Pack Hits the Road for Game at Virginia Tech

ESPNU | Digital Stream

NC State Game Notes | Virginia Tech Game Notes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (9-7, 2-3 ACC) plays a midweek road game on Wednesday night when it faces Virginia Tech (7-9, 2-3 ACC).

Tipoff against the Hokies is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks
- NC State dropped a tightly-contested game to North Carolina on Saturday, falling to the Tar Heels, 63-61.
- The Pack used a 12-2 run to take a 59-58 lead with 2:28 to play and the game was tied at 61 with under 30 seconds to play, but the Tar Heels scored the winning basket on a dunk and then sealed the win with a block on the other end.
- The Tar Heels came into the game leading the ACC in scoring, averaging 84.4 points per game, but the Pack held them to a season-low 63 points. It marked only the second time this season the Tar Heels were held under 70 points. For the season, NC State ranks fourth in the ACC and 59th in the NCAA, averaging to hold opponents to 66.7 points.
- Marcus Hill led the Pack in scoring for the third consecutive game, finishing with 20 points against North Carolina. He also grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against the Tar Heels. The senior from Rockford, Ill., has scored in double figures in nine straight games and leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Hill is shooting 50.9 percent from the field this season (fourth in the ACC), is second on the team with 35 assists and has nearly a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio (35-to-18). In five conference games, Hill has upped his average to 16.8 points per game and is shooting 53.0 percent (sixth in the ACC) from the field.)
- NC State had nine turnovers against UNC and now has had single digit turnovers in eight games this season. NC State leads the ACC and ranks 15th in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game 9.8). NC State is aiming for a fourth straight ranked as one of the nation's best teams in valuing the basketball. The Pack finished 12th in the NCAA last season in turnovers, seventh in 2022-23 and 16th in the 2023-24 season.
- Jayden Taylor is 14-of-27 (51.9%) from long range in his last six games. Taylor has made at least two three-pointers in five of the last six games after only hitting multiple three-pointers in two of the first 10 games this season.
- Ben Middlebrooks leads the ACC in blocks (1.7 per game) also ranks second on the team with 17 steals this season. Middlebrooks and Clemson's Viktor Lakhin are the only two players in the ACC that have over 25 blocks and at least 15 steals this season.

Wednesday Storylines
- Pack is getting used to playing close ones in conference play. Four of the Pack's first five ACC games have gone down to the wire. NC State started league play off by beating Florida State in overtime, its other win is a one-point win over Notre Dame, two of its three losses have also come down to the last possession. NC State lost to UNC by two and at Virginia by three.
- Pack will be looking to get off to a better start on Wednesday. In the opening 20 minutes against Notre Dame and North Carolina last week the Pack combined to score just 46 points and shot just 27.9 percent (19-of-68) in the first half of the two games. NC State scored a then season-low 26 points in the first half against Notre Dame before then resetting its season-low with 20 points in the first half against North Carolina. The Pack hasn't let first half woes stop them in the second half though. NC State scored 40 points and shot 51.7 percent in the second half to overcome a 10-point deficit and beat Notre Dame on Wednesday. Against UNC, the Pack shot 60 percent in the second half, scoring 41 points, before falling by two to the Tar Heels.
- Ben Middlebrooks leads the ACC in blocks at 1.7 per game. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native has 26 blocks this season which already mark the most he's ever had in a single season. Coming into this season, Middlebrooks had multiple blocked shots in nine of 101 career games, but has already had six multiple block games this season. The more active Middlebrooks is, the better it is for the Pack. NC State is 6-1 this season when the senior has two or more blocks.
- Michael O'Connell ranks second in the ACC and eighth in the NCAA with a 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. O'Connell finished last season third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.54). His career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.15 is the 13th best active assist-to-turnover ratio in DI. O'Connell has had one or fewer turnovers in 13 of 16 games this season. In five ACC games this season, O'Connell is averaging one turnover for every 33.1 minutes played.
- Win the Paint, Win the Game? NC State is 8-1 this season when it scores more points in the paint than its opponent, but 1-6 when it ties or is outscored in the paint. The Pack is averaging 39.8 points in the paint in its eight wins, but just 25.1 points in the paint in its six losses.
- One of NC State's calling cards in the Kevin Keatts era is turning opponent's turnovers into points. In the Pack's nine wins this season, it is averaging 19.3 points per game off opponents turnovers and has outscored the opponents in points off turnovers by 102 points. In the Pack's seven losses it averages just 9.7 points off opponent turnovers and has outscored by its opponents in points off turnovers by just two points (68-to-66).

NC State series with Virginia Tech
- Wednesday will be the 64th all-time meeting between NC State and Virginia Tech. NC State leads the all-time series with the Hokies, 43-20.
- Last Meeting (January 20, 2024): Virginia Tech scored 51 points in the second half - shooting 62.5 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes - and made its final nine field goal attempts of the game to come away with an 84-78 win over NC State. The Hokies went on a 19-4 run midway through the second half to open up a 70-58 lead and while the Pack was able to get back within five, 77-72, with 59 seconds to play, it could get no closer. Despite forcing 20 Virginia Tech turnovers and finishing with 14 steals (most steals it had all season), the Pack turned it over themselves 18 times (most turnovers it had all season).

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Hill

Ben Middlebrooks

Michael O'Connell

Jayden Taylor

North Carolina State University Athletics