Pack Hosts Wright State to Close Non-Conference Slate

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team plays its final non-conference game of the regular season Tuesday evening when it hosts Wright State inside PNC Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ACC Network Extra. NC State fans can listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks
- NC State dropped its second-straight game with an 83-74 loss to Richmond on Friday night in the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout played in Charlotte. NC State only turned it over seven times against Richmond, but the Pack shot just 61.8 percent from the foul line and Richmond shot 52.5 percent from the field which was the best shooting percentage allowed by NC State this season.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron led the Pack with his ACC-leading seventh double-double of the season. The Norfolk, Va., native scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while also tying for team-high honors with three steals
- Freshman guard Terquavion Smith, the two-time defending ACC Freshman of the Week, continued his strong December with 18 points. The Greenville, N.C., native was 9-of-10 from the foul line against the Spiders. Smith has scored in double figures in four consecutive games and is averaging 18.5 points per game during this stretch.
- Sophomore guard Cam Hayes tied his season-high with 16 points. Hayes hit a career-best four three-pointers in the game against the Spiders.
- Through 11 games, Dereon Seabron is leading NC State in scoring (19.8 ppg.), rebounding (10.8), assists (3.1 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). His 52.6 percent field goal shooting is also the best on the team.

Noting Wright State
- Wright State returns 10 players from last season's squad that finished 18-6 overall and recorded a 16-4 conference mark on the way to the third straight season of claiming at least a share of the Horizon League regular season title.
- The Raiders received 463 total votes and nine first-place votes as the Raiders were selected second in the Horizon League preseason poll ahead of the 2021-22 season.
- Redshirt junior Grant Basile was named a first team preseason selection and junior Tanner Holden earned second team preseason honors in the Horizon League poll.

Tuesday Storylines
- The Pack has won 29 consecutive regular season home games against non-conference opponents and has a 36-1 record against non-conference opponents in regular season home games under Kevin Keatts.
- Terquavion Smith continues to have a breakout December. Smith scored 20 points in his collegiate debut against Bucknell on 11/9 and scored in double figures in the next two games for NC State to start the season, but then went four straight games without a double figure scoring game. In the last four games, Smith is averaging 17.5 points per game and has hit 10 three-pointers (2.5 per game) during this stretch. Smith has been named ACC Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks and scored a career-high 21 points in the loss to top-ranked Purdue on Dec. 12. The Greenville, N.C., native has also shown an improvement in his free throw shooting lately. After starting the season 4-of-13 at the foul line in the first eight games of the season, Smith is 16-of-19 (84.2%) at the charity stripe in the last three games.
- NC State has valued the basketball this season. They've had single digit turnovers in seven of 11 games this season and rank second in the ACC and 16th in the NCAA with an average of 10.2 turnovers per game. The Pack has had less turnovers than its opponents in nine of 11 games this season. In the Kevin Keatts era, NC State is 71-27 (72.4%) when it has the same or fewer turnovers than its opponent. Sophomore point guard Cam Hayes has had one turnover or less in seven of 11 games this season and is averaging just one turnover for every 29 minutes played.
- Get Casey Morsell back on track. Through the first seven games of the season, junior guard Casey Morsell was averaging 12.3 points per game. The Ft. Washington, Md., native was injured towards the end of the Pack's four overtime win over Nebraska on Dec. 1. Morsell missed the Pack's games against Louisville and Bethune-Cookman before returning to the lineup for NC State's game against Purdue. In the two games since returning to the lineup, Morsell is averaging 1.5 points per game and shooting 11.1% (1-of-9 from the field.
- NC State is one of the top teams in the country at getting to the foul line. NC State ranks fifth in the NCAA in free throw attempts (273) and ninth in free throws made (194). Both figures lead the ACC. NC State has shot more free throws than its opponent in 10 of 11 games this season and has made more free throws than its opponent has attempted five times. For the season, NC State has outscored its opponents by 59 points at the foul line and has made eight more free throws than its opponents have attempted. Wright State leads the Horizon League in free throw attempts (199) and free throws made (155) and ranks 22nd in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 77.9 percent.
- The Pack leads the ACC in offensive rebounding with an average of 12.55 per game. Dereon Seabron averages 3.5 offensive rebounds per game to lead the ACC and rank 16th in the NCAA. Wright State ranks 312th in the NCAA in rebounding margin at -4.1 per game and averages to give up 10.3 offensive rebounds per game.
- Sophomore forward Ebenezer Dowuona has taken full advantage of the minutes created with two-time ACC blocked shot champion Manny Bates out for the season. The Accra, Ghana native has settled in as the season has gone along. He blocked just five shots in the first five games of the season, but has blocked 25 in the last six games and has had multiple blocks in six consecutive games entering Tuesday's game against Wright State. He ranks second in the ACC in blocks with a 2.7 blocks per game average. His eight blocks in the win over Nebraska on 12/1 are the most by an ACC player this season.

NC State - Wright State Series
- Tuesday is the first meeting ever between the two programs.
- NC State is 10-1 against current members of the Horizon League.

Pack Hosts Wright State to Close Non-Conference Slate

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Players Mentioned

Manny Bates

Ebenezer Dowuona

Cam Hayes

Casey Morsell

Dereon Seabron

Terquavion Smith