Pack Heads to UNC for Battle with Tar Heels

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NC State Game Notes | North Carolina Game Notes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team makes the short drive to Chapel Hill Wednesday evening to take on North Carolina.

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

Pack Notes
- NC State snapped its nine-game losing streak with a 70-62 win over Boston College on Saturday afternoon.
- The Pack never trailed and had a double-digit lead for a majority of the game. After taking a 26-14 lead with 9:40 to play in the first half, NC State led by double digits until BC cut it to nine with 2:51 left in the game.
- Jayden Taylor led NC State with 19 points in the win. The 19 points are the most against an ACC opponent this season for Taylor and snapped a five-game stretch where he had scored in double digits.
- Taylor added four steals in the win and now has had at least two steals in eight of the last 11 games. He averages 1.8 steals per game in conference action and his 25 steals in ACC play are the fifth-most in the conference.
- Trey Parker has made the most of an increased role lately as he has now scored 65 points in the last six games (10.8 ppg) and is shooting 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field, including 52 percent (13-of-25) from three-point range. Before the last six games, the Fayetteville, N.C., native only scored 14 points in a 12-game stretch from Dec 4 vs. Texas through Jan. 25 vs SMU. Overall, Parker has scored 57% of his points this season (65 of 114) in the last six games.
- NC State's bench contributed 29 points in the win over Boston College. The Pack's bench has provided a scoring boost in recent games. NC State is averaging 33.3 bench points per game in the last three outings. Four different players have scored in double figures off the bench in the last three games (Trey Parker (twice), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Paul McNeil and Breon Pass).
- NC State is now averaging 21.6 bench points per game this season which is the highest bench output for the Pack since the 2018-19 team averaged 29.0 bench points per game.
- NC State tied its season-low with just five turnovers against Boston College and now has had six or fewer turnovers in three of its last four games. The Pack has had single digit turnovers in eight of its last 10 games and 14 overall this season. NC State leads the ACC and ranks eighth in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (9.2). In 14 ACC games, the Pack lowers its turnovers to just 8.86 per game, which also leads the league.

Wednesday Storylines
- Wednesday's game marks the return of Dontrez Styles to Chapel Hill. The Kinston native started his collegiate career at North Carolina and played for the Tar Heels for two seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons) appearing in 45 career games.
- NC State forced Boston College into 16 turnovers on Wednesday. Forcing 15 or more turnovers is typically a sign that the Wolfpack is going to win the game. NC State is 28-6 (82.4%) when it forces an opponent into 15 or more turnovers dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season.
- Over the last two games, NC State has forced 33 turnovers while only turning it over themselves a total of 17 times. The 33 forced turnovers in the last two games are the most for NC State in back-to-back games since the Pack forced Colgate and William & Mary into a combined 36 turnovers back in November. The Pack leads the ACC in turnover margin at +3.5 per game and ranks 26th in the NCAA.
- Brandon Huntley-Hatfield making most of his return to the lineup. The Louisville transfer missed the Pack's first three games of February, but returned to action on Wednesday against Louisville. He grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds against the Cardinals. 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. On Saturday, he scored 11 points in 12 minutes of action against Boston College.
- Ben Middlebrooks had three steals against Boston College. It marked the 10th game this season where Middlebrooks finished with three blocks or three steals. The NC State senior leads the team in blocks with 35 this season and is third on the team with 24 steals. The more active Middlebrooks is the better it is for the Pack. NC State is 6-3 when Middlebrooks has multiple blocks in a game this season and is 4-2 when he has multiple steals in a game.
- Marcus Hill - the Pack's leading scorer this season - was held to just eight points against Boston College. it was just the third time in the last 18 games that Hill was held out of double digits. The Rockford, Ill., native leads the Pack in scoring at 12.6 points per game and ranks ninth in the ACC in field goal percentage at 47.0 percent. Hill is second on the team with 46 assists and has a 1.77 assist-to-turnover ratio (46-to-26). During the game against Louisville last Wednesday, Hill surpassed 1,000 career points. He achieved the milestone in his 58th Division I game.
- Finish out close games. NC State has held a second half lead in 12 of 14 ACC games this season. NC State has 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 10 wins this season, it is averaging 18.9 points per game off opponents turnovers and has outscored the opponents in points off turnovers by 114 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 North Carolina
- Wednesday will be the 249th all-time meeting between NC State and North Carolina. UNC leads the all-time series with the Pack, 167-81.
- Last Meeting (Jan. 11, 2025): UNC scored the game-winning basket with 24 seconds remaining and then blocked NC State's tying shot attempt at the rim to win in Raleigh, 63-61. NC State used a 12-2 run late in the second half to take a 59-58 lead with 2:28 to play. UNC's Ian Jackson made a three-pointer on the Tar Heels next possession to put UNC back in front, 61-59. Marcus Hill tied the game at 61 with 1:29 to play, and after both teams had empty offensive possessions, Elliott Cadeau drove the lane and found Jalen Washington for a dunk to seal the win for the Tar Heels. Hill led the Pack with 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting and also had a season-high nine rebounds. Jayden Taylor was the only other NC State player in double figures with 12 points. Ben Middlebrooks pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds as NC State tied its season-high with 16 offensive rebounds.

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Hill

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

Paul McNeil

Ben Middlebrooks

Trey Parker

Breon Pass

Dontrez Styles

Jayden Taylor