC State men's basketball team (6-1, 2-0) plays its first road ACC contest of the season when it travels to Clemson to face the Tigers (7-1, 2-1) inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network with Roy Philpott and Paul Biancardi calling all the action. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks
- NC State is off to its first 2-0 start in ACC play since the 2014-15 season after back-to-back 79-76 wins over 17th-ranked North Carolina and Boston College to open conference play.
- The Pack held off Boston College, 79-76, last Wednesday. The game marked the return of senior forward D.J. Funderburk to the lineup after not playing since Dec. 3. Funderburk scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half as NC State opened up a 15-point lead in the first period. The senior finished with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
- After Boston College had taken a 76-75 lead, freshman Shakeel Moore hit the game-winning basket, hitting a jumper from the top of the key with 26 seconds remaining to put NC State back in front. Moore later scored the final points of the game with a slam in the final seconds to finish with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He added a career-high tying four steals.
- Moore was named ACC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 28 for his efforts in the win over the Tar Heels. The Greensboro native scored 17 points, the first double figure scoring game of his young career. He hit 3-of-4 shots from three-point range and added two steals in the win.
- NC State ranks second in the ACC - sixth in NCAA DI - in steals per game with an average of 11.0 per contest. The Pack has had double-digit steals in four games this season, including 18 against Charleston Southern, which was the most for NC State with Kevin Keatts as head coach. The Pack has six players averaging at least one steal per game. Senior Devon Daniels and freshman Shakeel Moore lead NC State with 16 steals, ranking third in the ACC with an average of 2.29 steals per game.

Tuesday Storylines
- A win on Tuesday would give NC State a 3-0 start in ACC play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
- The Pack has a 4-2 record against the Tigers under Kevin Keatts. The combined winning margin for NC State in the four wins is 10 points (1, 2, 1 and 6). Three of the Pack's four wins have been memorial moments in the Kevin Keatts era. On Jan. 11, 2018, NC State was up 78-75 when it fouled Gabe Devoe while he was shooting a three-pointer with under one second remaining in the game. Devoe made the first two free throws, but missed the third to allow the Pack to escape, 78-77. On Jan. 26, 2019, Clemson led by six points with 24 seconds remaining, but missed four consecutive free throws and Braxton Beverly made a three-pointer as time expired to send NC State to an 69-67 win. On March 13, 2019, NC State posted the second-largest halftime deficit comeback (16 points) in ACC Tournament history as it outscored Clemson 33-16 in the second half to win, 59-58. Markell Johnson made two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining to give the Pack the win.
- Last Wednesday's game against Boston College marked the first time since Dec. 3 that the Pack had every player available. In the four games this season where NC State has had its full time available, the Pack's bench is averaging 34.8 points per game (139 points in four games).
- Clemson leads the ACC (and ranks third in the NCAA) in scoring defense, limiting opponents to an average of 56.2 points per game. NC State ranks second in the ACC (and 49th in the NCAA) in scoring offense, averaging 81.0 points per game. NC State has scored 70 points or less in five of the six games against Clemson.
- Tuesday's game pits the top-two teams in the ACC in turnover margin. The Pack leads the NCAA in turnover margin at +8.6 while Clemson ranks second in the ACC and 20th in the NCAA at +5.0. The Pack leads the ACC at turnovers forced, getting its opponents to cough up the ball over 20 times a game while Clemson ranks third in the ACC with 18.33 forced turnovers an outing.
- The Pack leads the ACC in field goal percentage at 49.2 percent while Clemson enters the game second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 38.6 percent shooting. Last season, the Tigers held NC State to combined 41.8 percent shooting in the two meetings between the teams.

NC State - Clemson Series
- Tuesday marks the 159th all-time meeting between the two programs.
- NC State leads the all-time series, 104-54. Clemson has a 26-19 advantage in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum.
- Last season: The two teams split the season series with each team winning on its home court. The Pack lost at Clemson, 81-70, (1/4/20) and NC State won at PNC Arena, 60-54 (1/18/20).
- Kevin Keatts is 4-2 against Clemson as head coach of NC State, but is 0-2 against the Tigers in Littlejohn Coliseum. He is 4-0 against Clemson at home or at a neutral site.

Pack Heads to Clemson for First ACC Road Contest

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Braxton Beverly

Devon Daniels

D.J. Funderburk

Markell Johnson

Shakeel Moore