Pack Hosts Eagles; Welcomes Back 1974 National Champs to PNC on Saturday

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NC State Game Notes | Boston College Game Notes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team hosts Boston College on Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena.

Saturday's game will serve as celebration and reunion of the 1974 National Championship team. Players and coaching staff members will be introduced to the crowd at halftime of the game.

The game will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Notes
- NC State overcame a 16-point second half deficit to take the lead late against Syracuse, but the Orange scored the final four points of the game to dispatch the Pack, 87-83.
- Syracuse led 55-40 at halftime, the most points NC State has allowed this season and the second-largest halftime deficit the Pack has faced this season. The Orange still led by 10 with 9:07 to go before a 12-2 run for the Pack knotted the game at 76.
- DJ Horne led the Pack with a season-high 32 points. It's the most points scored by an NC State player this season. The Raleigh native finished the game 11-of-22 from the field, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. Ben Middlebrooks (12 points), D.J. Burns, Jr. (12) and Jayden Taylor (10) also reached double figures.
- Horne has now led NC State in scoring in seven consecutive games and nine of the last 11 games. He has made three or more three-pointers in nine consecutive games and has now made three of more three-pointers in 15 of 26 games this season. Horne's 81 three-pointers are the third-most by an ACC player this season and his 44.3 percent three-point field goal percentage is the best mark in the conference.
- Horne has scored 24 or more points in six consecutive games. He is averaging 27.5 points per game over the last six outings and is shooting 51.4 percent (55-of-107) from the field, including 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from three-point range.
- Horne is now averaging 20.1 points per game in 15 ACC games, the second highest scoring average in conference play. One month ago after the Pack's game at UVA, Horne's ACC scoring average was 15.3 points per game. He's averaged 25.7 points per game since the UVA game on Jan. 24 to go from 16th in scoring to now ranking second in conference games in scoring.

Saturday Storylines
- Pack's Last Four Games have all gone down to the wire: NC State's last four games have all been tied or been one possession game in the last 30 seconds. Tuesday night vs. Syracuse - Tied at 83, under 20 seconds to play; last Saturday at Clemson, Pack scored winning basket with 9 seconds remaining; at Wake Forest on 2/10, tied at 79 under 20 seconds to play and vs. Pitt on 2/7 final 9 minutes of game were all played at one possession margin.
- With six straight games of 20 or more points, DJ Horne is the first NC State player since Terquavion Smith (done last season and his freshman year in 201-22) to have straight games of 20 or more points. If Horne scores over 20 points on Saturday, he'll be the first NC State player since Cat Barber in the 2015-16 season to have seven straight games over 20 or more points. Barber had a seven-game stretch in the 2015-16 season where he scored 20+ points.
- Horne's five straight games over 25 points is the longest 25+ streak by an NC State player since Cat Barber in the 2015-16 season. Barber had a five-game stretch Jan. 27, 2016 to Feb. 13, 2016 where he scored over 25 points each game. Barber scored 161 points during that five-game streak, averaging 32.2 points per game.
- Horne clicking from long range. The Arizona State transfer leads the ACC in three-point percentage (44.3%) and ranks third in the ACC in three-point field goals per game (3.12). The Raleigh, N.C., native got off to a slow start this season from three-point range, through seven games he was only shooting 32.5 percent from downtown (13-of-40). In the last 18 games, Horne is shooting 47.6% from three-point range (68-of-143). Horne can heat up quickly, he has made multiple three-pointers in 21 of 26 games this season. In the 21 games where Horne has made at least two three-pointers, he is shooting 49.4% (78-of-158) from long range.
- Grad guard Michael O'Connell leads the ACC in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.93 average. NC State is 12-3 this season when he passes out three or more assists.
- Casey Morsell - the mainstay in the starting lineup. NC State started its seventh different starting lineup combination on Saturday night at Clemson. Eight different players have started for the Pack this season, but Morsell is now the only NC State player to start every game this season. He has started 72 consecutive games, dating back to the 2021-22 season. His 73 starts are the 10th longest starting streak in program history. If Morsell starts on Saturday, he'll tie Marcus Melvin (2002-04) for the ninth-longest starting streak in program history.
- NC State leads the ACC and ranks 31st in the NCAA with an average of 13.9 fast break points per game. NC State is 14-4 this season when it has more fast break points than its opponent, but is just 2-6 when its opponent has more fast break points. In ACC-only games, the Pack is 8-2 when it has more fast break points than its opponent and 0-5 when the opponent has more fast break points.

NC State Series with Boston College
- Saturday is the 31st meeting all-time between NC State and Boston College.
- The Pack leads the all-time series with the Eagles, 17-13. Kevin Keatts is 7-3 against BC as head coach of the Pack, including a 3-1 mark in games played at PNC Arena.

Earlier Meeting this Season with the Eagles
- NC State and Boston College played each other in both team's ACC opener back on Dec. 2 with the Pack outlasting BC, 84-78, in overtime.
- BC led 7-2 early, but the Pack responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead and didn't trail again in regulation. The Eagles ended the second period on a 10-3 run to force overtime at 68.
- In overtime, NC State made three three-pointers by three different players and made seven of its eight free throw attempts to outscore the Eagles, 16-10, in the extra five minutes.
- NC State placed four players in double figures with DJ Horne leading the Pack with 21 points and five assists. Jayden Taylor added 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals. DJ Burns, Jr., finished with 17 and Casey Morsell added 12 points. Mohamed Diarra added a career-high 18 rebounds.

Pack Hosts Eagles; Welcomes Back 1974 National Champs to PNC on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

DJ Burns, Jr.

Mohamed Diarra

DJ Horne

Ben Middlebrooks

Casey Morsell

Michael O'Connell

Terquavion Smith

Jayden Taylor