Pack Hosts Duke Wednesday Night at PNC Arena

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RALEIGH - The NC State men's basketball team plays its first game of the 2023 calendar year Wednesday evening as it hosts 16th-ranked Duke at PNC Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will air on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks
- NC State shot a season-low 30.9 percent in falling to Clemson, 78-64, on Friday evening. The Pack still found itself in the game late as a Casey Morsell three-pointer with 2:48 remaining brought NC State within five, 66-61, but the Pack wouldn't score again until under 30 seconds were left in the game as the Tigers closed the game on a 12-3 run.
- Terquavion Smith led NC State with 21 points against Clemson. Smith has scored in double figures in all 15 games this season and Friday's performance was his fourth 20-point performance of the season. The Greenville, N.C., native ranks third in the ACC in scoring at 18.1 points per game. Smith has now played in 47 games with NC State and his career scoring average of 16.8 points per game is tied for the eighth-highest scoring average in NC State program history. Of the top-15 players in NC State's career scoring average only four have played since NC State's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Monroe, graduated in 1991. (TJ Warren - 18.5 ppg., 2012-14; Terquavion Smith - 16.8 ppg., 2021-pres.; Julius Hodge - 15.8 ppg., 2002-05; and Cat Barber - 14.5 ppg., 2013-16).
- Casey Morsell added 13 points against Clemson, hitting three three-pointers. Morsell has hit a three-pointer in 14 of 15 games this season and has multiple three-pointers in 10 games. He ranks fourth in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (2.8) and second in three-point field goal percentage (47.7%). In 15 games this season, Morsell (42 three-pointers) has already made more than he made in 30 games last season (35).

Wednesday Storylines
- Wednesday's game will be the Pack's second this season against a ranked opponent (lost on Nov. 23 to #3 Kansas, 80-74, in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas). Now in his sixth season with NC State, head coach Kevin Keatts has led the Pack to nine wins over ranked opponents. NC State's last win over a ranked opponent was Feb. 24, 2021 when it defeated #21 Virginia, 68-61, in Charlottesville. Keatts is 2-3 against ranked Duke teams in his time at NC State, including a 2-0 mark against ranked Blue Devil teams at PNC Arena. NC State's last win over a ranked opponent at PNC Arena (with fans in the building) was an 88-66 win over sixth-ranked Duke on Feb. 19, 2020. NC State has a 6-8 record in home games against ranked teams under Keatts. The last time NC State played a ranked team in PNC Arena was Feb. 3, 2021 and the Pack fell to 14th-ranked Virginia, 64-57.
- DJ Burns stepping in Mahorcic's absence: In the five games since Dusan Mahorcic was injured, graduate forward DJ Burns is averaging 13.56 points per game and 6.6 rebounds (including 3.0offensive rebounds) per game. Burns is shooting 62.8 percent from the field (27-of-43).
- Wednesday is a matchup of the ACC's second-ranked scoring offense vs. the ACC's second-ranked scoring defense. NC State averages 80.6 points per game and leads the conference in three-pointers made per game, averaging 9.1 an outing. Duke's defense only allows 60.4 points per game and is holding opponents to just 40.4 percent shooting (3rd in the ACC) and 27.8 percent from three-point range (2nd in the ACC). NC State is 11-2 this season if it scores 70 or more points, but 0-2 if it scores under 70.
- NC State is 7-0 this season when it makes 10 or more three-pointers and just 4-4 when it hits less than 10. The Pack has made 81 three-pointers in eight games at PNC Arena this season.
- Casey Morsell is shooting 55.1 percent from three-point range (27-of-49) in eight games at PNC Arena this season. The Ft. Washington, Md., native is averaging 15.4 points per game in games at PNC Arena this season and is shooting 55.7 percent (44-of-79) overall.
- Pack has held its own on the boards: NC State has outrebounded its opponent in 10 of 15 games this season (NC State only outrebounded its opponent in 10 of 32 games last season). In the four games it has been outrebounded, Kansas, Coppin State and Clemson only edged NC State by one rebound and Miami finished +4 in rebounding in its win. NC State tied Louisville in rebounding. NC State is 10-1 when it ties or wins the rebounding battle, but is just 1-3 when it is outrebounded. The Pack ranks fourth in the ACC in rebounding margin at +3.87. It finished 14th in the ACC last season in rebounding margin at -2.8. Duke leads the ACC and ranks 10th in the NCAA in rebounding margin at +9.46.
- Duke and NC State rank 1st and 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounding. The Blue Devils average 13.4 per game to lead the conference and rank 18th in the NCAA. The Pack averages 11.7 per game to rank 90th in the NCAA. In last year's game, the two teams combined for 37 offensive rebounds. NC State had 22 offensive rebounds. Ebenezer Dowuona had nine offensive rebounds for NC State, the fifth-most in a single game in program history.
- Junior Ebenezer Dowuona had his best game of the season on Friday night. Dowuona scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. Prior to the Clemson game, he had only scored six points all season. Last season, Dowuona had career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (9) against the Blue Devils.
- NC State leads the ACC in turnover margin (+3.86), steals (9.29 per game) and forcing turnovers (15.1 per game). The Pack is 7-0 this season when it forces its opponent into 15 or more turnovers and 8-0 when it has at least 18 points off of opponent turnovers. In the Pack's four losses, its opponents are only averaging 10 turnovers per game and NC State is only averaging 10.5 points off of opponent turnovers.

NC State - Duke Series
- Wednesday will be the 263rd meeting between the two programs. Duke leads the all-time series, 150-102.
- Kevin Keatts has a 2-4 record against Duke as head coach of NC State, including a 2-1 record against the Blue Devils in PNC Arena.
- NC State has won four of the last six games against the Blue Devils played at PNC Arena. A win on Wednesday would give Duke consecutive victories over NC State at PNC Arena for the first time since Duke beat NC State on Jan. 20, 2007 (Duke won 79-56) and March 1, 2008 (Duke won 87-86).
- NC State has a 7-9 record all-time against Duke in PNC Arena. The Blue Devils won six of the first eight meetings between the programs in PNC Arena. NC State has won five of the last eight meetings at PNC Arena.
- Last season, Duke won the only meeting between the two programs, 88-73, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 15. Terquavion Smith led the Pack with 19 points. Duke outscored the Pack, 58-38, in points in the paint.
- Last meeting in PNC Arena (Feb. 13, 2021): Duke used a 14-0 run in the first half to take a 39-21 lead into halftime and never looked back in defeating NC State, 69-53. Jeremy Roach is the only player that played in the game that is still on either team's roster this season. The official attendance of the game was "25" as only player and coaching staff family members were allowed to attend the game.

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Players Mentioned

Ebenezer Dowuona

Dusan Mahorcic

Casey Morsell

Terquavion Smith