Pack Returns to Action Saturday Against Boston College

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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 Saturday afternoon at the Lenovo Center.

Tipoff against the Eagles is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks
- NC State fell to Louisville, 91-66, on Wednesday night. The Pack's defense, which has kept NC State in numerous games this season, faltered against the Cardinals. The 91 points were the most allowed by NC State this season as Louisville's field goal percentage (63.6%) and three-point field goal percentage (57.9%) were both season-highs for an NC State opponent. The Cardinals 11 three-pointers tied for the most allowed by NC State this season, as well.
- Trey Parker led NC State in scoring for the second consecutive game, finishing with 13 points and added three assists in 22 minutes off the bench. Parker has made the most of an increased role lately as he has now scored 62 points in the last five games (12.4 ppg) and is shooting 49.0 percent (24-of-49) from the field, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from three-point range. Before the last five games, the Fayetteville, N.C., native had only scored 14 points in a 12-game stretch from Dec. 4 vs. Texas through Jan. 25 vs. SMU. Overall, Parker has scored 55.9% of his points this season (62 of 111) in the last five games.
- Fellow freshman Paul McNeil contributed 12 points for the Pack as he reached double figures for the first time in his young career. McNeil finished the game 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and added two assists and two steals.
- Parker, McNeil and Breon Pass (12 points) led an NC State bench effort that contributed 41 points in the game against Louisville on Wednesday. NC State is now averaging 21.3 bench points per game this season which is the highest bench output for the Pack since the 2018-19 season averaged 29.0 bench points per game.
- Marcus Hill scored 10 points against Louisville and has now scored in double figures in 15 of the last 17 games. The Rockford, Ill., native leads the Pack in scoring at 12.8 points per game and ranks ninth in the ACC in field goal percentage at 47.5 percent. Hill is second on the team with 46 assists and has a 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio (46-to-25). During the game against the Cards, Hill surpassed 1,000 career points. He achieved the milestone in his 58th Division I game.

Saturday Storylines
- NC State will be wearing its adidas HBE (Honoring Black Excellence) uniforms on Saturday. Honoring Black Excellence is an adidas initiative celebrating the achievements of Black individuals, and Black
culture as a whole.
- NC State hit a season-high 11 three-pointers on Wednesday night against Louisville. Seven different players connected on a three-pointer in the game, including three players (Trey Parker, Paul McNeil, Jr., and Breon Pass) who hit multiple threes.
- NC State forced Louisville into 17 turnovers on Wednesday. The 17 turnovers are the most for an NC State opponent since the Pack forced William & Mary into 21 turnovers back on November 22. Forcing 15 or more turnovers is typically a sign that the Wolfpack is going to win the game. Despite the loss on Wednesday, NC State is 27-6 (81.8%) when it forces an opponent into 15 or more turnovers dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season.
- Brandon Huntley-Hatfield returned to NC State's lineup on Wednesday night after missing the previous three games and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in his first game since Jan. 27 at Duke. Seven of Huntley-Hatfield's 10 rebounds came on the offensive end, which marked a career-high. Huntley-Hatfield also had a team-leading and career-high tying four assists against the Cardinals.
- Jayden Taylor had two steals in Wednesday's game against Louisville and now has 20 steals in the last 10 games.
- Finish out close games. Last Saturday's game at Stanford marked the 11th time in 13 ACC contests that NC State has held a second half lead. NC State has now led in the second half in nine of its 11 conference losses this season. Seven of the Pack's 11 losses have been within one possession with under four minutes to play and NC State has led in the final four minutes in four of those 11 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 15 losses it averages just 11.2 points off opponent turnovers and has outscored its opponents in points off turnovers by just 12 points (168-to-156).

NC State series with Boston College
- Saturday will be the 32nd all-time meeting between NC State and Boston College and the Pack leads the series, 18-13.
- NC State has won five of the last six games in the series.
- Kevin Keatts is 8-3 against the Eagles as head coach of the Pack.
- Last Meeting (Feb. 24, 2024): NC State never trailed in beating Boston College, 81-70, last season in Raleigh. DJ Burns led four NC State players in double figures with a season-high 19 points. Jayden Taylor tabbed 15 alongside DJ Horne and Casey Morsell each contributing 13. After carrying a 38-26 edge into halftime, the Pack pushed its momentum into the second half with the Pack opening the final frame on a 9-2 spurt and the Eagles never threatened the rest of the way as NC State pushed its advantage to as high as 22 points and BC never got within single digits in the second half.
- The win over BC was the last regular season win for NC State last season. The Pack would lose its next four games before starting a nine-game win streak in the ACC Tournament.

Pack Returns to Action Saturday Against Boston College

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Hill

DJ Horne

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

Paul McNeil

Casey Morsell

Trey Parker

Breon Pass

Jayden Taylor